Former employees remember S.W. Anderson’s Department Store

May 20, 2019 | 3:04 am

Updated May 20, 2019 | 9:14 pm

The former S.W. Anderson’s Department Store building. | Phot by AP Imagery

In the late 1980s, a mother and daughter made the trip from New York City to Owensboro for an event at The Executive Inn. The two gazed out the window of their hotel room at what was a fairly desolate downtown Owensboro when off in the distance they saw “Anderson’s” written at the top of one of the buildings. Intrigued, they decided to embark on the four block walk to S.W. Anderson’s Department Store. Upon entering, the two were greeted by an aroma of fresh candy and roasted nuts that always filled the air and a young Anderson’s employee named Steve Troutman.

Troutman recalls the encounter as if it were yesterday and the women saying they didn’t have anything “this nice in New York City.”

Troutman currently spearheads the annual breakfast and reunion for all former S.W. Anderson employees. The group had their 32nd reunion Saturday at Shoney’s in Owensboro. Fifteen attended including Annette Wimsatt who drove all the way from Fort Myers, Fla. The first reunion took place in 1988 at the Executive Inn with upwards of 125 in attendance.

S.W. Anderson’s was a three-story department store located in downtown Owensboro on the corner of Second and Daviess Streets, where the Owensboro Museum of Science and History currently resides. The first floor housed men’s clothing, accessories, jewelry, purses, cosmetics, shoes and infant clothing. The second floor was filled furs, women’s clothing, and lingerie, as well as an in-house beauty shop and portrait studio. The third floor consisted of a bridal registry, drapery, carpeting, electronics, bath and bedding, kitchenware and one of the company’s most renowned departments, fine china.

The store began operations in 1889 just across the street in what is now the First Baptist Church Parking lot. The current Anderson’s building was resurrected in 1888 and operated in its first 20 years as the Temple Theater Opera House before being transformed into the department store in 1908. When Town Square Mall opened on the southern end of Frederica St. in March of 1978, Anderson’s and many of its downtown counterparts opened expansion stores within the mall.

At the graces of some wonderful employees, S.W. Anderson and Company managed to remain in operation for 101 years. The family atmosphere fostered by the employees created an environment to be enjoyed by employee and customer alike, and that is exactly what S.W. Anderson would have wanted.

According to previous employees, Anderson always said, “Treat the customer like they’re a guest in your home.”

Troutman, who retired from teaching in 2007, recalls the 10 years he spent as an employee at Anderson’s as wonderful.

“I thoroughly enjoyed all the time I was there,” Troutman said. “I’m glad I became a teacher, but if I had to work anywhere else, I would want it to be Anderson’s.”

Troutman and many of his counterparts established relationships with co-workers and customers alike that have lasted a lifetime.

“We had good clientele that still recognizes us today — it was a family environment,” Troutman said.

According to historical documents written by J.H. Anderson and provided by Kathy Olson, Chief Executive Officer of the Owensboro Museum of Science and History, S.W. Anderson relocated to Ohio County from Gettysburg, Pa., in the 1850s. He began his business adventures as a traveling salesman before opening the department store.

Anderson had visions of a radio station and a sitting area on the third floor of the department store that never came to fruition. He was the first merchant in Kentucky to establish an actual price mark, never offering a discount to anyone. The downtown store never conducted business on Sunday, nor did they ever run an advertisement in the Sunday paper, a theme that transcended from Anderson himself.

Mary Ann Kirkpatrick of Central City, Ky., recalls her first trip to Anderson’s in 1947.

“My aunt took me one time after I was married,” Kirkpatrick said. “ You felt like you had gone to the city — it was just a treat — it really was,” she said.

Kirkpatrick claimed the store created an ambiance unmatched by any store she has visited.

“It was such a nice place – it made you feel good the second you walked in,” Kirkpatrick said. “They had the nicest people working there,” she said.

Those people, many of whom remain connected, were the cornerstone of Anderson’s department store. The downtown store ceased operations in January of 1990 while the mall store closed in May of the same year, but the memories are forever present at the annual breakfast and reunion.

Marge Chumley started the reunions in 1988, two years before the stores closed, and remained in charge before passing the torch to Troutman in 2003. The group held their breakfasts at the Executive Inn prior to its closing in 2008. Moonlite and the Owensboro Museum of Science and History (the old Anderson’s building) also played host prior to the current location of Shoney’s. Next year’s breakfast is scheduled for 9 a.m. May 16 at Shoney’s.

Though some claim they can still see and smell the remnants of Anderson’s when they enter the museum, it is unlikely that Owensboro will ever experience a store of this caliber again.

“I don’t think Owensboro will ever have another store like it,” Troutman said. “It was truly one of a kind.”

May 20, 2019 | 3:04 am

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