File:Bon Marché ad in The Seattle Star, August 27, 1909 (MOHAI 14709).jpg

In 1890, Edward and Josephine Nordhoff moved from Chicago to Seattle and opened their Bon Marché dry goods store in the Belltown neighborhood. The couple named the store after the Bon Marché in Paris. Starting with their life savings of $1,200, they gradually expanded the business, moving it downtown to the main shopping district in 1896. Their lower pricing attracted many shoppers. This advertising page from The Seattle Star gives an idea of the range of goods sold at the Bon Marché in August 1909. Included are men's and boy's suits in various colors, men's and women's underwear, women's and girl's dresses, shoes, and gloves, along with hams, tomatoes, and homemade cream wafers in a variety of flavors. Women riding in the new automobiles can purchase auto veils to protect their hats and hair. The small print at the very bottom of the page invites those visiting the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (Seattle's first World's Fair) to stop by the store.

Caption information source: "Bon Marche Department Store," by James R. Warren, HistoryLink.org Essay 1676.

• Subjects (LCTGM): Bon Marche (Department store); Clippings; Department stores--Washington (State)--Seattle