ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601120082
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: G2 EDITION: METRO
S.H. Heironimus and L.K. Brugh opened Heironimus & Brugh at Second Street Southwest (then Commerce Street) where Crystal Tower (formerly Ponce de Leon Hotel) parking lot is now. Store was one floor, 25 feet wide, 120 feet deep and had two employees. 1900
Moved to two-story space on northeast corner of Campbell Avenue and First Street Southwest, and added three-story addition in 1905-06. Site was later N.W. Pugh department store and is now a Grand Piano & Furniture Co. store. 1906
Robert Lee Lynn Sr. had bought Brugh's stock by this time, and S.H Heironimus was incorporated. Heironimus retired from firm in 1912. 1915
Store moved to Jefferson and Church, also current site, into building made to house both Thurman and Boone furniture and Heironimus. 1935
Moved to McBain Building, on southeast corner of Campbell Avenue and First Street, across from the store's second home. The McBain Building was demolished in the late 1950s for new Miller & Rhoads store that is now the First Campbell Square office building.
Also in the 1930s, a Heironimus Annex operated at Jefferson Street at Franklin Road, now the Coulter Building. 1956
After 60 years in business, Heironimus Co. Inc. issued 20,000 shares of stock at $20 a share to pay for remodeling and equipping the former Thurman and Boone store at Jefferson Street and Church Avenue that it had shared in the early part of the century. Remodeling cost $1.3 million and included a state-of-the-art electrical system and escalators in a decor of turquoise and pink. 1967
The downtown store had a 56-member council of teen girls, a 24-member junior deb council and an 11-member boys council; also sponsored ``TeenTown,'' an in-store radio show broadcast over WROV. The same year, a Heironimus store opened at Crossroads Mall. 1969
A new department, Tempo, opened with designer clothes for women between 20 and 36; featured labels such as Givenchy, Leo Narducci, Victor Joris of Cuddlecoat.
The company adopted get-tough policy on returns, requiring that a receipt be shown. The store was getting bad returns of more than $100,000 a year mainly from merchandise stolen there and then returned for cash. 1970
Remodeling cost $350,000 and was called the largest remodeling job ever undertaken in downtown Roanoke. When scaffolding came down in 1971, the exterior featured a black granite and aluminum facade. A large portion of cost was assured by Edgar A. Thurman Foundation that owned the building.
Opened men's "wigery." The wigs, which came with full sideburns, were considered a fashion accessory for men who had to wear short hair at work, but wanted to "get with it" on weekends.
Heironimus Advisory Board selected from women civic leaders was named to give store chairman suggestions, report complaints and assist in general policies. 1972
Added quality control employee to check for defective merchandise. Robert L. Lynn bemoaned the inferior quality of goods 1978
Settled sex discrimination suit filed in 1975 alleging that store paid women lower wages than men for same work; company agreed to equalize wages; paid $150,000 in back pay. 1974
Heironimus reported to be one of a few independently owned department stores operating in the country. Closed downtown ticket office for events at Roanoke Civic Center . 1979
Renovated with $750,000 in Industrial Development bonds. Phasing out of downtown was even mentioned this year when Heironimus said it was going to quit selling appliances.
Reported that its lease on the building ran through 1996. 1980
Heironimus and Miller & Rhoads both closed floors; M&R closed its basement; Heironimus closed third and fourth floors, abandoning furniture and major appliances. Then president of Downtown Roanoke said he wasn't concerned with loss of retail space because there was a national trend for smaller square footage in central city department stores; anyway, market area was gaining shops.
Richard M. "Dick" Lynn, who sold the stores to The Dunlap Co. in the 1990s, became president. He was already chairman of the S.H. Heironimus board, following in footsteps of father and grandfather. Announcement of his presidency took note of Heironimus' survival while other downtown stores, such as Pugh's and McBain's had faded away when the chain stores came in. 1981
Spent $30,000 to convert employee lounge into multipurpose gallery for use without charge by nonprofit cultural organizations. Annual American Association of University Women art show was traditionally hung in the store. 1993
Lynn announced that the company would be sold to The Dunlap Co. of Fort Worth, Texas. Dunlap, a privately held company, operated stores in 10 states under more than 20 different names. Larry Drombetta, who joined Heironimus in the 1980s, became president. 1996
By the time The Dunlap Co. announced that the downtown store would close, the store was operating on just two floors, the main floor and the basement.
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