White Front was a chain of discount department stores in California and the western United States from 1959 through the mid-1970s. The stores were noted for the architecture of their store fronts which was an enormous, sweeping archway with the store name spelled in individual letters fanned across the top. For several years, White Front was the leading discount store in the U.S.
53-524: An urban legend claimed that the name White Front was said to refer to the practice of lining up appliances (so-called "white goods") like washers, dryers and stoves in front of the store, giving it a "white front." Another feature of each store was that each had a separate key booth located in the parking lot. In 1929, the company was founded and opened its first store at 7651 S. Central Avenue in Florence , South Los Angeles In 1950 it expanded this store. In
106-528: A 1950 advertisement, the company tongue-in-cheek explained that its lone location was in a "low rent area". White Front traced its origin to the opening of a small Los Angeles self-service grocery store on Central Avenue near 77th Street by a 23-year redhead named Harry Blackman just a few weeks before the stock market crash of 1929. Blackman had worked in the food store business for several years by working through various positions up to store manager before he decided we wanted to start his own business. He opened
159-446: A low-energy mode after a certain time. Many countries identify energy-efficient appliances using energy input labeling . The impact of energy efficiency on peak demand depends on when the appliance is used. For example, an air conditioner uses more energy during the afternoon when it is hot. Therefore, an energy-efficient air conditioner will have a larger impact on peak demand than off-peak demand. An energy-efficient dishwasher, on
212-410: A quicker rate while still making a small profit on each radio. He later branched out and start selling other small household appliances in his grocery store, such as toasters and steam irons. This side business continue on until the attack on Pearl Harbor had occurred in 1941 when consumer goods production was halted when the nation's factories switched over to the production of war-related goods to supply
265-514: A shopping complex that included a supermarket and a drug store in which no walls separated the three businesses. Another Topps was quickly open in Fairfield, Connecticut . By 1960, the chain had 10 stores in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. Some of the stores were known as Topps Discount City and others as Topps Discount Center . In 1960, Interstate purchased
318-466: A small remnant of the department store division in 1978. The firm was renamed Toys "R" Us upon emergence from bankruptcy. Interstate Department Stores was incorporated in Delaware on February 14, 1928, as a holding company to operate twenty-three department stores in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The first stores were obtained by combining
371-832: Is a non-portable or semi-portable machine used for routine housekeeping tasks such as cooking , washing laundry , or food preservation . Such appliances are sometimes collectively known as white goods , as the products were traditionally white in colour, although a variety of colours are now available. An appliance is different from a plumbing fixture because it uses electricity or fuel . Major appliances differ from small appliances because they are bigger and not portable. They are often considered fixtures and part of real estate and as such they are often supplied to tenants as part of otherwise unfurnished rental properties. Major appliances may have special electrical connections, connections to gas supplies, or special plumbing and ventilation arrangements that may be permanently connected to
424-628: Is the Central Avenue store, the definitely closed Van Nuys store, the Torrance store, and the year-old Long Beach Store. White Front entered the Seattle/Tacoma market on October 19, 1967, with the North Seattle location in a 155,000-square-foot building and a parking lot with a capacity for 1,000 vehicles. The grand opening was hosted by the stars of Petticoat Junction, Howard Duff, and Sharon Vaughn,
477-709: The Jerry Gray Orchestra . In September 1966, the 21st store was opened on Bristol Street in Costa Mesa. Celebrities included were actors Jayne Mansfield , Quinn O'Hara , Joanie Sommers , Mark Miller , Chris Robinson , Marvin Miller and Rick Jason . The 22nd White Front store was opened on Woodruff in Downey in November 1966. Celebrities included were actors Joanie Sommers , Lori Saunders and Marvin Miller . In March 1967,
530-524: The 10-unit Connecticut-based Topps Department Store chain for an undisclosed amount. The rapid growth in the Topps division also cause declines in the department store division and force the conventional department stores to close. By 1968, Topps had 61 stores, mostly in the midwest and the northheastern parts of the United States. All Topps store were closed by 1974 when Interstate filed for bankruptcy. At
583-637: The 23rd store was opened on Central Avenue in Los Angeles on the site of the original Central Avenue store that was razed to the ground 19 months prior by angry rioters. Celebrities included were comedian Bill Cosby and actors Carole Cole , and Rick Jason . The first two stores to be built outside of California were opened in Washington state in October and November 1967. In April 1968, White Front announced that they were closing their Van Nuys store and liquidating
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#1732863115427636-603: The 26th White Front store was opened on Mowry Avenue in Newark. This was the tenth store in Northern California. Celebrities included were singer Bill Medley of the The Righteous Brothers ; comedian Charles Nelson Reilly ; plus actors Richard X. Slattery , Barbara Stuart , Dick Gautier , Warren Berlinger , Elizabeth Allen , Ann B. Davis , Bill Mumy , Susan Saint James , and Jay Silverheels . The 27th store in
689-588: The April 1970 land purchase for the site of the future 120,000-square-foot White Front store on California Avenue in what would be the Bakersfield Plaza shopping center in Bakersfield, no verifiable newspaper articles can be located to verify when the grand opening of this store had actually occurred. It is inferred that the Bakersfield store had opened sometime after the opening of San Carlos store in mid-1970 and before
742-781: The Hill's Dry Goods Co. in Davenport, Iowa , and The Evansville Dry Goods Co. in Evansville, Indiana . In October 1929, Interstate acquired the Aurora Dry Goods Company of Aurora, Illinois , and the Waukegan Dry Goods Co. of Waukegan, Illinois . After opening two stores during 1935, Interstate had 40 stores. In 1952, the firm had 47 department stores. By 1958 Interstate operated 48 stores in fifteen states, selling low- and medium-price merchandise. In 1959, Interstate entered
795-670: The Rockies. In the first year, stores were opened in Toledo and Canton, Ohio, and in Louisville, Kentucky , the following year. Interstate initially had big plans to expand this chain, but these plans were quickly discontinued after Topps was acquired in 1960 and all new discount stores that Interstate had opened in the Midwest after that date were under the Topps banner instead of the originally planned Family Fair banner. The Topps Discount Stores chain
848-468: The US, the corresponding figures would be 17 billion kWh of electricity and 27,000,000,000 lb (1.2 × 10 kg) CO 2 . According to a 2009 study from McKinsey & Company the replacement of old appliances is one of the most efficient global measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Modern power management systems also reduce energy usage by idle appliances by turning them off or putting them into
901-561: The White Front Market, named after the color of the store front, on Central with $ 200 cash and $ 10,000 credit with wholesalers. He tried to carry items that his customers wanted and tried to help his customers by allowing his customers to pay for their groceries on credit until they received their relief checks. A 1934 article in the Los Angeles Evening Post-Record showed that Blackman's grocery store, White Front Market,
954-506: The appliance. This limits where they can be placed in a home. Since major appliances in a home consume a significant amount of energy, they have become the objectives of programs to improve their energy efficiency in many countries. Increasing energy efficiency is often described as an important element of climate change mitigation alongside other improvements like retrofitting buildings to increase building performance . Energy efficiency improvements may require changes in construction of
1007-1048: The appliances, or improved control systems. In the early days of electrification , many major consumer appliances were made by the same companies that made the generation and distribution equipment. While some of these brand names persist to the present day, even if only as licensed use of old popular brand names, today many major appliances are manufactured by companies or divisions of companies that specialize in particular appliances. Major appliances may be roughly divided as follows: Modern appliances, such as, freezers , ovens , stoves , dishwashers , clothes washers and dryers, use significantly less energy than older appliances. Current energy-efficient refrigerators, for example, use 40 percent less energy than conventional models did in 2001. Following this, if all households in Europe changed their more than ten-year-old appliances into new ones, 20 billion kWh of electricity would be saved annually, hence reducing CO 2 emissions by almost 18 billion kg. In
1060-578: The armed forces. Blackman himself was drafted into the army in 1943. Blackman's wife Lillian continue to operate the grocery until his return after the war. After Blackman return from the Army, Blackman opened a major appliance store across the street from the grocery at 7657 S. Central Avenue called White Front Household Appliance.His new store sold large appliances sch as refrigerators, washers, and televisions in addition to small appliances such as mixers, toasters, and radios. Gradually, his store slowly expanded down
1113-595: The block to occupy most of the neighboring store fronts on Central. When the store expanded to the end of the block, the store shorten its name to White Front Appliance and the official address was changed to 7651 S. Central Avenue. By 1954, the company changed its name to White Front Stores and started to carry other items besides appliances such as furniture, jewelry, carpeting, luggage, cameras, and silverware. White Front opened its second store in October 1957 at 16040 Sherman Way in Van Nuys. The new store, at 50,000-square-foot,
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#17328631154271166-596: The chain open its 11th store on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Pacoima. Celebrities included were actors Troy Donahue , Rick Jason and Gail Davis . The 12th White Front store was opened on Moorpark in San Jose in November 1963. This was the second store to open in Northern California. In May 1964, the 13th store was opened on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale. This was the third store to open in Northern California. The 14th White Front store
1219-624: The chain was opened in the Puget Sound area of Washington state. In December 1969, the 28th White Front store in the nation and the 25th store in California was opened on Ventu Park Road in Thousand Oaks. Celebrities included were actors Lainie Kazan and Darby Hinton . The 29th White Front store in the nation and the 26th store in California was opened on the Imperial Highway at Normandie in
1272-841: The company's height in mid-1972, the company had 37 White Front stores located in three states. A June 1972 White Front ad in the San Bernardino Sun displayed the addresses of 15 stores in Southern California with 9 stores in Los Angeles County, 2 in San Bernardino County, 2 Stores in Orange County, 1 in Riverside County, and 1 in Ventura County. Notably missing from this store list is the Central Avenue store, and
1325-415: The company's only post-bankruptcy core business. In 1978, Charles Lazarus (founder of Toys "R" Us) took over, and the company was renamed Toys "R" Us Corporation . The company was acquired by Vornado Realty Trust in 2005, former owner of Two Guys. Family Fair was a discount chain that was started in the Midwest by Interstate in 1959 at a time in which Interstate did not have any discount stores east of
1378-581: The definitely closed Van Nuys store. Also listed are three TV & Appliance Marts that were located in Temple City, Glendale, and Whittier. An October 1972 White Front ad in the San Bernardino Sun displayed the addresses of 16 stores in Southern California with 7 stores in Los Angeles County, 3 stores in San Diego County, 2 in San Bernardino County, 2 Stores in Orange County, 1 in Riverside County, and 1 in Ventura County. Notably missing from this store list
1431-687: The discount chains, opening more stores. The rapid growth of the Topps chain in the East and Midwest had the unwanted side-effect of forcing many of Interstate's conventional department stores to close when a new Topps discount store was situated within the same community. In the late sixties, Interstate diversified their holdings through the acquisition of the toy store chains Children's Supermart (Washington, DC) in 1967 and Children's Bargain Town (Chicago) in 1969. By 1968, there were 60 Topps, 28 White Fronts, 32 department stores, and eight toy superstores. In 1970,
1484-617: The discount department store field by the acquisition of the two-store Los Angeles-based White Front chain in April for $ 1.6 million and starting of the new discount chain through the opening a Family Fair store in Toledo, Ohio, and Canton, Ohio, in August and October, respectively. At this time, Interstate had 49 conventional department stores A year later, Interstate bought the Topps Department Stores discount chain for $ 4 million. By 1963, White Front had 11 stores. Interstate managed
1537-541: The discount food supermarket in the Chula Vista store and also at the other two White Front stores in San Diego County. It was expected that the 32nd White Front store in the nation was going to open in San Carlos sometime around August 1970. Unfortunately, no verifiable newspaper articles can be located to verify when the grand opening of this store had actually occurred. Although there exists newspaper articles that reports
1590-409: The firm was renamed in 1970 as Interstate Stores, Inc. , to better reflect its business. Increased competition and the changes in consumer buying habits eventually led to decreased sales in the late 1960s and early 1970s which forced the firm to file for bankruptcy in 1974. After shedding all of its non-performing units, the firm was able to exit bankruptcy with the entire toy division intact along with
1643-475: The former Miss Washington of 1958, who was known as Miss White Front for the opening. It was televised live for three hours on KING-TV. Four additional stores were built in high-traffic areas in Burien, Tacoma, Bellevue, and Everett. Major appliance A major appliance , also known as a large domestic appliance or large electric appliance or simply a large appliance , large domestic , or large electric ,
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1696-642: The grand opening included the California attorney general Stanley Mosk and actress Marilyn Maxwell . The fourth White Front store was opened on Olympic Blvd. in East Los Angeles in October 1961 by converting an existing building that was previously being used as the general offices and also as a warehouse. In March 1962, the company opened its fifth store on Azuza Avenue in Covina. Grand opening celebrities included were actors Keenan Wynn , Mark Stevens , Gail Davis and Greta Thyssen . The sixth White Front store
1749-705: The official store count to drop back to 16 stores. The 17th White Front store was opened at Florin Road and Stockton Boulevard in South Sacramento in September 1965. This was the seventh store to open in Northern California and the second in Sacramento. Celebrities included were actors Marvin Miller and the rock group The Turtles . In November 1965, the 18th store was opened on El Camino Real in South San Francisco. This
1802-754: The opening of the Riverside store in May 1971. The Bakersfield store was the second White Front store to open in Central California after the opening of the store in Fresno. The first and only store in Oregon was opened in September 1970. In May 1971, the 36th White Front store in the nation was opened on Magnolia in Riverside. The 37th White Front store in the nation was opened on Cherry Avenue in Long Beach in September 1971. At
1855-517: The other hand, uses more energy during the late evening when people do their dishes. This appliance may have little to no impact on peak demand. Interstate Department Stores#Topps Interstate Department Stores, Inc. , was an American holding company for a chain of small department stores, founded in Delaware in 1928. After a very rapid expansion as the result of acquisition and expansion of two discount store chains acquired in 1959 and 1960 and also two toy store chains acquired in 1967 and 1969,
1908-483: The properties associated with the Federman Department Stores and Stillman Department Stores groups. During this process, individual stores kept their individual names, and local management and staff. Leo G. Federman was selected as the company's first president. The oldest store had been in operations for 20 years. By August of that year, Interstate had acquired or built four additional stores and had opened
1961-481: The radios near the cash register. The radios were not selling at all at the list price until a woman offered to purchase one on credit by paying $ 0.50 down and then $ 0.50 per week until the radio was paid off. Blackman was able to sell the rest of the radios to several other customers under the same terms. Later, another customer offered to purchase the same radio for $ 8 in cash. Under the new cash terms, Blackman found out that he could that he could sell even more radios at
2014-452: The southwest portion of Los Angeles County in March 1970. This store is one of the first of the "new look" stores without the distinctive arch entryway. Celebrities included were NBA player and coach Bill Russell , Los Angeles Rams defense back Ron Smith , actor Don Mitchell , singer Abbe Lane , and singer Della Reese . In April 1970, the 30th White Front store and the 27th store in California
2067-404: The stock at that store only. At the time of the announcement, the Van Nuys store was the oldest store at that time and the only store at that time that predated the acquisition of the company by Interstate. The result of this store closing resulted in the official store count to be reduced by one. The 27th White Front store in the nation, the 24th in California and the ninth in Northern California,
2120-607: The stockholders voted to change the name of the company to Interstate Stores, Inc. to better reflect its business at that time since income from the conventional department stores represented a smaller percentage of the overall income for the firm. In the 1970s, sales dropped and Interstate closed several stores. In 1974, Interstate tried to acquire the variety and discount chains owned by McCrory Stores , but failed. Soon, Interstate filed for bankruptcy . Soon, all White Front stores closed, with most being converted to Two Guys . The one remaining successful division, Toys "R" Us, became
2173-508: The two chains separate. With a large infusion of cash from its new parent Interstate, White Front was able to rapidly expand throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area and into the rest of California. The company was known for is extravagant grand openings ceremonies which include governmental officials and Hollywood celebrities. In November 1960, White Front opened the third store in their chain at Harbor and Wilken Way in Anaheim. Celebrities at
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2226-449: The two store chain was acquired by Interstate Department Stores, Inc. , for $ 1,650,000 (~$ 13.2 million in 2023) in cash and shares. Interstate expanded the chain to other California locations and broadened its retail mix beyond the original housewares. Around this same time, Interstate had also acquired another discount department store chain in the eastern part of the country called Topps Discount Stores , but Interstate always had kept
2279-456: Was larger than the original store on Central. Celebrities attending the grand opening included Bozo the Clown and Engineer Bill . At this time, the leaders of this company were Harry Blackman as president, Sam Nassi as vice-president, and Harry's wife Lillian as secretary-treasurer. Ironically, Nassi would return years later to help White Front's liquidate its store inventory in 1973. In April 1959,
2332-535: Was located at 7710 South Central Avenue and a 1940 ad in the Los Angeles Times also showed the market was still at the same address six years later. At first, the small store did not sell non-food items such as small tube radios. His initial foray happened purely by accident. A radio salesman that he knew came into the store one day and asked Blackman if he can help him sell some small portable radios in his store that were priced at $ 9.95 by having Blackman display
2385-568: Was opened at Pierce and Central Avenues in Richmond El Cerrito. This was the 11th store in Northern California. In May 1970, the 31st White Front store in the nation and the 28th store in California was opened on National Avenue in Chula Vista. This was the third store in San Diego County. Celebrities at the grand opening included NFL quarterback John Hadl ; NBA player John Block ; talk show host Regis Philbin ; and actors Dennis Cole , Burt Ward , and Lee Meriwether . Pantry Pride operated
2438-552: Was opened on Arden Way in Sacramento in August 1964. This was the fourth store to open in Northern California. Celebrities included were actors Jayne Mansfield , Mickey Hargitay , Gail Davis , and Marvin Miller . In early November 1964, the 15th store was opened on Contra Costa Blvd. in Pleasant Hill. This was the fifth store to open in Northern California. Celebrities included were actors Mamie Van Doren , Marvin Miller , Rick Jason , and Gail Davis . The 16th White Front store
2491-492: Was opened on Hegenberger Road in Oakland in early October 1963. This was the first store to open in Northern California. Dignitaries included were California state officials such as Governor Edmund G. Brown Sr. , Lieutenant Governor Glenn M. Anderson , and Attorney General Stanley Mosk . Celebrities attending included actors Jayne Mansfield , George Jessel , Marvin Miller , Troy Donahue , and Gail Davis . In late October 1963,
2544-533: Was opened on Mountain Avenue in Ontario in late November 1964. Celebrities included were actors Gail Davis . In May 1965, the 17th store was opened on Blackstone Avenue in Fresno. This was the sixth store to open in Northern California. Celebrities included were actors Gail Davis , Marvin Miller and Rick Jason . The original Central Avenue store was "burned to the ground" during the August 1965 Watts riots . This caused
2597-516: Was opened on Orange Show Road in San Bernardino in October 1962. Celebrities included were actors Johnny Weismuller , Greta Thyssen , Alan Mowbray , and Gail Davis . In November 1962, the seventh store was opened at Jefferson and Hauser Blvds. in West Los Angeles. Celebrities included were actors Greta Thyssen , Alan Mowbray , Keenan Wynn and Gail Davis . The eighth White Front store
2650-640: Was opened on Sixteenth Street, on the site of the former Seals Stadium , in San Francisco in October 1968. Celebrities included were singing star John Gary ; comedian Pat Paulsen ; and actors Rose Marie and Lainie Kazan . The last mention of the rebuilt Central Avenue store was in a December 1968 White Front ad. This ad also mentions the locations of 11 other Los Angeles-area stores. Of the 12 stores listed, 8 were in Los Angeles County, 2 in Orange County, and 2 in San Bernardino County. There are no verifiable records when this store official closed. In March 1969,
2703-521: Was opened on Torrance Blvd. in Torrance in March 1963. Celebrities included were actor Ricardo Montalbán , comedian Soupy Sales , actress Gail Davis , actress Mala Powers , and actor Johnny Weissmuller . In May 1963, the ninth store was opened on Roscoe Blvd. in Canoga Park. Celebrities included were comedian Pinky Lee , comedian Bill Dana , actress Gail Davis , rock duo Jan and Dean , and jazz musician Big Tiny Little . The tenth White Front store
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#17328631154272756-618: Was started in Hartford, Connecticut , by Frank Beckerman and Selwyn Lemchen. The first Topps store (30,000 sq. ft.) was opened in Hartford in 1956. A larger second store (60,000 sq. ft.) was opened the following year in New Haven, Connecticut . The second store also include a supermarket section. In March 1960, the ninth store in the chain and the first store in the Midwest was opened in Niles, Illinois , in
2809-555: Was the eighth store to open in Northern California. Celebrities included were actors Carol Channing , Jayne Mansfield , Marvin Miller , Rick Jason , and Gail Davis plus the musical group Liverpool Five . A pair of stores, the 19th and 20th stores in the chain, were opened in San Diego county in late November in La Mesa and in San Diego. Celebrities included were actors Jayne Mansfield , Rick Jason , Marvin Miller , and Gail Davis plus
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