Figure 1.--The fashions offered by Eaton's in the 1970s looked very similar to American styles. Polyester was all the rage.
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Figure 1.--The fashions offered by Eaton's in the 1970s looked very similar to American styles. Polyester was all the rage. |
This Canadian retailer began publishing mailorder catalogs in 1881, at least that is we begin noticing them. We have catalogs from the 1970s, although we do not know about the company's current status. The 1970s catalgs were full of clothes which look like American styles.
Timothy Eaton, founder of the huge all-Canadian department store chain bearing his name, was an Irish immigrant born on a tennant farm in northern Ireland. He was born in 1834 and followed his brothers to Canada in 1854. His brothers had opened a small dty goods store in St. Marys. Timothy Eaton began his business with a small
dry goods business in Toronto during 1869. He built a giant retail store in Ontario’s capital city along with a country-wide mail-order business and a big new branch store in Winnipeg, by the time of his death in 1907. The Winnipeg branch was the first of many branches. Eaton Company business establishments eventually spread all across Canada when Timothy’s family successors extended the Eaton empire. Timothy masterminded the company during the crucial period of its early development, spanning nearly 40 years. It was Timothy who implemented the concept of the "Department Store", in Canada, a concept which were already flourishing in London, Paris, and New York.
Timothy Eaton, founder of the huge all-Canadian department store chain bearing his name, was an Irish immigrant born on a tennant farm in northern Ireland. He was born in 1834 and followed his brothers to Canada in 1854. His brothers had opened a small dty goods store in St. Marys. Timothy Eaton began his business with a small
dry goods business in Toronto during 1869.
Timothy built a giant retail store in Toronto, Ontario’s capital city in 1869. It was a time of rapidly developing city markets. He revoltionized Canadian retailing because of two innovations: cash only sales and satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded. This was an enormous success and in 1883 he opened a new, far larger store. There were four shopping floors, two elevators, electric lighting, concerts, and ladies’ restrooms. The flagship Toronto store was modernized to compete with a new rival store of Scottish immigrant, Robert Simpson, just across the street. Business gradually increased in the Toronto store which introduced more elevators, installed escalators, and was serviced by a host of delivery wagons, neatly painted in red and black, with polite, uniformed drivers and well-groomed, patient horses. The first branch was opened in Winnipeg and became the first of many . Eaton Company business establishments eventually spread all across Canada when Timothy’s family successors extended the Eaton empire. Timothy masterminded the company during the crucial period of its early development, spanning nearly 40 years.
It was Timothy who implemented the concept of the "Department Store", in Canada, a concept which were already flourishing in London, Paris, and New York.
This Canadian retailer appears to have started its mail-order operations in 1884, but the actual date needs to be confirmed. There are catalogs datung from 1881, but these may be just store catalogs. We have catalogs from the 1970s, although we do not know about the company's current status. As the railroad, telephone and other services began reaching farther and farther into somewhat remote areas Canada, Eatons began printing and distributing catalogues to these areas. At first a catalogue would be sent to a general
store or similar, then later as the company grew and added more stores in other cities and provinces they began printing more catalogues. Soon many homes would have an Eaton's catalogue and order by mail or telephone. The railroad would deliver it to the more
remote areas that were not easily accessable by carriage or automobile.
Over the years Eaton's would grow to be a huge company, and even a small "Vinette/Short Cartoon" was made in Canada about the Eaton's catalogue and mail order system. It was called "The Hockey Sweater" and almost every Canadian will recognize it. It shows a boy in the 1940's or 1950's and is set in a small, primarily French, Canadian town, the boy wears out his favourite Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater and his mother orders him a new one. She looks through the catalogue, picks out the sweater with the help of her son and writes a letter to the owner of Eaton's along with the payment. The sweater soon arrives, but inclosed is a note telling them that the Montreal Canadiens Hockey team sweater is sold out and it has been substitutded with a Toronto Maple Leafs' sweater. This is unbelieveable to the boy, all his friends have Canadien's sweaters and his mother makes him wear the Maple Leafs' sweater. In a mostly French speaking community this is tabou, and all his friends are not enthused. Now I can't recall the ending, but it is still sometimes used as a filler between shows a few times a year on some Canadian channels.
Through the 1950's and later Eaton's stores were built in every major city in Canada and to many smaller ones as well. Eaton's developed into one of the largest chain of malls in Canada. They sold everything from replacement engines for your car to socks for your feet. They also had a garage protion in some stores similar to Sears and K-Mart. However under the latest generation of the Eaton family, the chain began to falter. It was on the verge of bankrupcy in the early 1990s and many store were closed. All this because of the poor business sence and exorbant spending of his children. The remaining stores were bought out by Sears and one HBC reader reports that the one closest to him in Moncton, New Brunswick is now a Sears store. He reports, "I personally was only in Eaton's once or twice in Moncton in the early 1990's as a small child, and I can't recall much about the store except that it was expansive. The local store here in Saint John was closed a number or years ago, and I don't think I was ever in it." Eaton's had problems in the 1980s with mismanagement. Sears-Canada bought the store and still run them under the Eaton's name. All Quebec stores were closed. I'm not sure just when, I think about 1999. A Canadian reader reports, "It was a sad story. All us Canadians knew Eaton stores which made its reputation on the slogan: "Garantied satisfaction or money redeemed". Going to downtown Montreal when I was young meant going to Eatons. There were also three other great retailers. The more fashionable Morgan's which was bought by Hudson's Bay and called today "The Bay" (or HBC !!!). Sears which bought Simpson's and a smaller store focused on French Canadian interests--Dupuis et Frères. This latter was unable to expand and closed its doors in the 1960s."
We do not have information at this time as to where Eaton's sourced their merchandise. A Canadian reader tells me that Eatons in the 1900s handled English-made clothes. We also notice mention of Halifax or Canadian tweed which would mean that some clothes were made domestically in Canada. Many of the styles in the 1900s, however, look rather American to us and even more so in the 1920s. The Eaton catalogsin the 1970s catalogs were full of clothes which look like American styles. Of course the stling does not mean that it was necessarily imported from America, although it does suggest that, especially before World War II. Canada had protectionist trade legislation, although we do not know the details and changes over time. A Canadian reader tells us, "Eaton's catalogs were British orientaed until 1946 edition after World war II. After 1946, English-speaking Canadians becane increasingly American oriented, but you have to wait until about 1960 to see French-speaking becoming more American dressed. But, at the same time, the raising of independance idea pushed Québec toward French influence. The De Gaulle "Vive le Québec libre" paved the way to a rediscovery of France and its raising influence in ideas, clothing and drinks. Now, Québec is more independant from such influence and becomes itself a pole of attraction."
canada is a multi-lingual country. The catalogs we have seen have all been in English. A French Canadian reader tells us that there were French editions.
A reader tells us, "I found Eaton's catalog pages under thelinoleum in a bedroom. It was the house of my wife's parents in the country. Newspapers and catalogs were used as an insulating product. I found it interesting because because it was from the early 1950s. I was 13 years old at the time and I remember very well how we were dressed. Like the transition between "breeches" and "long pants" and also those rubber shoes for winter.
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