Located at 207-217 Michigan Street across from the once-famed State Theatre, Robertson’s Department Store was the anchor of a once lively downtown shopping area in South Bend, Indiana. It would ultimately become the victim of a collapsed industry and a failed urban renewal plan would set the area back for years to come.
Originally founded in 1904 by George A. Robertson at 127 S. Michigan St, the original Robertson’s Department Store was a simple, one-room operation. Robertson’s offered quality goods and reasonable prices. By 1910, business has grown so much the Robertson was able to purchase the building the next door and expand the store into that location.
By 1923 the store had outgrown the space and was moved to the 200 block of S. Michigan St, at a location that once held the Studebaker brothers blacksmith shop.
The Robertson family would sell the store in 1932 to a pair of brothers, Will & Sig Welber. The Welbers would make Robertson’s a smashing success. In 1938, the Welber brothers would purchase 7,500 square feet in the building just south of the store.
Later that year, Robertson’s introduced a new concept to Indiana called “Chargea-Plate.” The idea was to provide a charge account system for customers to buy goods on credit. The store was the first in Indiana to offer this anything like that.
By 1941, Robertson’s had become a South Bend Institution. The famed tea room, located on the sixth floor, was the premier social spot in North-Central Indiana. The War would slow the store’s momentum for a few years.
Robertson’s wasn’t just for the white social elite of South Bend, the store was considered the best place in town to shop if you were an African-American. Most of the downtown shopping area was considered either unwelcoming or not available for non-white shoppers. Robertson’s actually allowed African Americans to try on clothing before they purchased. Barbara Brandy was one of the one of the first African American secretaries hired downtown at Robertson’s.
Robertson’s was truly for everyone. This Anonymous post in The Department Store’s comment section for the store provides great insight into life in South Bend Time at the time and what Robertson’s meant to the town:
Robertson’s anchored the downtown shopping experience in South Bend. A few blocks north was minor competition with Wyman’s Dept Store and there was a large JC Penney across the street from Robertson’s. Kresge’s bordered the store on the north and first Grand Leader and then the Francis Shop to the south. The bright lights and marque of the State Theatre across the street added to the adventure. Other stores right close were Osco with a beauty school above it, The Star Store, Schiff Shoes, St Joe Valley Bank, The Sherland Building, lots of other shoe stores, WT Grants and Woolworth (wood floors, tin ceilings, and fans), Richman Brothers, Granada Theatre to the north, and the Planter’s Peanut store with the peanut man.The crowds moving up and down the streets; noises of the heavy traffic and fumes from buses/trucks; the handicapped man in front of Kresge’s on the sidewalk selling pencils; slush of the winter and heat of the summer; all in all it was a great exciting experience for us kids to be taken downtown. We’d normally park at the Sear and Roebuck store on Western Ave (free parking and eat a sandwich lunch in the car), and walk to Michgan Ave past Western Auto and that fish store. During lunchtime (not for us), but it was so exciting to watch the people stand behind someone waiting for them to finish their meal at the Kresge, Woolworth, or Grant lunch bars–very noisy with all of the glass dishes clanging.Robertson’s was a little out of our price, but the basement offered a lot of back to school buys. A few times I got taken to see Santa there way upstairs. The big stores had escalators which was great to a kid. Penney’s for a long time had a black lady who worked the elevator for you–no push buttons.
Business would take a hit as the major Studebaker factory in the U.S., located in South Bend closed in December 1963. With that closure, other industry would leave town and South Bend would be hit by a giant recession. Any new buildings or businesses were built in the new mall area in the next town over, Mishawaka. Downtown South Bend was dying.
In 1974, a doomed urban renewal project converted S. Michigan St. from a busy street to a pedestrian mall. The move created no passing traffic and gave further reasons for people to not come downtown and business was crippled.
After years of struggling sales and a bankruptcy by their parent company, the giant store was a financial burden. In 1982, the store closed.
South Bend mayor Roger Parent would work with ownership and re-open Robertson’s a month after closing.
However, the big building was way too much store. In June 1984, the decision was made to move in to the smaller, now vacated J.C. Penney’s building across Michigan Street. The giant building would remain vacant for several years.
The move didn’t help. After two years Robertson’s closed. The last day was June 14, 1986. The original large Robertson’s building has been converted to apartments for seniors.
By the time I arrived in South Bend in 2007, the Robertson’s Apartments were just a reminder of a once-thriving downtown shopping area.
I wrote the anonymous comment in the Dept Store Museum website you quoted here. It was a very thrilling experience for us kids in the 1950/60’s to get to go to downtown South Bend. So much going on all around us there. Downtown had everything you needed it seemed. There was also a large toy store at one time behind St Joe Bank along with a Chinese restaurant where I got my first taste of Chinese food–didn’t like it then. Avon theater to the south had all of the adult themed movies. Inwoods was in the old Sears store and it seemed to have everything in kitchen stuff and all of our spring planting seeds. The Colfax theater was smaller than the State downtown, but had class with bright red carpet and lots of shiny brass railings. Tower Savings and Loan was right there too. We spent a lot of time too going to the Conn music store behind Wyman’s I believe. Indiana’s “Blue Laws” now were ending early 1960s. Town and Country shopping center opened stealing customers and lots of free parking. Goldblatt’s was a good department store with good prices too. A Spartain Discount Store built right behind Goldblatt’s and more draw from downtown. So many stores downtown were old and showing it. Robertson’s, Francis Shop, Wyman’s, Sherland Building, and Osco put on new store fronts, but insides remained the same. Pick Oliver hotel was torn down with a new skyscraper American Bank replacing it. Urban planning now became the “in thing”. Smaller stores started closing or condemned and demolished–Star Store was torn down creating a big pay parking lot. St Joe Bank was torn down for a new one.–nice The “dime” stores were becoming outdated along with some of the shoe and hat stores. Granada Theater closed and the entire block was torn down creating the big hole in downtown. Some blocks were demolished for the eastern bypass of downtown behind Penny’s and a few parking garages in other areas and plans were to close Michigan St for a pedestrian mall (years too late). But by then, Town and Country was firmly established as the shopping destination (only to be usurped a few years later by Scottsdale Mall). Robertson’s tried to move with the times by opening in Elkhart at the Concord Mall, but they were just too small to compete with what was happening. They had no valuable real estate (downtown was not good), so Robertson’s wasn’t even a good take-over candidate. It was a slow death trying to survive with moving to the old Goldblatt’s store for a while and Penny’s. But now University Park Mall opened with 4 large new department stores (JC Penny, LS Ayres, JL Hudson and Sears), urban downtown decay set in , demographics changed and a number of failed developments including the promise by Associates Financial to build a 35 story HQ downtown (instead, Associates moved to Dallas giving their current HQ to the city and then college) Great memories of the excitement of going downtown to places like Robertson’s. So typical.
ROBERTSONS is where my first real baby doll came from – I remember picking her out. I STILL HAVE HER..
I have to say that I really think Notre Dame never did their community any favors by staying isolated from the city. So many cities and towns across America helped build up a city by actively helping their community become a college town. The University has such a big endowment and so many faithful supporters in the area who have always been proud to support the Fighting Irish. I never thought about this while growing up in South Bend. My family (what is left of them)
still lives in the area. I lived in Cambridge MA for over 35 years and saw how Harvard pumped money into the Cambridge economy. Having large bookstores located right in The square and helping the city with affordable housing. Sure Harvard was right in the square but they gave the community support and input. Other cities have done the same. Athens GA. Ithaca NY and Williams in Massachusetts. As far as I can see Notre Dame has built a City within the Campus. With elite housing for students and parents to hang their hats while attending games and visiting or housing their own children.
Not until Mayor Pete arrived did we see any help going to South Bend. I’m hoping someone who reads this can prove me wrong because it sure seems greedy and exclusive if the University stays isolated from the city.
Jill Heim Epstein
I remember the excitement of going downtown.The Christmas windows of the bigger stores (in the 50s)loved downtown,inthe 60s I worked at Robertson’s.I bought most of my clothes at Robertson’s in the late 50s and 60s too bad it’s gone now.Thanks for the memories!
To Barbara B. Davis.
My aunt worked at Robertson’s during the 60’s too!
She was Lillian Rinehart (40’s at that time)
I so enjoyed reading this article. I was born and raised in South Bend. I worked at the Francis shop stop for a while but I also taught school at Marquette Elementary.
My mother Mrs. Lois Asmus was employed as one of three employed as advertising artist Robertson’s advertised on a daily bases in the South Bend Tribune Mr. Joseph was her boss. I was so proud of her she also freelanced at MilLady Shop, Frances Shop,Gantos and Christy Shop. She had a stroke at the age of 42. She was featured in the Niles Daily Tribune. She was paralyzed on her right side. She learned to write and draw with her left hand. She was struck down during her prime. She grew up in South Bend to John Frances Ley and her Mother was Frances Marie Ley. Her mother, worked as an inspector at Benix during the War. After her stroke she still did portraits and the worked for St. Mary’s in their print doing art and cards etc . She won a couple awards for her art while working at Robertson’s. She even had a comic strip for Robertson’s. I could go on our family goes way back in South Bend. My Great grandfather John Ley was also a known artist in South Bend.