Holman’s was founded in 1891 by Rensselaer Luther Holman who reportedly came to Pacific Grove to retire. His first store was named the Popular Dry Goods Store. The name was later changed to Holman’s Department Store.
In 1927, the new store was built. The store had three floors and a fourth was added in 1937. The store had 46 departments. On the roof was a solarium and in good weather, food was served on the terrace. A large plate glass window on the roof allowed a great view of Monterey Bay while protecting patrons from the wind. The dining room was on the fourth floor.
The store sold popular priced fashion and home goods. In buildings behind the main building the store also sold building supplies, seeds, and feed supplies.
Holman’s is known for being the store at which John Steinbeck shopped. Some of the drafts of his novels were written on notepads purchased at Holman’s. In addition, one of the company’s biggest publicity stunts was mentioned in his book Cannery Row. This is when a roller skater skated on top of the store’s flagpole for 51 hours to break a record. This event was also recorded for the newsreels that played in the movie theaters in the 1940’s. (You can view it on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjXhJ3yz0yY)
Pacific Grove was a vacation spot for the wealthy from the San Francisco Bay Area. Until the late 1950’s, the Southern Pacific operated trains from San Francisco to Monterey and Pacific Grove.
For a while, the company operated a branch store in Monterey.
The Pacific Grove building now houses an antiques mall.
What happened???? …. In the 1990’s and into 2000, it became difficult to operate an independent department store. A mall opened in Monterey with all the major department stores and a host of specialty retailers. It became impossible to compete with the department and specialty stores which had better assortments with the brands the consumer desired. In 1985, Holman’s was sold to Watsonville, California based Ford’s Department Store. Ford’s was the oldest merchantile company in California as it was started in 1852. Ford’s was expanding at the time and had also acquired Riley’s based in San Louis Obispo. Unfortunately, Ford’s Watsonville store was destroyed in the 1989 earthquake. The store was rebuilt and opened in 1992. Unfortunately, This led to Ford’s filing for bankruptcy in 1993 and its closing of all eight stores, including the Holman’s store in Pacific Grove.
I visited the store a couple of times in the 1960’s when I went to the sports car races at Laguna Seca. I found the store to be clean and staffed with friendly and helpful sales people. The store had a local feel and a family atmosphere.
A good friend, Laurie Heth, worked in the publicity department at Holman’s. She described the store as an exciting and fun place to work. She was sad to see it close.
The Holman family currently operates a guest ranch in the area. I hope that the family, customers, and former employees will feel free to add to this post so that the memories of this fine store will be kept alive. This is too important of a store to fade away.
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Holman’s was bought out by Charles Ford Co. (Ford’s) of Watsonville, which I believe was California’s oldest department store chain, founded in 1852. The electronics department was leased to the Santa Cruz-based Burdick’s electronics chain.
You are correct about Ford’s. It did buy Holman’s. I am not sure if Ford’s was the first department store in California as I am not sure it opened as a department store. I will keep researching. Thanks for your input. John
Good post! fggdfgh
I worked for Holman’s in the 1970′s when they opened the junior fashion department called “Central Station” located across the back parking lot from the main building. The building was, I believe, originally a bus station, hence the name. We shared the building with a great little family run coffee shop called “the Monarch Cafe”. A year after “Central Station” opened, we opened a satellite branch in Carmel. I loved working for the Holman family. It was a great organization.
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. Keep up the good work – for sure i will check out more posts.
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Mmm. We took our Honeymoon in San Francisco and stayed right next door to Lefty’s in the Handlery Hotel. We ate at Lefty’s twice because it was so good. My mouth is watering.
I was reminiscing about being in Monterey in 1974. My husband was stationed at DFI and we were there for almost a year. I got a part-time job working in the China and Gift department at Holman’s. I enjoyed it immensely and learned a lot. Plus, it gave me a taste for fine linens and china.
Nancy:
Thank you for your memories. John
I recently purchased a trunk dated 1871. Inside this trunk were old newspapers. One of the newspapers was a 4 page Holmans Dept store advertisement. Anyone interested in seeing this just let me know. The newspaper was among others pages dated 1941-1946.
We lived in Pacific Grove from late 1965 until the summer of 1969 and we shopped Holman’s often. Mom used to love the store and said when she bought groceries, Holman’s would deliver them and put them in your kitchen. My grandfather was an accountant with Holman’s until his death in 1966. And when I was 6 or 7, I stole a Matchbox car from Holman’s. When my mom saw the car she asked where I got it. When she found out I got it at Holman’s, she took me back to the store and made me give it back, admit I stole the car, and apologize. This was the last time I stole. Oh, and Holman’s used to sponsor a Christmas train that ran from Monterey to Pacific Grove (if I recall correctly) and provided candy for all of the kids. One year they had Santa and his sleigh appear in the parking lot. Mom took us and I remember thinking it was strange that Rudolph had a red tail light strapped to his nose with wires running into a box (that likely held a battery pack). Holman’s was a part of my youth and I will always remember it
I was very happy to see that the old store is still remembered.I worked there in 1986 while my husband was stationed in Ford Ord.
I was a foreigner in the States but my colleagues at Ford`s almost replaced my family.I often think about these days.
I was having an argument with someone as to whether there was a Woolworths store in downtown PG in the 1960′s. Does anybody know the answer? Thanks, Mitch
I grew up in Aptos during the 1960′s and 70′s.
All my relatives lived in Monterey or Pacific Grove. We used to go with my
grandmother and family to Holman’s as child. That was a one of a kind store.
My mother would take me shopping at Holman’s in the 1960s. It was one of her favorite places to shop in the Monterey area.
I was fascinated by the system that transferred the money from each transaction to a central cashier; the receipt and change would return from the cashier in a couple of minutes. If I remember correctly the canisters were carried along a system of cables and pulleys. The system ran throughout the store and was not hidden from view. The canisters would make a clacking sound as they traversed the system. Beats the heck out of me how the canisters were directed to the correct department!
I worked at Holman’s for a short time in the early 80′s. I made some friends and met some stars, like Bo Derek and Betty White, there. I am so sad to hear that they closed, but am happy to hear that they still in the public eye.
My mother, Betty Thompson, worked at Holman’s in the 1950′s. She was the executive secretary to Mr. Barter. I believe Mr. Barter was married to one on the Holman daughters. She told me such fond memories of the “Holman Department Store” experience. She truly loved her job and her co-workers.
I am looking for anyone who would know what was sold on each floor in the 1950s – currently writing a novel in which my beloved Holmans (grew up on the Peninsula in the 70′s-80′s) features. Thanks for any help!
I hope someone can help you. I visited the store then but was too young to remember.
If you look at the blog again, there is a person looking for information on the store in the 1950′s. You might be of value to her in her research. John