Journal of Historical Research in Marketing: Volume 2 Issue 1

Failing at retailing: the decline of the Larkin Company, 1918‐1942

The purpose of this paper is to explore and identify the causes of the failure of the Larkin Company (Buffalo, NY), once one of the nation's largest mail‐order houses in the…

Transatlantic retailing: The Franco‐Mexican business model of fin‐de‐siècle department stores in Mexico City

The purpose of this paper is to examine the origins and the business model of department stores in Mexico between 1891 and 1910.

Department store advertising in newspapers, radio, and television, 1920‐1960

Focusing on the early development of the three major forms of local advertising employed by independent department stores across the USA – newspapers, radio, and television – this…

Scrip, stores, and cash‐strapped cities: American retailers and alternative currency during the Great Depression

The purpose of this paper is to examine retailer response to the use of alternative currency, or scrip, as an emergency measure during the Great Depression. Advocates of scrip…

“You are a part of all of us”: black department store employees in Jim Crow Richmond

The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of a significant group of retail employees, specifically the African‐American operations and service workers that worked…

Exploring new insights into retail history

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the papers written for this special issue, to suggest some themes and problems emerging from recent retail history, and to bring…

Measuring the impact of research

Guest editorial