LiveMalls is pleased to present The Ivey's Archive, a tribute to the legendary former Charlotte, North Carolina-based department store chain, J. B. Ivey & Company.
The Ivey's Archive would not be possible without the generous contributions of Patrick Richardson, who gave LiveMalls exclusive access to his collection of Ivey's photos and memorabilia. I thank Pat for his help to provide the internet with a collection of all things Ivey’s. Please check this page regularly, as I will be adding more memorabilia as I receive it.
A final note: this archive is neither sponsored nor endorsed by J.B. Ivey Co., Dillard Department Stores, or its subsidiaries. I do hope that they are honored and not offended, because it's all done out of love for their company.
Joseph Benjamin Ivey, the handsome son of a Methodist preacher, opened a small store room in rented space in Uptown Charlotte on February 18, 1900. He belonged to a distinguished list of storekeepers who came to the area at the turn of the century to take advantage of the booming cotton mill economy. Ivey's first day's sales totaled $33.18.
"We had to study carefully and push the lines that the other merchants did not make a specialty," the enterprising merchant explained many years later. "For instance, at one time brass buttons were quite the rage. I was careful to keep in a supply all of the time while the other merchants were not noticing and allowed their stock to get low."
Among Mr. Ivey's early employees was David Ovens, a Canadian who joined J. B. Ivey & Company in 1904. "I would probably have been satisfied with a moderate business that would make something over a living," said Ivey, "but Mr. Ovens was ambitious to make J. B. Ivey & Company a big store and the business grew rapidly under our combined efforts." Ovens Auditorium on East Independence Boulevard in Charlotte is named for David Ovens.
A devout Methodist, Ivey insisted that the curtains be drawn in his store windows on Sundays, so that the pedestrians would not be tempted to consider matters of this world on the Lord's Day. Can you imagine a merchant doing such a thing today? Hardly. Our cultural values have undergone radical change since Ivey's day.
J. B. Ivey had a wide range of interests. He was an avid traveler. He also devoted great amounts of time and energy to growing flowers, especially tulips, dahlias, and gladiolas. Many people remember that the restaurant in Ivey's Department Store was named the Tulip Terrace. Ivey's home in Myers Park was surrounded by gorgeous tulip beds. There was even a miniature Dutch windmill in the yard.
An elegant building at Fifth and North Tryon Streets was designed by architect William H. Peeps and opened as the new home of J. B. Ivey & Company in 1924. The store was renovated and enlarged in 1939.
All the other large department stores of that era in Uptown Charlotte -- Belk and Efird’s -- have moved to the suburbs or no longer exist. Consequently, the Ivey's Department Store is the only structure that documents the crucial role of department stores in the emergence of Uptown Charlotte as a major retail district in the early 20th century.
Ivey's expanded throughout the Carolinas and Florida and was acquired by Marshall Field & Company in 1980, which in turn was acquired by an affiliate of Brown & Williamson Tobacco a short time later.
On May 4, 1990, Ivey's was purchased by Dillard Department Stores, another department store chain, which promptly closed the Uptown Charlotte store. The building has recently been converted into luxury condominiums.
This archive is neither sponsored nor endorsed by J. B. Ivey & Company, Dillard Department Stores, or its subsidiaries. I do hope that they are honored and not offended, because it's all done out of love for their company.
J.B. Ivey & Company, downtown Charlotte, North Carolina. View of main floor, 1966. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
J.B. Ivey & Company, downtown Charlotte, North Carolina. View of "Meditation Room," 1966. It opened in 1955 and measured 8'X 9'. It could seat 12 people in six small pews that all faced the altar -- the stained glass was imported from Holland. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Exterior Christmas display at the Uptown store, 1968. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Shoppers on the main floor at Christmas at the Uptown store, 1957. (Pat Richardson)
The Yowell-Duckworth Building was built in 1913 as a department store. It eventually became home to the Downtown Orlando branch of the Charlotte, NC-based J.B. Ivey & Company department store chain. This store was closed on January 30, 1976.
J.B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Print advertisement, 1962. (courtesy of Pat Richardson)
J.B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Institutional advertisement, 1966. (courtesy of Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, North Carolina. 1968 rendering of Ivey's (now Dillard's) SouthPark mall entrance. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. View of footers being poured for Ivey's (now Dillard's) SouthPark, 1969. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Ivey's (now Dillard's) SouthPark readies for opening, January 1970. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Mannequins waiting to be placed at Ivey's (now Dillard's) SouthPark, 1970. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Better Sportswear department at Ivey's (now Dillard's) SouthPark, 1970. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Juniors department at Ivey's (now Dillard's) SouthPark, 1970. (Pat Richardson)
J B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Easter ad, 1970 (courtesy Pat Richardson.)
Dillard's (former J. B. Ivey & Company), University Mall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Mall entrance. Though updated in the early 2000s, this store (opened in 1973) is remarkably faithful to Ivey's original store design. Photographed with camera phone 3/31/07.
Dillard's (former J. B. Ivey & Company), University Mall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Exterior entrance facing South Estes Drive, June 28, 2008.
Dillard's (former J. B. Ivey & Company), University Mall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Exterior detail, June 28, 2008.
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. 1970s print advertisement for the Budget Store. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Print advertisement, 1973. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Print advertisement, 1973. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Exterior of the Uptown Charlotte store during the 1970s. (courtsey Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company (later Dillard's), Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Ivey's chairman George M. Ivey, Jr. poses in front of the soon to be completed Ivey's Eastland store, 1975. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Grand Opening print advertisement for the Eastland Mall store, 1975. (courtsey Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Aerial view of Ivey's, SouthPark, 1976. (Pat Richardson)
J.B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Print advertisement, July 3, 1976. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Men's clothing print advertisement, 1981. (courtsey Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Women's clothing print advertisement, 1984. (courtsey Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. "Sold" tag for vacuum cleaner purchased at Ivey's SouthPark in 1987. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Receipt for vacuum cleaner purchased at Ivey's SouthPark in 1987. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. 1987 print advertisement. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Menu for Arthur's Restaurant, which was located in Ivey's stores. Arthur's is now located inside Belk, SouthPark mall. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. 1970s print advertisement for Arthur's Wine Shop, which was located in Ivey's stores. Arthur's is now located inside Belk, SouthPark mall. (Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Storm damage due to Hurricane Hugo, September 1989. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
J. B. Ivey & Company, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior of the Uptown Charlotte store, after closing for the last time, August 17, 1990. (courtsey Pat Richardson)
LiveMalls is pleased to present The Thalhimers Archive, a tribute to Virginia's iconic department store company, Thalhimer Brothers, Inc. of Richmond.
