JC Penney
Southwest corner of 8th and Phillips Avenue
115 S. Phillips
Empire Mall
115 S. Phillips
Empire Mall
JC Penney has been a staple in the shopping experiences of Americans for generations. Sioux Falls has a long history with Penney's, and hopefully it will continue for generations to come.
James Cash Penney Jr. was born in Hamilton, Missouri on September 16, 1875. He began his life in retail just after high school in Hamilton, but moved to Colorado in 1898, hoping to improve his health. While there, Penney began working for a small chain of stores named Golden Rule, working his way up the business the way people of ambition do. The owners were so impressed with his work ethic and ideas they offered him a 1/3 interest ($2,000) in a new store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Penney moved there to open and manage it, eventually buying out his partners’ shares in 1907. Penney kept expanding his business, opening 33 more stores in the Rocky Mountain states, and incorporating under a new name: J. C. Penney Company. Expansion kept on at a good pace, and store number 641 was opened in Sioux Falls on September 25, 1925, though it was not South Dakota’s first. Redfield had had a store since 1916.
By 1937, Fahrendorf had expanded his space in the Van Eps Block from 4,800 to 12,000 square feet and increased his staff to 55 people. The store sold dry goods, dresses, shirts, hats, kitchen utensils, and glassware, but their shoe department was perhaps the most popular, at least locally. In 1937, they had enough seating for 32 customers, with six clerks to help them with their purchases. The increased square footage gave them more space and allowed them to build an entrance and storefront on Eighth Street. This entrance faced north and was built on to the west side of the Van Eps Block. The store occupied an L-shaped space around the rest of the building.
Fahrendorf ran the Sioux Falls store during the Great Depression and World War II, making the sacrifices and difficult decisions necessary to keep the store open and the customers satisfied. He retired in July of 1945, but had been at the helm during the many expansions in the Van Eps Building and during the move to the old Fantle’s building at 115 S. Phillips in 1939. Fantle’s had moved to a new location at 9th and Main, and Penney’s could enjoy the higher traffic to be found a block and a half south of the previous location.
Arnold C. Fisher was the manager after Fahrendorf’s retirement, having run a store in Hammond, Indiana. During his 13 years in Sioux Falls, Fisher was in charge of expansion and modernization of Penney’s new building.
In 1953, during a general freshening-up, JCPenney installed the state’s first escalator. More on that HERE.
Arnold C. Fisher was the manager after Fahrendorf’s retirement, having run a store in Hammond, Indiana. During his 13 years in Sioux Falls, Fisher was in charge of expansion and modernization of Penney’s new building.
In 1953, during a general freshening-up, JCPenney installed the state’s first escalator. More on that HERE.
The late 1960s saw a decrease in downtown as a shopping district. The malls, both mini and otherwise started to show up outside of the core area, drawing retailers out of downtown Sioux Falls. If a business wanted to thrive, it needed to move to the malls. J.C. Penney did this, opening its anchor store in the Empire Plaza Mall on April 21, 1976, six months after the Mall’s grand opening.
Penney’s still sells a lot of the same items today, though men’s overalls will run you $45, shoes start at $41.25, and dresses at $24. Penney’s first building, the Van Eps Building, was torn down in 1969, making way for what would become Well’s Fargo’s parking ramp. The old Fantle’s building on Phillips that was Penney’s home for 37 years was torn down in June, 1980.
Penney’s still sells a lot of the same items today, though men’s overalls will run you $45, shoes start at $41.25, and dresses at $24. Penney’s first building, the Van Eps Building, was torn down in 1969, making way for what would become Well’s Fargo’s parking ramp. The old Fantle’s building on Phillips that was Penney’s home for 37 years was torn down in June, 1980.
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