What began as a shoe store in 1901 has become the destination of the fashionably attired: Nordstrom. The department store has been added to by each successive generation of the eponymous family. John W. Nordstrom and his friend Carl F. Wallin opened the first shop in downtown Seattle and, after handing it over to John’s three sons, saw the store become the largest independent shoe chain in the U.S. The second generation focused on expanding to clothing before passing it to their sons. The third set of Nordstroms took the company public in 1971 and added a clearance outlet, Nordstrom Rack, in 1973. And the fourth generation moved Nordstrom from the mall to the Web, implementing online shopping. (source: Forbes)
An early history of the family business
John W. Nordstrom immigrated to the United States, coming from Northern Sweden, in 1887. He was 16 and his birth name was Johan Nordström, which he later anglicized to Nordstrom. After landing in New York, he started working in Michigan and thanks to that was later able to save enough money to purchase a 20-acre potato farm in Arlington, Washington. In 1897, he joined the Klondike Gold Rush in Canada’s Yukon Territory. After two years of prospecting, he finally struck gold but sold his disputed claim for $13,000. Returning to Seattle with his newfound wealth, he married a girl named Hilda Carlson and looked for a business venture, finally settling on a shoe store that opened in 1901, called Wallin & Nordstrom. Carl F. Wallin, his partner in business and co-founder of the store, was the owner of an adjacent shoe repair shop. John and Hilda had five children, three of whom would follow the father into the family business: their names were Everett W. (1903), Elmer J. (1904) and Lloyd N. Nordstrom. In 1928, John W. Nordstrom retired and sold his shares to two of his sons, Everett and Elmer. In 1929, Wallin also retired and sold his shares to them. The 1930 grand opening of the remodeled Second Avenue store marked the change of the brand name to Nordstrom. Lloyd Nordstrom, the third brother, joined the company in 1933 and ran the business together with his siblings for almost forty years. By 1958, Nordstrom had expanded to eight stores in two states but they were still selling only shoes. Their expansion was based on customer service, deep product offerings, and full-size ranges. Apparel came with its purchase of Best Apparel of Seattle in 1963, and the company’s name was changed to Nordstrom’s Best.
