The Fair Department Store I
Life Span: 1875-1897
Location: State and Adams Streets
Architect: TBD
Dearborn Street looking north from Adams showing “The Fair” and the Adams Express Building and
showing the Crilly Building at the northeast corner of Dearborn and Monroe. This was taken in 1883.
The Fair Store was a discount department store which was founded in 1874 in Chicago, Illinois. Founder Ernst J. Lehmann decided on the name “The Fair Store” as he felt “the store was like a fair because it offered many different things for sale at a cheap price.” Lehmann bought and sold goods on a cash-only basis; he offered odd prices (i. e., prices not in multiples of five cents) to save customers a few pennies on every purchase. The flagship store was moved to the corner of State and Adams Streets in 1875.
Adams Street east of Clark in 1889. On the left is shown Kinsley’s Restaurant, the old Marquette Building and the Fair when the latter had but two stories. The old Federal Building is on the right.
The Fair
1888.
I found a pair of very old glasses from your store I was wondering if I could find out about them.. thank you for your time
My grandma , Myrtle Bostrom Swanson Nelson, worked at The Fair. She had to quit school after eighth grade (circa 1917) to help her parents support her young siblings. It was always her regret that she never got to continue to high school. She was a talented artist and soon moved up to colorizing black and white photographs and lettering sigs.
The Fair’s later slogan was “A Great Store in a Great City”. After demolition of a parking garage and other smaller business occurred for the construction of the 33 W Monroe St bldg, a sign painted with that slogan was discovered on the north alley side of the building. It was in great condition since it was protected by the weather with the construction of the previous parking garage. For the last 5 years of the Wards store life at least it again displayed The Fair sign. For years the Fair Store sign on Milwaukee Ave & Wood St was visible from the Blue Line El. Just about the last thing you saw before the train went into the subway was a large sign the entire length of the building – The Fair Milwaukee Ave. Store.