C. H. Baker
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
C. H. Baker was a chain of shoe stores that operated in Greater Los Angeles[1] and elsewhere on the West Coast from 1904 through about 1991.
Charles Harris Baker (1969–1939)[edit]
The stores were founded by Charles Harris Baker[2] (b. Dec. 23, 1869, Martin County, Indiana, moved to Los Angeles in 1880 and Pasadena in 1889, died in an auto accident August 22, 1939, Pasadena, California)[3] In about 1898, Baker started as an employee in Hamilton's shoe store in Los Angeles at a salary of $12 per week. He began his shoe business around 1900,[4] initially or at some point as a partnership, Hamilton & Baker.
C. H. Baker stores[edit]
In 1904, the partnership with Hamilton was dissolved, and C. H. Baker took over the business, then located at 239 S. Spring St.,[5] the central shopping district of Los Angeles at that time.
By 1928, C. H. Baker had 13 stores: 4 in central Los Angeles, one in Hollywood and Pasadena, 4 in San Francisco, and 3 in Portland, Oregon. Their stores were located in most major malls in Southern California until about 1991.
In 1939, Harris died in a car crash, and his son John Harris Baker managed the chain, which at that time had stores in 10 communities.[3]
Hollywood store[edit]
In 1923, C. H. Baker opened a store at 6664 Hollywood Boulevard, at that time the second-most-important shopping district in Los Angeles after Broadway and Seventh Streets in Downtown Los Angeles. That store had more demand for the latest fashions; its sales were about $100,000 the first year and $400,000 annually in 1928.[4]
External links[edit]
- 6 views of Baker Shoe Store, 6664 Hollywood Blvd., 1933
- Image of C. H. Baker Hollywood store, 1923
- Sketch of C. H. Baker store, Pasadena, 1927
References[edit]
- ^ "C H Baker". Los Angeles Herald. 6 September 1908. p. 5. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Charles Harris Baker (Obituary)". Los Angeles Times. 23 August 1939. p. 20. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Head of Shoe Company Dies (1/1)". The Los Angeles Times. 23 August 1939. p. 21. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ a b "C. H. Baker Anniversary Section: Celebrated Fifth Anniversary in Hollywood". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 28 September 1928. p. 13. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Hamilton & Baker, 239 S. Spring St., dissolved partnership. C. H. Baker will continue the business". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. 26 February 1904. p. 6. Retrieved 22 April 2024.