McCrory’s Store
221 South Andrews Ave.
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Closed 1985
By Jane Feehan
The Great Depression didn’t bring Fort Lauderdale to its knees as it did in much of the country. There were signs of life in the city, including a new hotel on the beach and another on Las Olas Boulevard. Businesses continued to open downtown.
Among newcomers to Andrews Avenue downtown was the Pennsylvania-based five and dime chain, McCrory Stores. Their doors opened in Fort Lauderdale December 26, 1936. R.F. Coppedge, vice president, claimed the new store was one of the company’s finest, with its 700-ft long mahogany counters and shelves, terrazzo floors. The two-story 4,800-sq.ft. building also featured unusually high ceilings (it later expanded to 10,000 sq.ft).
McCrory’s also installed “huge ventilators” that exchanged air frequently. According to Coppedge, the company spent more on the Andrews Avenue store than they did on most others. He also told the Fort Lauderdale Daily News that he was impressed with Fort Lauderdale and its possibilities.
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Closed 1985
By Jane Feehan
The Great Depression didn’t bring Fort Lauderdale to its knees as it did in much of the country. There were signs of life in the city, including a new hotel on the beach and another on Las Olas Boulevard. Businesses continued to open downtown.
Among newcomers to Andrews Avenue downtown was the Pennsylvania-based five and dime chain, McCrory Stores. Their doors opened in Fort Lauderdale December 26, 1936. R.F. Coppedge, vice president, claimed the new store was one of the company’s finest, with its 700-ft long mahogany counters and shelves, terrazzo floors. The two-story 4,800-sq.ft. building also featured unusually high ceilings (it later expanded to 10,000 sq.ft).
McCrory’s also installed “huge ventilators” that exchanged air frequently. According to Coppedge, the company spent more on the Andrews Avenue store than they did on most others. He also told the Fort Lauderdale Daily News that he was impressed with Fort Lauderdale and its possibilities.
According to news accounts, hundreds of shoppers showed up before McCrory’s opened at 8:30 am the day after Christmas 1936. Early advertising paid off. The company bought two full-page ads several days before the big day. Help-wanted ads for “50 salesladies” to work in their 27 departments appeared December 19. They also opened a lunch counter.
McCrory’s remained a popular spot to buy inexpensive goods for decades: bar soap for 6 cents in the 1930s; lampshades for $1 and boys’ shorts for 50 cents in 1939; fabric remnants for 29 cents in 1949; jeans for $13.99 and ladies’ shirts for $2.00-6.99, Liberty Bell pencil sharpeners for a dollar in the 1980s. The most expensive item in the store in the 1980s was a $30 bike.
McCrory’s opened up additional stores in Lauderhill, Margate and Deerfield. As Broward County grew, retail businesses shifted away from downtown Fort Lauderdale into the malls. Nationally, retail shifted into a new paradigm of five and dime stores to big box stores.
In 1984, McCrory’s announced it would close its Andrews Avenue store. The news drew disappointment, including that of U.S. Congressman E. Clay Shaw (1939-2013) who reminisced about how it was in the 1940s and that he wanted to preserve it if possible. Shaw said Fort Lauderdale’s downtown held lots of promise (it did but not for retail as today’s skyline proves). McCrory’s on Andrews shut its doors Jan. 31, 1985; the company declared bankruptcy in 1992 and ceased to operate in 2002.
The old McCrory’s sign remains at the old building above a popular night spot; But why the 1921 date? According to the National Museum of American History, a Smithsonian affiliate, McCrory’s founded Oriole Records in 1921 and exclusively sold their records from 1921-1938, which may explain the signage date. In 2004, the building owner told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he liked the sign. There it sits as a worthy reminder of Fort Lauderdale’s early days.
McCrory’s legacy leaves much beyond those five and dime stores: part of the company morphed into K-Mart and other retail businesses—much more than this post will detail. But something else the store on Andrews Avenue left are memories of great prices, a popular lunch counter and the way we once were.
Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan
Tags: McCrory's Store, Fort Lauderdale in the 1930s, Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s, Fort Lauderdale Retail historyMcCrory’s remained a popular spot to buy inexpensive goods for decades: bar soap for 6 cents in the 1930s; lampshades for $1 and boys’ shorts for 50 cents in 1939; fabric remnants for 29 cents in 1949; jeans for $13.99 and ladies’ shirts for $2.00-6.99, Liberty Bell pencil sharpeners for a dollar in the 1980s. The most expensive item in the store in the 1980s was a $30 bike.
McCrory’s opened up additional stores in Lauderhill, Margate and Deerfield. As Broward County grew, retail businesses shifted away from downtown Fort Lauderdale into the malls. Nationally, retail shifted into a new paradigm of five and dime stores to big box stores.
In 1984, McCrory’s announced it would close its Andrews Avenue store. The news drew disappointment, including that of U.S. Congressman E. Clay Shaw (1939-2013) who reminisced about how it was in the 1940s and that he wanted to preserve it if possible. Shaw said Fort Lauderdale’s downtown held lots of promise (it did but not for retail as today’s skyline proves). McCrory’s on Andrews shut its doors Jan. 31, 1985; the company declared bankruptcy in 1992 and ceased to operate in 2002.
The old McCrory’s sign remains at the old building above a popular night spot; But why the 1921 date? According to the National Museum of American History, a Smithsonian affiliate, McCrory’s founded Oriole Records in 1921 and exclusively sold their records from 1921-1938, which may explain the signage date. In 2004, the building owner told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he liked the sign. There it sits as a worthy reminder of Fort Lauderdale’s early days.
McCrory’s legacy leaves much beyond those five and dime stores: part of the company morphed into K-Mart and other retail businesses—much more than this post will detail. But something else the store on Andrews Avenue left are memories of great prices, a popular lunch counter and the way we once were.
Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan
Sources:
National Museum of American History
Fort Lauderdale Daily News, July 21, 1936
Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Dec. 17, 1936
Fort Lauderdale Daily New, Dec. 19, 1936
Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Dec. 26, 1936
Fort Lauderdale Daily News, June 2, 1939
South Florida Sun-Sentinel,
Nov. 9, 1984,
The Miami Herald, Nov. 10, 1984
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 25, 1985
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 27, 1985
