The Great Seattle Retail Fire Sale of 1885
Toklas, Singerman & Co. issues a city-wide 'panic' announcement to clear out summer stock to make room for fall shipments.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Every article under the roof of the Toklas, Singerman & Co. establishment is classified as summer goods and reduced to less than manufacturer cost. We must have room, as our immense fall and winter purchases will be in within two weeks. We are offering dramatic cuts on dress goods, linens, hosiery, underwear, and children's apparel. Table linens, which will bring tears to the competition, are priced from 20 cents up to 50 cents. Our stock of muslins and sheetings is being sold at 15 to 25 percent less than anywhere else in the Northwest. We are also clearing out our entire stock of men’s furnishings, including fine silk ties at 15 cents or two for 25 cents. Our fall and winter goods are here, and we are prepared to show you the finest and cheapest line of clothing ever offered this side of Chicago. Money will be refunded if goods are not satisfactory.
“Genuine panic in the price of bed spreads. 300 dozen full size bed spreads, 50c; sold nowhere less than $1.25.”
The aggressive clearance tactics of Toklas, Singerman & Co. highlight the retail industry's historical obsession with seasonal inventory cycles—a precursor to today's 'fast fashion' culture and the constant churn of retail sales in downtown Seattle. The shop was located at Front and Columbia, placing it in the heart of what we now recognize as Pioneer Square, an area that has long served as the city's commercial epicenter.
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