GOODBYE, OLD FRIEND: A FAREWELL TO S.P. DUNHAM

This was the beginning of the end for the downtown Trenton of my youth. With the proliferation of suburban malls and their adequate parking spaces, and with Trenton really hurting to provide convenient parking, a silver nail was driven into the heart of downtown Trenton. Gone forever was the courteous sales person who would go out of his or her way to satisfy you and assist with your purchase. Like the gas station attendant who cleaned you windshield and checked you fluids, gone was the mens' department store salesman who would never think of showing up for work without a shirt, tie, and jacket.

DUNHAM'S: GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

It was one of our favorite stores. Dunham's was synonymous with quality. Judy and I were regulars at that great store in Trenton during the city's peaceful golden years. We used Dunham's as the main source for our footwear and clothing. With the gradual deterioration of the city beginning in the late 1950's, many center city stores looked to the suburbs to branch out. Dunham's opened a branch in the Independence Shopping Center on South Broad Street which became the store we patronized. The rioting and looting in the 1960's changed the city of Trenton forever. Trenton and many other cities in New Jersey were dealt a near death blow which resulted in shoppers and merchants fleeing to the suburbs. Additionally, the narrow streets in downtown Trenton were a factor in the downturn of the city. Along came the malls, and the rest is history. I wrote the above column when Dunham's decided to pull out of center city. It was a very sad day, and a very sad blow to those brave city of Trenton town fathers tried valiantly to restore the once proud capital. The photo in the column above shows the store on the corner of State and Broad Streets in Trenton. The 1905 article traces back to the acquisition of the property in the photo.