For more than a century, Roos Brothers was one of the Bay Area's best-known clothing retailers. Founded in San Francisco in 1865 by brothers Adolphe, Hippolyte, and Achille Roos, the company built a reputation for quality menswear and became a fixture of downtown shopping districts throughout Northern California.
But by the middle of the twentieth century, both fashion and retailing were changing. As suburban shopping centers replaced traditional downtown business districts, Roos Brothers faced a choice: remain a city-based clothier or follow its customers into the rapidly growing suburbs.
The answer came in 1957 when Roos Brothers was acquired by Edward Gauer, president of the Robert S. Atkins Clothing Company. The two businesses merged to form Roos/Atkins, combining the prestige of the Roos name with Atkins' expanding retail operation. Over the next decade, the company would transform itself from a traditional San Francisco retailer into one of the largest specialty clothing chains in the western United States.
By the mid-1960s, Roos/Atkins operated 52 stores and had become a familiar sight in many of Northern California's newest shopping centers. Wherever suburban growth occurred, Roos/Atkins was often close behind.
Position in the retail system
Within Northern California's retail ecosystem, Roos/Atkins occupied a different role than traditional department stores.
Macy's, Emporium-Capwell, and Liberty House anchored shopping centers with hundreds of thousands of square feet devoted to apparel, home goods, cosmetics, and furnishings.
Roos/Atkins specialized in clothing. Rather than serving as an anchor tenant, it functioned as a destination specialty retailer, bringing men's fashions and professional attire to many of the region's emerging suburban shopping centers.
As developers built new malls and shopping plazas across Northern California, department stores provided the traffic while specialty retailers such as Roos/Atkins filled out the tenant mix. By the 1960s, the chain had become a familiar presence in shopping centers throughout the Bay Area and beyond, making it one of the region's most recognizable apparel retailers.
Building a mall-era clothing chain
The expansion of Roos/Atkins mirrored the growth of the Bay Area itself.
During the 1950s and 1960s, developers built dozens of new shopping centers to serve rapidly growing suburban communities. Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo, Stevens Creek Plaza in Santa Clara, Coddingtown in Santa Rosa, Foothill Square in Oakland, and Almaden Fashion Plaza in San Jose represented a new model of retailing—one centered around the automobile rather than the downtown streetcar.
Roos/Atkins embraced the trend. Rather than relying solely on flagship stores in traditional business districts, the company opened locations directly inside these new suburban shopping destinations. Customers who once traveled to downtown San Francisco for a suit could now shop much closer to home.
The grand opening advertisements below document that expansion. They also provide a glimpse into the optimistic language and architectural imagery that defined the era. Many featured artist renderings of new shopping centers, modern storefronts, and promises of convenience, fashion, and suburban sophistication.
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| Roos/Atkins celebrated the grand opening of its Stevens Creek Plaza store in Santa Clara on November 14, 1963 — positioned right next to The Emporium, during the golden age of suburban retail expansion. |
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| A vintage ad from August 13, 1964, celebrates the opening of Roos/Atkins Store No. 25 at the Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa — part of a mid-century retail boom in Northern California. |
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| Roos/Atkins Store No. 26 opens at Foothill Square in Oakland — this November 18, 1964 ad reflects the brand’s rapid expansion and mid-century style during a period of suburban retail growth. |
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| Grand opening of Roos/Atkins at Almaden Fashion Plaza in San Jose on August 1, 1968, marking the arrival of the iconic Bay Area menswear retailer to the growing suburban shopping center. |
More than just another mall store
Unlike department stores such as Macy's or Sears, Roos/Atkins specialized in apparel. The company built its reputation on tailored menswear, sport coats, suits, dress shirts, and accessories. As fashion evolved during the 1960s and 1970s, Roos/Atkins adapted as well, incorporating contemporary styles while maintaining its image as an upscale clothing retailer.
For many shoppers, a visit to Roos/Atkins was associated with milestone purchases: a first business suit, wedding attire, graduation clothing, or professional wardrobe essentials. Although never as large as the major department store chains, the company occupied an important niche in the retail landscape.
The end of Roos/Atkins
In 1966, Roos/Atkins was acquired by Genesco, which was then assembling a nationwide portfolio of retail brands. The acquisition brought new resources and expansion opportunities, but it also tied the chain's future to broader changes in the retail industry.
By the late 1970s, specialty apparel retailers faced increasing competition from department stores, discount chains, and changing consumer tastes. In October 1980, Genesco announced plans to sell Roos/Atkins.
The Roos/Atkins name disappeared in 1981, briefly giving way to a revived Roos Brothers identity. The attempt to return to the company's historic roots proved unsuccessful. By 1983, only three Roos Brothers stores remained, and by 1984 the chain had vanished entirely.
Legacy
Today, little remains of Roos/Atkins beyond newspaper advertisements, shopping center directories, and the memories of former customers. Most of its storefronts have long since been remodeled or replaced.
Yet the company's history tells a larger story about the transformation of retailing in Northern California. Founded during the era of horse-drawn streetcars and downtown mercantile districts, Roos Brothers survived long enough to become a fixture of the suburban shopping mall age.
Its rise and fall mirrors the evolution of Bay Area retail itself—from downtown specialty stores to regional shopping centers and ultimately to the changing consumer landscape of the late twentieth century.
Comments
Note the large number of downtown stores in that group. R/A operated stores both in shopping centers and downtown locations. San Jose, San Mateo, Sacramento, Fresno all had R/A stores that even had night openings several nights a week. Presumably, that was so Mrs. Grey Flannel Suit could accompany her husband for some after-dinner shopping.
Still, I look at that list of locations and wonder if stores like Abercrombie or Jos A. Bank would locate there today, and I think about half of them would likely make it, which is pretty good. Many other locations(such as El Cerrito Plaza) have been successfully redeveloped even though they no longer attract mid to upscale clothiers.
BTW, I seem to recall that during its final years in business Roos Atkins reverted back to the "Roos Bros" name, though I don't know why. It obviously didn't work.
I remember the Robert S. Atkins store at 150 Sutter St. from my childhood - I'm Robert S. Atkins' granddaughter. The store had black and white tile flooring and neat little change cannisters zinging across the ceiling from the cashier's office. It was the only store of his that was left untouched after the earthquake and fire in 1906; all the others were destroyed. My Grandfather was a respected merchant; he was one of the few who paid back dollar for dollar on destroyed inventory, rather than the 50% discount offered. His father, Robert Calvin Atkins, started the business in 1860. My Grandfather carried on until his death in 1933. My Mother then carried on until the store and the name were sold in 1944. I know they carried quality goods - the Harris tweed jacked my husband had in 1950 still looks like new.
I'm not sure if her sister Jane is still around... never received an e-mail back...
tammymerritt@cox.net
Joaquin Cedano
joaquincedano@gmail.com