For a brief period during the 1970s, Northern California became the testing ground for one of the most ambitious retail expansions in the West. The company behind it was not Macy's, Emporium-Capwell, or another established California retailer. It was Amfac, a Hawaiian conglomerate whose businesses ranged from sugar plantations and agriculture to tourism, real estate, and retail. Its department store division was Liberty House. Over little more than a decade, Amfac acquired existing department store chains, converted older stores, constructed dramatic suburban anchors, and attempted to establish Liberty House as a major Northern California retailer. The effort produced memorable stores, distinctive architecture, and loyal customers. It also failed. A Hawaiian retailer comes to the mainland Liberty House traced its origins to Honolulu in 1849. By the mid-twentieth century, the company had become Hawaii's dominant department store and one of the best-known businesses in the...
Explore the malls, department stores, and shopping centers that helped shape postwar Northern California and the suburban communities that grew around them.