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Mannequins, macadamias, and Snoopy clothes: my fuzzy memory of Liberty House

Liberty House of Hawaii—yes, that Liberty House—had a brief, glittery moment in California between 1971 and 1987, all under the ambitious umbrella of the Hawaii-based Amfac corporation. But ask anyone who remembers, and they’ll probably bring up the same thing first: those glass elevators. Not just any elevators, mind you—these had mannequins riding up and down inside them, frozen in time like fashionable ghosts, floating through the atriums like it was totally normal to shop for blouses while being watched by a life-size plastic person in heels.

Inside the Eastridge store.

For me, it was the Snoopy Shop. Tucked inside the Liberty House in Dublin was the stuff of childhood dreams. All I wanted was to convince my mom to buy a tiny outfit for my Snoopy doll—a corduroy jacket, a tennis sweater, anything with that pink-and-gold Liberty House price tag. It wasn’t about the brand. It was about Snoopy, and the soft, luxurious hope that maybe today was the day I'd walk out with something special.

The strange thing is, I can’t remember much else. Liberty House always felt a bit like a dream you wake up from and immediately start to forget. Yes, I recall the signature pink and gold, and yes, the mannequins. But the store itself? It’s blurry. Maybe that’s because the real story wasn’t the store—it was the machine behind it. Amfac was a massive conglomerate with its fingers in everything: country clubs, pharmaceuticals, even potatoes. Liberty House began in Honolulu back in 1849, and by the late ’60s, Amfac was ready to conquer the mainland.

In typical ’70s corporate flair, they bought up Rhodes Western department stores, Joseph Magnin, City of Paris, and Baza’r, then launched Liberty House of Hawaii across California like it was some tropical retail invasion. Between 1971 and 1972, they opened five sparkling new stores around the Bay Area and Sacramento. But by 1973, the shine began to wear. Amfac merged its holdings under the Liberty House name, started closing weaker stores, and ditched Joseph Magnin altogether by ’77.

The flagship at Eastridge never even turned a profit—it quietly shuttered in 1978, leaving only vague memories and a few orphaned mannequins to ride those elevators into history.


New stores popped up through 1981—Reno, Fresno, and beyond—but something never quite clicked. Maybe we couldn’t decide if we wanted to be more Newport Beach or Waikiki, or maybe San Francisco staples like Emporium-Capwell and Macy’s just had deeper roots. Whatever the reason, Liberty House began its retreat alongside Bullock’s by the mid-’80s. By 1984, both chains were nearly gone from Northern California, save for a couple of stubborn holdouts—like the Liberty House at Fashion Island in San Mateo, clinging to the dream like a lei at a luau no one came to.

On April 12, 1987, the party ended. The macadamia nuts, as they say, had gone stale.

Most folks remember the spectacle—the glass elevators and those gloriously weird mannequins. But for me, it’ll always be the little Snoopy Shop, and the thrill of a pink-and-gold price tag in my hand, even if it meant just window shopping.

What can I say? I was young. But Liberty House, for all its blur and brass, will always have a tiny, well-dressed spot in my heart.

Scott Parsons

Some fun Liberty House stores

Liberty House Eastridge Mall

Liberty House's first location was at the new Eastridge Mall in San Jose. People came from all over to see it. The store was designed by architect Avner Naggar.

Looking towards Liberty House from inside Eastridge Mall.

During the entire run at Eastridge, Liberty House lost money on this store. It closed on January 28, 1978. Replaced by Emporium-Capwell, the store was demolished in 2005.

City of Paris by Liberty House, Liberty House Union Square

The City of Paris department store, a 122-year old San Francisco institution, was acquired by Amfac on March 23, 1972. Initially operating as City of Paris by Liberty House, the City of Paris name would be phased out by 1974 when liberty House replaced the store with a new building that opened on September 28, 1974. The adjoining building, and home to a famous dome and Christmas tree, became home to Neiman Marcus. The store was sold to Macy's in 1984. It currently houses the Macy's Men's store.

Liberty House Southland

Designed by architect Avner Naggar, the store opened to the public on July 30, 1972. With lagging sales, Amfac announced the first round of store closures, including this location. Its final day was January 31, 1983. The Liberty House of California division was merged with Liberty House of Hawaii to create the Liberty House of Hawaii and California division. This location was leased by Emporium-Capwell, then again by Macy's.

Liberty House Southland as Macy's.

Liberty House Sunrise

The Sacramento area got its first Liberty House at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights. It was another store designed by Avner Naggar. The store was sold to Macy's in 1984.

Former Liberty House at Sunrise Mall.

Liberty House Coddingtown

Liberty House opened a Santa Rosa branch at the Coddingtown Mall. At the same time, the mall put a roof on and remodeled. The store was sold to Macy's in 1984.

Liberty House Coddingtown as Gottschalks.

Liberty House stores

  • Liberty House Eastridge - Opened on August 1, 1971 at Eastridge Mall in San Jose. Closed on January 28, 1978.
  • Liberty House Union Square - Opened on March 23, 1972 as the City of Paris by Liberty House. A new store opened on September 28, 1974 with just the Liberty House name. Closed in 1984.
  • Liberty House Stonestown - Opened on March 23, 1972 as the City of Paris by Liberty House. Closed in 1974.
  • Liberty House Southland - Opened on July 30, 1972 (grand opening July 2, 1972) at Southland Mall in Hayward. Closed January 31, 1983.
  • Liberty House Sunrise - Opened October 18, 1972 at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights. Closed in 1984.
  • Liberty House Mountain View - Former Rhodes opened in 1974 at San Antonio Center. Closed in 1984.
  • Liberty House Oakland - Former Rhodes opened in 1975 at 15th and Broadway. Closed 1984.
  • Liberty House Country Club - Former Rhodes opened in 1975 at Country Club Centre in Sacramento. Closed in 1984.
  • Liberty House Concord - Former Rhodes opened in 1975 at Park N Shop in Concord. Closed in 1983.
  • Liberty House Fresno - Former Rhodes opened in 1974 or 1975 at Manchester Center in Fresno. Closed in 1984.
  • Liberty House Southgate - Former Rhodes opened in 1974 or 1975 at Southgate Center in Sacramento. Closed in 1983.
  • Liberty House Golden Hills - Former Rhodes opened in 1975 in Dublin. Closed early 1983.
  • Liberty House Reno - Opened in 1979 at Meadowood Mall in Reno. Closed in 1984.
  • Liberty House Downtown Plaza - Opened around 1980 in downtown Sacramento. Closed in 1984.
  • Liberty House Coddingtown - Opened October 1, 1980 at Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa. Closed in 1984.
  • Liberty House San Mateo - Opened September 24, 1981 at San Mateo Fashion Island mall. Closed April 12, 1987.
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Comments

Randy said…
Liberty House also operated City of Paris's Stonestown branch, until closing it in either '74 or '75. Do you have the closing date of that location? It was later opened by Bullock's North (their 4th location) in November 1977.
6:03 PM
Scott Parsons said…
Hi,
I've been researching exact dates. Harder than I thought!
The City of Paris Stonestown opening and closing dates are sketchy. I'll keep looking!
Scott
9:05 AM
Scott Parsons said…
For sure 1974. In late 1973, Liberty House and Rhodes starting running combined ads and stopped listing all their locations. I finally found an October 1974 ad that listed their locations and it was minus Stonestown. I wouldn't at all be surprised if the closing coordinated with the opening of the new Liberty House in Union Square (when it moved from the old City of Paris location to next door).
10:56 AM
Randy said…
I'd agree with that possibility. Makes perfect sense. Of course, it's now the Macy's Men's Store. When Macy's had electronics, they had it on the entire 4th floor.
11:09 PM
Anonymous said…
Our local Liberty House was at Southland. My mom reminded me that in the center of that store there were glass display cases that featured life size mannequins wearing the latest fashions. The glass displays moved up & down, independently, around the escalators. Also my aunt worked there and I remember visiting with grandma to get a picture taken with Santa. We ate at the cafeteria (breakfast) and my omelette came with “yucky green peppers”. I was 6 or 7 at the time. 1978-79. Tangentially I remember watching the skaters carve the ice rink that was built in the basement level at Southland. There were circular window sills that protruded from the interior wall near the mall entrance and I was small enough to sit within the circle and watch “the big kids” skate. Oddly my final memory of that area was purchasing stereo wire at a Goodguys who took up residence where the skating rink once stood. That was probably 1988.(sigh)
10:28 AM
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