Last year, Amy's Kitchen moved into a new headquarters in Petaluma's historic commercial district. This headquarters was located in his 1940s streamlined modern-style building, known to many longtime locals as Carriser.
This familiar downtown building was originally built in 1941 for Leader Department Store owner Mose Goldman, who had outgrown his 16-year-old store on Main Street (now Petaluma Boulevard North). is. Goldman hired San Francisco architects Wayne Hertzka and William Knowles to design a larger, more modern building for the popular women's fashion store.
According to local historian Katherine J. Reinhart, the grocery store at the corner of Kentucky Street and Western Avenue was demolished and replaced with what was considered the largest and most modern department store in the North Bay, specializing solely in women's clothing. It is said that he built “something that had previously been built”. Groundbreaking began in January 1941, and construction was completed by August.
The day before the Leader's grand opening on August 8, 1941, the Petaluma Argus Courier published an “unprecedented” eight-page special section celebrating Goldman's “his great department store.” Along with wishes for Goldman from over 100 local merchants, this section features a unique structure made of faux limestone, an orchid-colored terra cotta exterior, uniquely placed shop windows, an illuminated Otis elevator, and more. contained details.
The Petaluma Argus Courier claimed that “the construction of a new home for the leaders is accepted as a substantial and lasting improvement in the business life of the city.”
According to a June 2, 1946 Press Democrat article, Goldman sold the store in 1946 to W. R. Carrithers & Sons, owners of the White House department store in Santa Rosa, for nearly $400,000. With the addition of the Petaluma store, Carithers & Sons expands into one of the largest companies in the North Bay region, with his two other stores in Napa and Vallejo.
This iconic Kentucky Street store, which has since become known as Carithers, prides itself on offering the highest quality, nationally advertised products, and now focuses on more than just strictly women's fashion. , a product for the whole family.
According to a February 1, 1966 Petaluma Argus Courier article, the Carrithers wanted to retire in the 1960s and in 1966 sold their four popular stores to P.N. Hirsch & Company. It is said that he has decided. “The sale to PN Hirsch Corporation ensures continuity of business and resolves our greatest concerns regarding the future of our employees,” said Donald E. Carithers.
Philip N. Hirsch, president of the St. Louis-based Hirsch Company, planned to continue operating the four Carithers stores with the same merchandising policies that have been successful locally. Petaluma His Carithers have remained a staple in the community for decades and were even featured in the 1986 film “Peggy Sue Got Married.”
However, according to the July 31, 1985 Press Democrat, Carrithers had closed the previous year after losing its lease due to disagreements with Wells Fargo Bank. “We're all sad to see the store go,” said Del Deide, general merchandising manager for the Idaho Department Company and owner of Carithers at the time. “It's kind of a landmark.”
According to the Petaluma Argus Courier on April 16, 1986, the vacant Carrithers building was built in 1986 by brothers Michael and Mark Thomas of Petaluma, co-owners of the furniture store Couches H. was sold to. Couches, Etc.'s grand opening took place in August 1986, and it remained in the former Carrithers store until it closed in 2007. Sleep City moved into the building in 2009 and leased it to Ramos Furniture in 2016.
The downtown landmark sat vacant again for several years until the Petaluma Historic and Cultural Preservation Commission approved a plan submitted by Amy's Kitchen in July 2022 to renovate the historic building for use as its new headquarters. Ta.
Next month, Amy's Kitchen will receive an award for sustainable seismic retrofitting of its buildings and will be among 15 winners across the state at the California Preservation Foundation's 41st annual Preservation Awards Ceremony.
