Henshey's
Henshey's
Defunct department store
Henshey's was a major department store in Downtown Santa Monica, California founded by Harry Henshey and partners, the first department store in Los Angeles' Westside. It opened in 1925 as the Bay Department Store, at four stories and 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2), far larger than any store in the city. It later expanded to 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2). It had the first escalators on the Westside but retained one elevator with a human operator until its closure. It was owned by Charles Tegner.[1]
In 1966, it opened a branch in the Ladera Heights Shopping Center which closed in 1990.[1]
In 1992, the store closed, blaming poor sales from the Early 1990s recession, from not having changed its merchandise to attract younger clientele, and on competition from the larger J. W. Robinson's and Broadway stores in the nearby Santa Monica Place mall.[1]
The building, 402 Santa Monica Blvd., was torn down in 1994 after suffering earthquake damage. An REI store occupies the site.