White Front

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White Front

Type	Discount store
Founded	1929. Acquired by Interstate in 1959. Filed for bankruptcy in 1975.
Headquarters	Originally from Los Angeles, California moved to San Diego, California after acquisition
Industry	Retail
Products	clothing, footwear, housewares, sporting goods, hardware, toys, electronics, groceries
Website	None

White Front was a chain of discount stores prevalent throughout Southern California and the western United States from 1959 through the mid-1970s. They were especially noted for the architecture of their store fronts which was an enormous, sweeping archway with the store name spelled out in individual letters fanned across the top. The chain also ran Topps, a similar discount store with locations in the American Midwest. Another unique feature of each store was that each site contained a separate key booth located in the parking lot. ^[1]

The name was said to refer to the practice of lining up appliances like washers, dryers and stoves in front of the store, giving it a "White Front." The company made an abortive attempt to expand into the Northwest at the Mall 205 in Portland, Oregon in 1973. An ad campaign to introduce the store to the area featured Allen Ludden of Password fame (most store openings would be promoted by Hollywood stars). The Portland store failed largely due to complications with coordinating sale ads printed in Southern California with deliveries of the advertised merchandise to Portland. Frustrated by being unable to get advertised specials after a long drive to the suburban store, customers stopped coming, numerous complaints were filed, and the store finally closed.

White Front entered the Seattle/Tacoma market of Washington State in 1969. Five stores were built in Burien, Tacoma, Shoreline, Bellevue, and Everett (Everett Mall) in very high traffic areas. The stores were closed by about 1972. It was said they left the Seattle market "while the paint was still drying in the parking lot stalls". The local media as well as business, government, and community leaders would play on that as well calling the store closures a waste of space and an eyesore to the communities that they served since each store had a big footprint to it (150,000 square feet). Some also pointed it out as a flawed attempt to "Californianize" the area which some local residents could have met with resentment by not shopping there in the first place.

Due to the struggling economy of the "Boeing Bust" of the late 60s and early 70s in the area it would take some time before new ownership was found for these vacant buildings at some locations. Tacoma's store has seen many ownership changes first as a Valu-Mart and then a Leslie's store. Later it became a Jafco and then a Best store (currently Michael's). Burien's became the flagship store for Valu-Mart and then Leslie's (currently Fred Meyer). Shoreline's store became a K-Mart. Everett's store (a part of Everett Mall) became a Bon Marche and then Macy's. Bellevue's store became a Fred Meyer as well. The towering roadside store signs used for their locations can still be seen at the Shoreline and Tacoma sites to this day.

Another cause for their failure in the area could have been due to the stores being too close to competing discount chains such as Gov-Mart/Baza'r, House of Values, and Valu-Mart which had a stronger presence in the area and were locally owned at the time. The Shoreline White Front was built across the street from Gov-Mart. Having another discount retailer at the time could have been overkill and it would take a long time for another one to come into the Puget Sound area due to the "White Front curse".

To make matters worse, each of the stores contained a "Discount Foods" grocery stores which they owned as well. People complained of high prices in the grocery section probably caused by the lack of a local distribution center, poor purchasing, and other logistics problems in the end didn't make the grocery side a discount at all. Safeway would take over ownership of the grocery section in some markets later on while newer stores were later designed without a grocery store.

Interstate, the parent company of White Front, acquired a small toy store chain - Toys "R" Us - out of Washington D.C., which went on to survive the entire organization. ^[2]

When parent company White Front Stores, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 1975 and then went out of business, the locations were changed to Two Guys, another discount chain. Two Guys soon failed as well and the stores became relabeled as FedMart stores, which eventually were purchased by Target Stores.

Mall 205, Bellevue, and Everett stores were built using the 70s contemporary store design which doesn't include the arch as well as the grocery store.

The present-day Target store in San Bernardino, California sported the archway across its façade for many years until a recent remodeling.