Today most people shop in large department stores. They know that a department store will probably carry just about anything they need. But department store are a fairly recent innovation. Years ago most people shopped in small dresses, and so on. Then, in 1862, A.T. Stewart opened Stewart’s Cast Iron Palace. Standing eight stories high, it was the biggest. Store in the world. The Palace helped change the way Americans shopped.
Stewart’s store, and others like it, carried something for everyone. Clothing, furniture, shoes-all could be found in a “buyer’s palace.” They were different in other ways too. In small stores customers often bargained with the owner over price. A large store could not operate effectively this way. Instead, owners put a fixed price on each item. The price was the same for everyone. It was a quicker, more efficient system.
The big stores were open to all people. Even a penniless sightseer could enjoy a day walking through the store. This was very different from some small shops where a poorly dressed person would not even be allowed inside the door! A.T. Stewart’s Palace marked the beginning of a new era in American consumerism that has continued even to this day.