S. H. Kress & Co.

S. H. Kress & Co.. S. H. Kress & Co. was a prominent American chain of five and dime variety stores, founded by Samuel H. Kress in 1896. The company is historically significant within the context of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States because its segregated lunch counters in the South became focal points for nonviolent protests, most notably the Greensboro sit-ins. The subsequent legal and social battles over desegregation at Kress stores contributed to the broader struggle against Jim Crow laws.

History and founding

Samuel H. Kress opened his first store in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, in 1896, selling stationery and notions. The business model, inspired by pioneers like F. W. Woolworth, focused on low-cost, high-volume sales in a fixed-price format. The company expanded rapidly, and by the 1920s, Kress had become a national chain with hundreds of locations. A hallmark of its expansion was a deliberate strategy of constructing architecturally distinctive buildings, often in the Art Deco or Renaissance Revival styles, in the central business districts of cities across the country, from Memphis to Jackson. The corporate headquarters were later established in New York City.

Role in the Civil Rights Movement

During the peak of the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s, S. H. Kress & Co., like other national variety store chains such as Woolworth's and McCrory Stores, operated under and enforced the local Jim Crow laws of the American South. This policy mandated racial segregation in their stores, particularly at their popular lunch counters. These public spaces, which served food to white customers only, became symbolic and practical targets for African-American activists and their allies. The company's national profile made it a high-visibility adversary for the movement, which sought to expose the contradictions of a nationwide business upholding regional laws of discrimination.

Lunch counter sit-ins and protests

The most famous protest associated with Kress occurred as part of the wider sit-in movement. While the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 began at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, the tactic quickly spread to Kress stores in numerous cities. For example, organized sit-ins took place at the Kress store in Nashville, led by students from Fisk University and other local HBCUs, and in Atlanta, where future leaders like John Lewis participated. These protests involved African Americans politely requesting service at the "whites-only" counters, where they were refused and often subjected to harassment and arrest. The disciplined, nonviolent nature of the protests, coordinated by groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), garnered significant national media attention and public sympathy.

Legal cases and desegregation

The protests at Kress and similar stores led to significant legal and economic pressure. While many stores desegregated voluntarily following sustained boycotts and negative publicity, some cases entered the legal system. A pivotal moment came with the wider application of the Fourteenth Amendment and the precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court in cases like Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and subsequent rulings that applied to public accommodations. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ultimately provided the federal mandate that outlawed segregation in public places, including privately-owned businesses serving the public, like the Kress lunch counters. This legislation legally compelled the remaining segregated establishments to integrate.

Architectural legacy and store design

Beyond its civil rights history, S. H. Kress & Co. left a lasting mark on American urban architecture. From about 1910 to 1940, the company commissioned distinctive store buildings, many designed by in-house architects like Edward F. Sibbert. These structures, often located on prime downtown corners, featured elaborate facades with terra cotta ornamentation, decorative metalwork, and grand interior spaces with marble counters and mosaic floors. This investment in architecture was a marketing strategy to convey permanence and quality. Many former Kress buildings, such as those in Tampa and San Antonio, have been preserved and adaptively reused, often listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Economic impact and decline

At its zenith, S. H. Kress & Co. operated over 260 stores and was a major employer and commercial anchor in downtowns nationwide. However, like many dime store chains, it faced severe challenges in the post-World War II era. The rise of suburban shopping centers and competitors like Kmart and Target drew customers away from urban cores. The company was acquired by the Rapid-American Corporation in 1964, which marked the beginning of a long decline. Store closures accelerated through the 1970s, and the remaining operations were sold to McCrory Stores in 1981, leading to the eventual dissolution of the Kress brand. The economic decline of such chains is intertwined with the broader urban decay experienced by many American cities during this period.