The Bon Marché
The Bon Marché was a Seattle-founded American department-store chain that became a major retailer in the Pacific Northwest before being converted into Macy's locations.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Bon Marché was an American department-store chain established in Seattle, Washington, in 1890 by Edward and Josephine Nordhoff. Its name was inspired by the Parisian department store Le Bon Marché, although the Seattle business was a separate American retailer. The chain developed from a small storefront into one of the best-known department-store operators in the Pacific Northwest and eventually served customers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, with a smaller and ultimately unsuccessful presence in Utah. Edward Nordhoff brought retail experience from Paris and Chicago to the venture. The founding couple leased a modest shop in Seattle's Belltown district and invested their savings in merchandise. Josephine Nordhoff played a hands-on role in the enterprise, handling inventory, bookkeeping, cleaning, and customer service. During the economic difficulties of the early 1890s, the store used small discounts to retain shoppers. As the business grew, it moved closer to Seattle's central business district in 1896, taking space at Second Avenue and Pike Street. Edward Nordhoff died in 1899. Josephine later operated the business with her second husband, Frank McDermott, and Edward's brother, Rudolph Nordhoff. Under their management, the store expanded substantially. Its Second and Pike premises were enlarged in 1902 and 1911, and the company opened a larger downtown Seattle location at Third Avenue and Pine Street in 1929. That same year, The Bon Marché was sold to Hahn Department Stores of Chicago. Hahn was acquired by Allied Stores in 1934, but the Bon name continued in regional use. Allied used The Bon Marché as a platform for expansion. In 1937, the company incorporated the Boise, Idaho-based C.C. Anderson's operation, giving The Bon a presence outside Washington. After the Second World War, the chain added further stores and became an anchor tenant at Northgate Mall in Seattle in 1949, an early example of the modern enclosed or planned suburban shopping-center model. In 1978, Allied added nine stores by converting the Missoula Mercantile operation in Montana to the Bon-Marché name. By 1986, the chain had approximately 40 stores and was a prominent Northwest retailer. The company also operated stores in Utah, including locations in Ogden, Layton, and Logan. These stores did not perform as well as the core Northwest estate: the Ogden and Logan locations were sold to Lamonts in 1988, while the Layton store remained open until it was sold to J.C. Penney in 1993. Following Allied Stores' ownership changes, The Bon Marché became part of Federated Department Stores in 1992. Federated experimented with the chain's format, including a prototype store opened in Helena, Montana, in 2001. In 2003, Federated changed the regional name to Bon-Macy's as part of a broader program that attached the Macy's name to several regional chains. In 2004, Federated announced that all of those regional identities would be replaced by Macy's. The Bon-Macy's name disappeared in 2005, when the stores became part of Macy's Northwest. The former Bon stores operated under Macy's for several more years. In February 2008, Federated chairman, president, and chief executive Terry Lundgren announced a localization strategy that included eliminating the Macy's Northwest headquarters and merging the former Bon Marché stores into Macy's West. The original brand therefore ceased to exist as a retail chain, although a small piece of historic Bon Marché signage remained visible on the former Seattle flagship. The chain is also remembered for its regional advertising, especially its long-running One Day Sale campaign and its locally recognizable musical jingle.
History
The Bon Marché began in 1890 when Edward and Josephine Nordhoff opened a small Seattle store in Belltown. Edward, a German immigrant, had worked in the Paris retail trade and later managed a Chicago department store. The business took its name from the famous Parisian retailer Le Bon Marché. The Nordhoffs invested their savings in merchandise and operated the shop themselves, with Josephine taking responsibility for stocking, bookkeeping, cleaning, and customer service. The store survived the economic panic of the early 1890s by using small discounts and gradually attracted customers away from Seattle's established retail district. In 1896, growth enabled a move to Second Avenue and Pike Street. Edward Nordhoff died in 1899, after which Josephine, her second husband Frank McDermott, and Edward's brother Rudolph Nordhoff managed the business. The store expanded its premises in 1902 and 1911. In 1929, it opened a major location at Third Avenue and Pine Street and was sold to Hahn Department Stores. Hahn was acquired by Allied Stores in 1934. Allied retained the Bon Marché identity and expanded the chain. In 1937, C.C. Anderson's of Boise was merged into the business, creating the chain's first store outside Washington. After the Second World War, The Bon added locations throughout the Northwest and became the anchor retailer at Northgate Mall in 1949. The chain later absorbed or rebranded additional Allied-owned stores, including Missoula Mercantile in 1978. By 1986 it had about 40 locations and was a major regional department-store brand. Expansion into Utah produced three stores, in Ogden, Layton, and Logan, but the locations were not as successful as the core Northwest business. Ogden and Logan were sold to Lamonts in 1988, and the Layton store was sold to J.C. Penney in 1993. The remaining chain continued across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Federated Department Stores acquired the Allied organization in 1992. Federated operated The Bon Marché as a regional division and tested new formats, including a 65,000-square-foot Helena, Montana, prototype in 2001. The company then pursued a national naming strategy. In 2003, The Bon Marché became Bon-Macy's; in 2004, Federated announced that the regional identities would be replaced by Macy's; and in 2005, the Bon-Macy's signs were removed. The stores became Macy's Northwest locations. In 2008, Federated leadership announced that Macy's Northwest would be consolidated into Macy's West and that the regional headquarters would be eliminated. This completed the organizational disappearance of the former Bon Marché chain. The downtown Seattle flagship retained a small historic Bon Marché sign, while the brand survived mainly through local memory, archival material, and its advertising heritage. Its One Day Sale promotions, including a distinctive musical jingle used from the 1990s into the 2000s, became a recognizable element of Northwest retail culture.
- 2008
Macy's Northwest consolidation
[1]The former Bon Marché stores are merged into Macy's West and the Northwest headquarters is eliminated.
- 2005
Conversion to Macy's
[1]Bon-Macy's stores are renamed Macy's and placed in the Macy's Northwest division.
- 2003
Rebranding as Bon-Macy's
[1]Federated adds the Macy's name to the regional brand.
- 2001
Helena prototype store opens
[1]Federated tests a 65,000-square-foot Bon Marché format in Helena, Montana, featuring centralized checkouts.
- 1992
Federated acquires the Allied organization
[1]The Bon Marché becomes part of Federated Department Stores.
- 1978
Missoula Mercantile locations join the chain
[1]Nine Allied-owned stores, including the Missoula Mercantile operation, are converted to the Bon-Marché name.
- 1949
Northgate Mall anchor opening
[1]The Bon Marché becomes the anchor store at Northgate Mall in Seattle.
- 1937
Expansion into Idaho
[1]C.C. Anderson's of Boise is merged into The Bon Marché, creating the chain's first store outside Washington.
- 1934
Hahn becomes part of Allied Stores
[1]The Bon Marché enters Allied Stores' department-store portfolio.
- 1929
Downtown expansion and Hahn acquisition
[1]The chain opens at Third Avenue and Pine Street and is sold to Hahn Department Stores.
Products and positioning
A broad-assortment regional department store serving Northwest households, combining downtown flagship retailing with suburban shopping-center locations and frequent promotional events.
Department-store retail · 1890
Full-line department-store merchandise
The Bon Marché operated as a general department store, offering customers a broad assortment rather than specializing in a single product category. Its stores combined soft goods and hard goods, with departments associated with apparel, footwear, beauty, jewelry, home furnishings, housewares, and seasonal merchandise. The exact assortment varied by location and period.
Promotional retail event
One Day Sale
The One Day Sale was a recurring promotional event that became one of The Bon Marché's most recognizable customer-facing offerings. Advertising emphasized a limited one-day shopping window and department-wide savings. From the 1990s into the 2000s, the promotion was associated with a distinctive regional jingle used in television and radio advertising.
Marketing campaigns
- 1990One Day Sale
Pacific Northwest
The Bon Marché promoted its recurring One Day Sale through television and radio advertising built around a recognizable musical jingle. The event communicated time-limited discounts across departments and became closely associated with the chain in local popular culture.
Outcome. The promotion remained in use into the 2000s and became a notable part of the brand's regional identity.
Brand decisions
2008
Merge Macy's Northwest into Macy's WestStrategyBackground
Federated pursued organizational consolidation and a localization strategy within its Macy's business.
Action taken
Chairman, president, and chief executive Terry Lundgren announced the elimination of the Macy's Northwest headquarters and the transfer of the former Bon Marché stores to Macy's West.
Aftermath
The consolidation ended the former Bon Marché regional operating structure and included a planned reduction of 2,550 jobs across the wider initiative.
Planned job reductions. 2,550 jobs eliminated (2008 announcement)
2005
Convert Bon-Macy's stores to Macy'sStrategyBackground
Federated announced that its regional department-store brands would be consolidated under the Macy's name.
Action taken
Bon-Macy's stores were renamed Macy's and operated through the Macy's Northwest division.
Aftermath
The Bon Marché ceased to exist as an active retail brand, although its former stores continued under Macy's.
2003
Rebrand The Bon Marché as Bon-Macy'sStrategyBackground
Federated Department Stores was pursuing a national naming program that attached the Macy's identity to several regional department-store chains.
Action taken
The Bon Marché name was replaced by Bon-Macy's, while the stores continued operating in the regional market.
Aftermath
Federated later decided to eliminate the remaining regional names. The Bon-Macy's identity disappeared in 2005 when the stores became Macy's.
Recent events
- 2008
Macy's Northwest is merged into Macy's West[1]
Leadership change
Federated announced the elimination of the Macy's Northwest headquarters and the consolidation of the former Bon Marché stores under Macy's West, alongside planned job reductions.
- 2005
Bon-Macy's identity is eliminated[1]
Leadership change
The stores were renamed Macy's and assigned to the Macy's Northwest division, ending the Bon-Macy's branding.
- 2003
The Bon Marché becomes Bon-Macy's[1]
Other
Federated Department Stores added Macy's to the regional identity as part of a national rebranding program.
- 1934
Allied Stores acquires Hahn Department Stores[1]
M&A
Hahn Department Stores became part of Allied Stores, bringing The Bon Marché into Allied's larger department-store portfolio.
- 1929
The Bon Marché is sold to Hahn Department Stores[1]
M&A
The Seattle department-store chain was acquired by Hahn Department Stores of Chicago while continuing to operate under the Bon Marché name.
Sources1 sources
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