Luckey, Platt & Co

LUCKEY, PLATT & COMPANY 100 Years of Service

One of the leading retail firms of the Hudson Valley celebrated its 100th birthday on March 22, 1969 when Luckey, Platt & Co. of Poughkeepsie gained that distinction. The community showed its admiration for the store by honoring the president, William M. Smith, at a testimonial dinner given by the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Poughkeepsie Council, and the Retail Management Department of Dutchess Community College elected Luckey, Platt & Co. to the "Century Club".

The forerunner of the Hudson Valley's largest store was a small dry good store started in the late 1840's by Isaac Dibble, who later admitted Robert Slee as a partner. Mr. Slee was a prominent citizen of Poughkeepsie in the middle of the 19th Century, serving on the first Poughkeepsie Bridge Committee and on the first board of directors of the First National Bank of Poughkeepsie. The First National was the first bank to be organized under the National Banking Act. Mr. Slee soon assumed the entire ownership of the store and engaged as the "boy in the store", Charles P. Luckey. Later the firm name was changed to Robert Slee & Company, revealing the fact that Mr. Luckey had been taken into the company, and in 1860 this company advertised the opening of a "new store at 328 Main Street". The firm had been located at 245 Main Street in the Brewester Block which was on the north side of Main Street at present New Market Street.

Robert Slee & Co. was succeeded by Luckey, Vail and Mandeville in 1866, and this firm in turn became Luckey and Platt on March 22, 1869. Edmund P. Platt, who had started his apprenticeship as a merchant in the store of W. S. & H. W. Crosby in 1859, bought the Mandeville share of the business and thus a long and distinguished career of a Poughkeepsie store began. Luckey, Platt & Company was formed in 1872 when Smith L. DeGa,rmo became a partner. It was during this time the policies and ideas of the company were formed, and at the same time the concern added the second floor to its business located at 328 Main Street.

In 1872, Luckey, Platt & Company added another first to their list. They established and maintained a "set price" policy. The price of each piece of merchandise was to be plainly marked . . . and there was to be no deviation from that price.

In February of 1878, telephone service for customer shopping at home was first introduced at Luckey's. The same year 334 Main Street was included in the store. The premises were still farther enlarged by the addition of 336 Main Street about eight years later.

The Spring of 1882 saw another first in Luckey's innovations. The buildings of 334 and 336 Main Street were serviced by an elevator, the first passenger elevator in the city.

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The store continued to grow and further enlargements became necessary. In 1901, 340 Main Street was taken in and on June 3, 1901, rebuilding was started, uniting 336, 338 and 340 into a five story structure. Also, during the year Luckey's installed a cable cash carrier system. They had manufacturers' representatives demonstrate products to the customers. This enabled Luckey's customers to see first hand how products operated.

In 1902, a furniture department was started in 342 and 344 Main Street. This department did so well that in 1910 a modern furniture building was erected on Academy Street. Over 15,000 people attended the opening day ceremonies.

Along with the physical growth came wider recognition up and down the Hudson Valley. Everyone knew the big store in Poughkeepsie and compared it favorably with the New York stores. Luckey's rugs and furniture found their way into thousands of homes in the area. When the Dutchess County Courthouse was nearing completion in 1903, Luckey's was selected to supply many of the furnishings and floor coverings.

Since Poughkeepsie has always been the logical shopping center of Dutchess County and the whole Hudson Valley, the management of Luckey, Platt and Company was determined to make their store the shopping center of Poughkeepsie. This was accomplished by employing every available means of advertising and publicity, both within the store and without. The quality of Luckey's merchandise was already widely known . . . it remained only to continue to publicize the store, its merchandise and its services over as wide an area as possible.

In order to accomplish this feat, Luckey's went to the County Fair in the Fall of 1903 . . . and took with her a good proportion of the store's wares. These were displayed in booths and in special buildings.

During this same period, Luckey's began to hold their annual Harvest Sale for those who did not get to the County Fair. Although Luckey's no longer takes a store to the Fair, the annual Harvest Sale is as popular as ever.

The next few years saw changes in the management of the firm. In January, 1911, Howard Platt, son of Edmund P. Platt and a member of the firm, passed away. Mr. Platt was one of Poughkeepsie's leading citizens, lending his talents to many important community projects. He was instrumental in developing the Poughkeepsie Chamber of Commerce, the Y.M.C.A., Scouting in Dutchess County, and served as a trustee of Vassar Brothers Home. He also was a prominent member in the Presbyterian Church of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Platt's death at the early age of thirty-three was a severe loss to Poughkeepsie and the County.

In July 1912 Edward F. Cary, son-in-law of Edmund Platt, joined the store to establish a statistical department. Mr. Platt was President, Mr.

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DeGarmo Vice-president, and William DeGarmo Smith, a nephew of Mr. DeGarmo, was elected Treasurer of the incorporated firm. Upon the death of Mr. Platt, Mr. DeGarmo assumed the presidency of Luckey, Platt & Company.

In 1920 the biggest change of all began for Luckey, Platt & Company, the tearing down of the old and the building of the new. As it was reported in the Poughkeepsie Eagle News: "Clerks and porters were busy today (September 24, 1920) in removing stocks of merchandise from the old brick building at Main and Academy Streets . . . tearing down will start within a few days . . ."

In 1924, when the new store opened, it was the handsomest thing in the whole Valley. It was modern and up to the minute in all its furnishings and fixtures. It occupied about four and a half acres of floor space in six floors. It employed nearly four hundred people. It contained forty-three departments and had scores of service features for its patrons. Its radius of business reached some 50 miles in any direction.

The exterior of the store displayed sixteen show windows. They were described in those days as "The Finest Windows in the United States."

Everything for the convenience of the customer . . . that was the first consideration followed by those who planned the store. There was a Service Desk, Ladies Lounge, Cafeteria and many other service departments.

After World War II, Luckey's started to brighten her appearance again by redecorating and relighting some of the floors. For the comfort of the employees and patrons, the store was completely air conditioned.

In 1948, William DeGarmo Smith was made chairman of the board and remained so until his death in 1958. William M. Smith became president of the company in 1948, his brother, David DeGarmo Smith, was made vice president and remained so until his death in 1967. At that time Edward F. Cary retired.

As the years have passed, Luckey, Platt & Company has continued to up-date and modernize the large store by adding air conditioning, new lighting and recently three new departments have been opened, a fashion fabric shoppe, a gourmet cookware department, and the Golden Dolphin Bathroom Accessories department. The concern still adheres to a policy set down in 1869: "Quality service, Quality merchandise."

Luckey, Platt & Company is a member of Frederick Atkins, Inc., of New York a research and merchandise organization and Mr. Smith is a director and a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. He has served as President of the Frederick Wholesale Corporation

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of New York and presently is the Vice-President of the New York State Council of Retail Merchants and a Director of John G. Meyers of Albany.

The officers of the corporation are: William M. Smith, President, F. Bennett Cody, Senior Vice-President and Treasurer, and Thomas L. Evarts, Vice-President. Serving with Mr. Smith and Mr. Cody as Directors are John E. Taylor and William G. Brown. William M. Smith is a very active member of the community. He prepared for Princeton at Exter Academy and after his graduation from college returned to Poughkeepsie and at present is a Trustee of the Poughkeepsie Savings Bank, a member of the Rotary, Amrita and Poughkeepsie Tennis Clubs. He has been active in the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Chest and was a, Vestryman of Christ Church of Poughkeepsie for several years.

POUGHKEEPSIE

Poughkeepsie's past, tree-shaded, colonnaded, from Kaal Rock to College Hill lies all around us still.

There are mansafd roofs all through the town and gables, iron gates and stone, and turrets, towers, spires and domes and red-brick walls mellow in the sun.

Bluestone sidewalks tilted by the roots of trees and wide, cool porches overlooking lawns hedged with hemlock.

There cannot be a future where there is no past — or pasture for that matter.

We've had meadows for our herds as well as docks for whales, crowded the river with our craft and counted stacks and sails by the hundred.

We fought in wars, raised monuments, built schools and wrote stories, housed Whigs and hunted Tories, did all the amazing things of American past and a lot more than most.

Between our two bridges we have the Hudson River bracketed — and it's going to stay that way.

Tomorrow is another century: we'll build a better city than before, because we had a past.

When you've lived in a place for almost two hundred years there are some things you can never forget.

— William Gekle —

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