In years past, when Christmas shopping time would come around in Mobile, shoppers would dress up a bit in festive finery and set out to their favorite department store to experience the holiday hustle and bustle in person. These were the pre-Amazon years before shopping online became the preferred convenient way to gather gifts
Nostalgic memories abound for one of these storied department stores of the 20th century — Mobile’s Gayfers Department Store. Gayfers enjoyed a glorious run from the time C.J. Gayfer immigrated from England to Mobile and opened the first Gayfers in downtown Mobile in 1879. Department stores were very popular across the nation at the beginning of the 20th century and owners prospered. There were no websites back then where you could search through clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products and housewares. It was an exciting event to go downtown to “Mobile’s finest department store” for elegant and unique gifts.
Mr. Gayfer’s downtown store was claimed by fire in 1896. He rebuilt the following year including a newfangled elevator. Following Mr. Gayfers’ 1915 death, the downtown store was remodeled, complete with plate glass windows, a marble framed entrance and completely fireproof construction.
The business expanded in 1960 with the opening of a new Gayfers in the newly completed Springdale Plaza on the western side of town. At the height of its popularity, there were 18 stores bearing the Gayfers name all across the South.
The golden age of department stores was really in evidence at Christmas time. Those fancy window displays, elegant marble floors and glitter-filled glass cases offered Christmas shoppers that magical elegance that is missing in today’s hurry-and-get-it-done holiday experience.
Much of today’s nostalgia for the large downtown department stores like Gayfers surges during the Christmas season. All of those well-lit window displays stirred up anticipation in all who went by. Families would gather downtown and experience Christmas magic with villages complete with trains circling the little towns. Christmas towns were also set up inside the store near the toy department where a visit with Santa to share your heart’s desires was so special to children and their parents.
Gayfers is remembered fondly for its great personalized customer service and its quality inventory, as well as the draw of Santa’s Super Sales with up to 75% off. Customers would spend hours upon hours surveying the wares, shopping for the best gifts to put under the tree. After they had chosen their items, they would stop by Gayfers’ gift-wrapping department, and then head home with perfectly wrapped gifts ready for Christmas. One could spend an entire day at the store, which had its own restaurant, bakery, salon and more. Adding to the Christmas magic, Gayfer Girls dressed as elves took children shopping for their gifts during those December days. It was a prime experience that former shoppers and employees all miss. One former shopper says, “I haven’t enjoyed Christmas shopping since Gayfers closed.”
According to long-time Gayfers employee Polly Bostrom Grimm, whose grandfather, Fred Bostrom, was at the helm as CEO as new stores were opened, “Working at Gayfers was like working at the Macy’s of the South. Christmas was magical at Gayfers; it was a universal reaction.”
She describes the customer service as being second to none, the type where the customer was always right. All the employees were well dressed and trained to deliver exceptional customer service. “Shoppers enjoyed free beautiful gift wrap, a dedicated Christmas department where you could purchase trees and amazing ornaments and seasonal decor,” she continues. “They could also enjoy a snack or meal at the phenomenal Copper Kettle restaurant. I remember delicious onion soup and petit fours. A bakery was added later at the Springdale store where fruitcake cookies became a delicious and popular item.”
Dorothy Bodiford, another happy retired employee, worked at Gayfers for 40 years as a buyer for the stores. She remembers the beautifully decorated windows at the old downtown store and Santa waiting for eager children on the second floor. “We began the Christmas season on the day after Thanksgiving,” she says. “We opened early at 8 o’clock and stayed late until 10 p.m. We offered extended hours for our shoppers. Dressing in Christmas costumes, door prizes, giveaways and refreshments made the season so special. Christmas at Gayfers was a festive time, home grown. And when the stores closed for good, everyone was so upset. It was the end of an era.”
Warm memories are all that is left of this successful regional department store chain that was available to shoppers until 1998. The name Gayfers lure us into shimmering Christmases past where we can once again meet our childhood delight of searching and finding just the right gifts in a place filled with the magic of the season.
Gayfers Fruitcake Cookies
MAKES ABOUT 8 DOZEN
Ingredients
5 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
7 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 teaspoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons orange juice
3 teaspoons brandy
1 3/4 pound white raisins
1 3/4 pound crushed pineapple, drained
1 3/4 pound candied green cherries
1 3/4 pound candied red cherries
4 cups chopped pecans
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter. Add egg yolks one at a time, followed by vanilla extract, lemon juice, orange juice and brandy.
4. Stir in fruit and nuts by hand, then add dry ingredients and stir to combine without overmixing.
5. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold in cookie dough.
6. Scoop dough onto cookie sheet spaced 2-inches apart. Bake cookies for 12 minutes.
