Where did people shop in the late 1800s? Munger’s, where their mission was “to let you be the judge and jury of your own satisfaction.” It was located in Herkimer on North Main Street and later in New Hartford, where it occupied space in the New Hartford Shopping Center in the 1960s.
Munger’s was once the “it” store for those seeking sophisticated style. Their buyers went to New York to bring back fashion and higher-quality merchandise, and the words New York Store even toplined Munger’s own brand in its marketing.
We had to consult Wikipedia for a few of their offerings (e.g., dolmans), but some of their other goods, namely silk, cashmeres, velvets, India shawls, and cloaks, were especially interesting, given how most of us walk around the Mohawk Valley today. An old receipt caught our attention, not only for what was purchased, a parasol,” but also for the cost of each item: a jacket for $7.00. And in a time when hats completed the outfit, there were hat boxes. These boxes struck us as a lovely indulgence, when today we are often asked if we want a bag for our merchandise.
Our favorite discovery was a shopper relaying how much she adored Munger’s. She loved the ladies room lounge where, at 19 years old, she enjoyed having a cigarette. She felt fashionable.
