Wikipedia

Chaney's

Chaney's was a chain of department stores in Southern California. Harold Oaks Chaney (b. Ohio) opened a dry goods store in Lennox, California in 1924,[1] then his first department store in Hawthorne, California, southwest of Los Angeles. Chaney opened additional stores in the Los Angeles suburbs.[2][3][4]

Chapman Building at 110 E. Wilshire at Spadra (Now Harbor), where Chaney's had a location for during the 1950s-1960s

By 1961, Chaney had sold his stores, and only two stores with the Chaney nameplate remained, Inglewood and Hawthorne. Also by this time Chaney had a partner in the business, Ted Revere. Chaney and his family had moved to Siskiyou County in the far north of California and in that year Chaney took over management of Weed Mercantile, a local store in the town of Weed. Ted Revere took over management of the two remaining stores, which were renamed "Revere's".[5]

Timeline of expansion

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Opened Closed City/district Address Notes
1926[6] or
1930[2][3] 		1960s Hawthorne 317 N. (now 12329 S.) Hawthorne Bl. Across from the future Hawthorne Plaza mall
1940 (est.) 1949 (est.) Gardena 920 Gardena Bl. Opened c. 1940.[6] Store manager Paul Jacobs until 1948, when he transferred to the new Torrance store. Sold c. 1949 and name changed to Gardena Department Store.[7]
1948 (est.)    ? Torrance 1269 Sartori St. Opened c.1948, store manager Paul Jacobs, taking over the lease of a J. C. Penney store there which had opened in 1929[8][1][9]
1948 1949     Newhall Spruce Street Acquired from Horton Department Store in 1948.[6] Store manager Elwood McCain (1949). Only a year later in 1949, sold and store became a branch of Los Angeles-based Hubbard's Dry Goods[10]
1950s? 1960s? Fullerton Wilshire at Spadra (Chapman Building) Former Famous Department Store branch
≤1957 ≥1958 Sunland 8316–8330 Foothill Bl.[11] Advertised from 1957–8.[12] Was previously Alexander's (1963). After Cheney's closed, was an Empire Silk Store then home to both Ken's Stationers[13] (1958–≥1965) and a Sears Appliance and Catalog store (March 1964[14]–≥1971). California Surplus Mart in 1980s.
1957 ? Inglewood Crenshaw & Imperial At Crenshaw-Imperial Shopping Center. Opened 1957, store manager Jim Fruchey[15]

Map of stores

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Chaney's locations

Harold Chaney

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Harold Oaks Chaney
Born (1903-05-19) May 19, 1903 (age 121)
Canby, Iowa
DiedJuly 8, 1985(1985-07-08) (aged 82)
Mount Shasta, California
Occupation(s)Retail store founder and owner
Years active50+
Organization(s)Chaney's, Weed Mercantile
Known forOwner of Chaney's department stores in Greater Los Angeles and later, Weed Mercantile in Weed, Siskiyou County, California

Harold Oaks Chaney (1903–1985)[16] rose to prominence in the local business community in Hawthorne. He was head of the local Kiwanis International in 1942,[17] then in 1950 lieutenant governor of its new 19th division.[18] He helped built the Hawthorne Community Hospital, led community chest drives throughout the Centinela Valley and Greater Los Angeles, and volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America. In 1961, the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce named Chaney Citizen of the Year.[17]

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Torrance Penney Store Leased". News-Pilot. 19 August 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "PCAD - Chaney's, Incorporated, Department Store, Newhall Store, Newhall, CA". pcad.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b "PCAD - Chaney's, Incorporated, Department Store, Hawthorne Store, Hawthorne, CA". pcad.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Fullerton Store (Chaney's, Incorporated, Department Store)". Archinform. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Harold Chaney Takes Over as New Owner of Weed Mercantile". The Dunsmuir News. 21 March 1963. p. 8. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "hawthorn man buys Horton store". The Signal. 15 April 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Ten Years Ago: Sale of Chaney's department store..." Gardena Valley News and Gardena Tribune. 20 September 1959. p. 6. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  8. ^ "South Bay history: Torrance's J.C. Penney store traces its roots back to 1929". Daily Breeze. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Chaney's leases former Penney location" (PDF). Torrance Herald. 19 August 1948. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Hubbards take over Chaney Dept. Store". The Signal. 10 March 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Chaney's Department Store: Sunland's newest and largest department store (advertisement)". The Los Angeles Times. 20 July 1958. p. 145. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Search". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Window frames March of Dimes queen contestants". Los Angeles Public Library. 11 January 1962. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Sears Opens New Applicance, Catalog Facility for Sunland Area". The Van Nuys News and Valley Green Sheet. 6 March 1964. p. 13. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Jim Fruchey - Grand Opening of Chaney's Store w/Picture". Gardena Valley News and Gardena Tribune. 25 August 1957. p. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Harold Oaks Chaney". FamilySearch. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Harold Chaney Named Citizen of the Year". The Los Angeles Times. 13 August 1961. p. 157. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Kiwanis Installation January 11". Gardena Valley News and Gardena Tribune. 5 January 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
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