On this day in 1940, Hine-Bagby Company held an open house to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The men’s clothing store was also showing the remodeled interior and modernizing changes that had taken place over the last four months.
Located at 412 North Trade Street, Hine-Bagby Company was a downtown fixture. The new features of the store included an elevator to replace stair-climbing from one floor to another, lower ceilings refinished with masonite, and fluorescent lights for better lighting coverage.
A Varsity Shop was created on the second floor, carrying a complete line of sportswear, luggage, trousers, slack suits, lounging robes, raincoats, and accessories. The walls and ceiling of the Varsity Shop were covered with masonite, and insulated for customer comfort in all seasons.
New display equipment provided shelves for shirts and sweaters, thus eliminating excessive handling of the merchandise.
Entertainment was provided at the open house by Shirley Smith and his orchestra, and refreshments were provided.
Hine Bagby was located at this address until a fire in 1964 forced the store to move to temporary quarters until the Trade Store could be rebuilt. The store moved again in 1979, to West Fourth Street, next to Mother and Daughter Store.
The Hine-Bagby store can be seen near the center of the above photo.
Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
