This dynamic night shot from Life magazine shows us glimpse of the view looking east along Wilshire Blvd from Fairfax Ave in 1949. None of the places we can see – May Co. department store, Prudential, Coulter’s department store, and Arthur Murray dance studio – are still around, but at least the May Co. building is getting a second life with the opening of the Academy museum. Does anybody reading this remember Coulter’s? I don’t know much about it. What was it like? What sort of merchandise did they sell?
Susan Milner says “Coulter’s was located downtown LA first, before it moved out to this Wilshire building toward the end of the 30s. Coulter’s was a lot like Broadway or May Co. It was mostly fashion and home soft goods that catered to middle class tastes typically, though they did have a cocktail wear/Bridal type salon. I think Broadway bought out Coulter’s by the very late 60s or early 70s, and they were the ones to close it down after 10 or so years best I can recall. I can recall they had a nice fabric and knitting dept on the 3rd floor. I can remember buying a few foundation items there in their nice foundation dept. I didn’t however regularly shop at Coulter’s.”
Hi – I recall that intersection at that time (Shopped at the May Co., took dance lessons at Arthur Murray’s). My recollection is that Coulter’s was a dept. store along the lines of Desmond’s but do not remember ever shopping there. Love always, L&M