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Finding aid to the Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart Records
1915-2008
SFH 475
SFH 475
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Title: Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart Records
Date (bulk): 1922-2008
Identifier/Call Number: SFH 475
Creator:
Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart (San Francisco, Calif.)
Creator:
San Francisco Mart
Physical Description:
29 cartons, 27 bully boxes, 4 pamphlet boxes, 1 flat file.
(39.5 Cubic Feet)
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4567
info@sfpl.org
Abstract: The Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart operated from its founding in 1915 until it closed in 2008. The Mart served
as the largest hub for furniture wholesale on the West Coast and hosted sellers from all over the Western United States.
Language of Material:
English
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in
English.
The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk
hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
All requests for permission to publish from photographs must be submitted in writing to the Photo Curator. Permission for
publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
[Identification of item], Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart Records (SFH 475), San Francisco History Center,
San Francisco Public Library.
Donated by Manuel Perez of the Western Furniture Mart April 29, 2011.
During processing, the entire collection was rehoused into acid free boxes and weeded for duplicate materials.
The Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart, or the San Francisco Furniture Mart as it was commonly called, operated
from its founding in 1915 until its closing in 2008 when the bulk of western wholesale furniture markets concentrated in Las
Vegas. At its apex the Mart operated as the largest hub for wholesale furniture on the West Coast and hosted sellers from
all over the Western United States. It eventually grew to support seven markets under one roof with showrooms ranging from
400 to 1500 square feet. It sold items as varied as furniture, floor coverings, radio and television appliances, giftware,
lamps, housewares, decorative textiles, linens, toys and juvenile goods. Semiannual and Friday marts operated on a membership
basis with two market weeks a year, one in January and the second in July.
What would become known as the most recent Furniture Mart building was constructed in 1937 with floors added in 1948, 1957,
and 1963. It continued to grow with new construction when Mart 2 opened next door in 1975. The Mart campus extended for an
entire block of Market Street between 9th and 10th streets occupying 1.5 million square feet. Containing a barbershop, bank,
post office, bar, restaurant, newsstand and radio station the Mart provided everything its customers needed.
Designed exclusively for wholesale business the Mart required buyers to maintain a membership and restricted the general public
from showroom display areas. Membership required a place of business (other than a home), an established line of credit with
three tenants (or firms) operating at the Mart, and recognition "as a stocking dealer" meaning one who stocked merchandise
to sell to the public.
The Market Street campus is currently owned by Shorenstein Properties and has been occupied by Twitter Inc. since 2012.
The Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart operated from its creation in 1915 until its closing in 2008. During its
apex the Mart operated as the largest hub for furniture wholesale on the West Coast and hosted sellers from all over the Western
United States.
The collection consists of publications produced by the Mart, scrapbooks assembled by date (scrapbooks contain ephemera and
clippings relating to the Mart), and graphic materials including floor plans, photos, negatives, slides, sketches and a promotional
video. Of note are the yearly Buyers Guide and Directories which list individual showrooms and wholesalers. The collection
also includes a small amount of correspondence, a switchboard operator's phone directory and an embossing stamp with the SF
Furniture Mart logo. The collection does not contain Mart organizational information, staff or business records. Instead the
collection content focuses on the sellers who operated in the Mart.
Photos include portraits, early scenes including the Marts first location at 180 Montgomery Street (circa 1915), advertising,
construction, earthquake (1906), events, exteriors, interiors, Mart 2 opening (1975), Mart fire (1970), Marts other than
San Francisco, and publicity shots.
The collection is arranged in 6 series: Series 1: History, Series 2: Correspondence, Series 3: Publications/Promotion, Series
4: Scrapbooks, Clippings and Ephemera, Series 5: Graphic Materials, Series 6: Artifacts.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Furniture industry and trade--United States--Catalogs.
Furniture industry and trade--United States--Directories.
Furniture industry and trade--United States--History.
Wholesale trade -- California -- San Francisco -- Directories.
Buildings -- Merchandise Mart.