Spencer's (department store)

Spencer's (formally David Spencer Ltd.) was a Canadian department store chain that operated in the province of British Columbia from the late 19th century until 1948.

History

The chain was founded in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1873 by David W. Spencer. The first store, located on Government Street, began as a dry goods shop operating under the name "Spencer and Denny." The business prospered and expanded, opening a second store in Nanaimo in 1890. The Vancouver store opened in 1907 and was so successful that it soon expanded to occupy nearly an entire city block. Additional stores later opened in Chilliwack and New Westminster.

For a number of years, Spencer's was a rival to Woodward's, another British Columbia-based department store chain. In 1948, Spencer's was acquired by the much larger Eaton's department store chain, which had stores across Canada. The nine Spencer's stores in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island were converted into Eaton's stores.

Notable Locations

• Vancouver store (Hastings Street): After operating as an Eaton's store until 1973, the building was later occupied by Simpsons-Sears. Today, it serves as the downtown "Harbour Centre" campus of Simon Fraser University, with the building itself called Harbour Centre.
• Victoria store (1150 Douglas Street): This second Victoria location replaced the original Government Street store. It operated as an Eaton's store until the late 1980s, when it was demolished to make way for the Victoria Eaton Centre shopping mall (now called the Bay Centre).

Fate

The last operating vestiges of the former Spencer's chain disappeared with the demise of the Eaton's chain in 1999.