Tube City Almanac

November 30, 2004

'Murphy Memories' Launches

Category: default || By jt3y

Let's go back 30 years, to Anytown, U.S.A. --- as long as "Anytown" is east of the Mississippi River. In fact, let's say we're in a small town in western Maryland on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Last week, the public works crew was busy stringing garland and plastic holly across Main and Market streets, which brought a little bit of cheer and color to the drab downtown (and some color was sorely needed after all of the leaves fell off the trees). A couple of the old-timers were grumbling that it "wasn't even Thanksgiving yet," but on Thursday, there was a chill in the air, and someone swears they saw some snow flurries Wednesday night. Now, the holly seems appropriate.

The kids don't have school today, and they were driving Mom nuts, so she gave them each a few dollars and told them they could walk downtown --- as long as they were home by lunchtime.

"Don't get into any strangers' cars!" she cautioned. "If you get in trouble, you look for a policeman, OK? And look out for one another, you hear me? Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady!"

Off they went to the two-block business district on Main Street, which is lined on both sides with two- and three-story brick buildings, and cars are angled in at each curb (it costs 10 cents an hour to park downtown, or 25 cents for three hours). The most imposing structures are the courthouse --- which is set back on a little plot of ground by itself --- and the big stone bank on the corner.

Downtown has ladies' dress shops, a hat store, a few mens' wear stores (one of them has rental tuxedos in the windows), a couple of insurance agencies, several lunch counters, John's Rexall Drugs, and a hardware store that also sells TVs and appliances. But none of them holds the kids' interest like the store with the green and red striped awnings --- G.C. Murphy Co.

(No one in town calls it that, by the way. They just say "Murphy's." Grandma sometimes calls it the "five-and-ten," because, she says, the store once sold only things that cost five or 10 cents.)

On Wednesday night, the windows under those awnings held boring necessities --- winter coats and scarves, shampoo and soap. But this morning --- as if by magic --- they're full of train sets and dolls, Christmas trees and lights, ornaments and holiday cards, all laid out in white cotton "snow" flecked with silver glitter.

Of course, it wasn't magic. The assistant managers were up most of Wednesday night stripping the windows and bringing out the Christmas merchandise. (One is still picking pieces of white glue and glitter off of his fingertips.)

Inside, the transformation of the store is even more exciting. The "floor girls" (all of the customer service people are women) have changed several counters inside to display "seasonal" merchandise, and one assistant manager who felt ambitious assembled several different bicycles and decorated them with bows and ribbons; they're hanging from the ceiling over the toy department.

The floor girls also brought out gift sets --- matched handkerchiefs, striped "rep" ties, boxes of perfume and cologne --- priced just within reach of a pre-teen's allowance, making them ideal Christmas presents for mom and dad. And the counters that support the old Sweda cash registers near the front door have been wrapped with red and green paper to resemble giant gift boxes.

Even the luncheonette (which takes up most of one wall of Murphy's) looks festive. The waitresses decorated a small artificial tree that sits on top of the Coke fountain dispenser, and twinkle lights are strung in and among the boxes of cereal and cans of soup on the shelf that lines the back wall.

As impressive as this is, it's only a fraction of what the kids are going to see tomorrow afternoon, when they pile into the Pontiac station wagon and head out to the new Murphy's Mart on the highway. The entire Garden Shop has been transformed into a display of Christmas trees and lights (the snow shovels and bags of salt are temporarily confined to one small corner).

And according to the big ad that will be running in tonight's newspaper, Santa is parachuting into the Murphy's Mart parking lot tomorrow afternoon at 1 o'clock!

If any of this sounds familiar to you, you're going to enjoy the new G.C. Murphy Memories Web site, available at murphymemories.com or gcmurphy.org. It's an outgrowth of my ongoing project, with aid, supervision and assistance from several Murphy Company retirees, to write a history of the McKeesport-based retailer, which thrived from 1906 until its takeover in 1985 by Ames.

We're still in the early stages, and much work remains to be done, but some of the stories and memories that have been contributed so far have been wonderful. You can find out how to contribute your own memories of working or shopping at Murphy's by visiting "Murphy Memories." And yes, this is a shameless plug.

(For the record, the "Murphy Memories" Web site is hosted by SkyMagik Internet Services, and is being funded by the non-profit G.C. Murphy Company Foundation, as is the Murphy history book. Opinions expressed at Tube City Online are mine alone, and not those of the Murphy foundation.)






Your Comments are Welcome!

I worked at the Murphy’s MART at the Laurel Mall in Connellsville from August 1977 to June1982. I really enjoyed working there because it was my 1st job. I met alot of really nice people. I even made alot of friends among my co workers. Like Bonnie, Lois, Amanda, Betty, Debbie, Anita, Nancy, Gloria, Cindy,Tony, Spike, and Doreen whom has passed away a few months ago. Guys thanks for such a terrific place to work and I mean I enjoyed and miss all of you so much
Cindy (Richter) Hillen - January 30, 2005



My dad was a GC Murphy Manager for over 30 years. I grew up in Murphy stores and played in them like they were a playground. When I was 16 I started working for Murphy’s just like my dad. I worked there for ten years and loved it. I always considered Murphy’s my home. As a child I priced items and put things on the counters. I can also remember making Easter baskets. We moved several times through out my childhood as Dad was transfered. We were in Welch WV, Oak Hill WV, Richwood WV, Beckly WV, Chatanooga TN, Virginia Beach VA, Baltimore MD and Vinton VA. When the company closed Dad was in Elkins WV. Even through all of the moving I loved Murphy’s and the people who worked there were not just employees they were family. My family.
Angela (Woolum) Cyrus - July 04, 2005



I was an employee at G.C. Murphy’s Store #248 in the Twinbrook Shopping Center in Rockville, Maryland for about three years. I was initially hired as a salesman (?) worked in the stockroom and eventually carried keys. Due to a shortage of assistant managers in the early 1960’s, the manager W.W.Warwick, Jr.requested and received home office approval for me and another college student to not only carry keys on the sales floor butalso to approve checks and to close and lock up the store. Before I left Murphy’s to work for the City, I became a management trainee.

The woman I eventually married was the daughter of the former manager of the store. Her father M.M. Hayes was a long time Murphy’s manager. As a young man, during the 1930’s he had worked in Ocean City New Jersey, some stores in Pennsylvania and had helped open as an assistant manager,the origional Rockville store a year or two before Pearl Harbor. He returned to Rockville where he remained for the rest of his career as manager of “little Rockville, the origional store, the manager of the Twinbrook Store from the time it opened in 1956 until he broke his back preparing for a store party in 1961. He eventually recovered sufficiently to work as an assistant manager (his back wasn’t up to being a manager) at the Congressional Plaza Store. Yes Rockville, Maryland population <10,000 people supported three Murphy stores as well as a Woolworths, a Kresgee’s and a Grants.

My wife could not recall a time when she was not in a Murphy store. I have met former salesgirls, now in their seventies and eighties, who remembered her sleeping in freight baskets under a counter as a baby. To the day she died, many Rockville oldtimers still called her “Miss Murphy.”

Murphy’s was like a family. My mother was a floor girl, and two of my brothers worked at different times in the stockroom.

My wife and I started dating (despite company policy prohibition) because of a conspirincy planned by the store personnel manager. 248 had won some sort of contest and the prize money was to be used to take the employees on an all day trip to Marshall Hall, a long time Washington D.C. area amusement park that necessitated a boat ride to get there. Employees, their spouses and/or their dates were all invited to go to the park without charge. No one bothered to tell Maureen or I about the picnic.

When I arrived at work one day, I was asked if I had a date for the trip. The same stunt weas pulled on Mareen. We were told that we had to provide names immediately. Then, a couple of our co-workers suggested that we might go together. Two years later, we got married. To quote a personel profile published about me years later, “I found a million dillar baby in a five and ten cent store.”

Its a shame that Mr. Hayes didn’t write memiors.. He would reminise for hours about the stores and the company. He worshipped the ground that Mr. Shaw senior and Mr. Mack walked on. He had anecdotes about many of the managers of stores in the Washington area, Pappy Robbins of Seventh Street who has a patented methoed of dealing with shoplifters. Amother manager who always could prove store profits at inventory time, manager parties where the Division Manager encouraged guests to play his personal slot machine.

A sad post script is that after I left Murphy’s to work for the City, I was assigned the job of relocating the origional store out of an urban renewal area. Bill Sweet, the Vice President who had welcomed me as a 22 year old management trainee was the person I worked with to close the store.

Murphy’s was a great place to work and I look foward to reading the book
Ed Duffy - August 31, 2005



My dad worked for Murphy’s from the late 40’s or so, until his death in 1970. He was in the home office for the entire time, in the research department, and would bring home “samples” of things for us to try. He was also played a big part in Murphy’s short-lived sponsorship of a race car in (the Indianapolis 500?).

Murphy’s was not like today’s “corporations”... it was family. My dad was a whiz with anything in the way of home repair, and he helped many of the upper management men with issues at their homes. As a child, I addressed all the Christmas cards that our family sent, (sometimes over 300), and I recognized lots of “big names” from Murphy’s that my dad had mentioned over the year: Sam Cooper, Mr. Mack, Mr. Sweet, Mr. Procious, Louise Holtzman (my dad’s secretary), lots of others.

When I reached age 16, my first job was at the fairly new Murphy’s in Olympia Shopping Center, where I was paid the whopping sum of $.98 per hour (minimum wage at the time). I usually worked in baby clothes, but occasionally I would get to fill in in the record department, where we got to play the music for the store’s overhead speak system. I used to love to get to do that, but I think my affinity for the Beatles and the Yardbirds did me in, as a regular.

I am sure I have some pictures of my dad’s 25th anniversary with the company, and probably some of the race car and driver. If I can be of any help, please let me know… but it’s the end of 2005, and you are due to publish in 2006, so it may be too late. Sad.

Thanks for the good memories
Lynn
Lynn - December 10, 2005



I worked a Murphys years and years ago. I would like to know how I can collect my pension from
G.C. Murphy’s. I worked at Murphys in McKeesport, Pa.
George A. Pettiford - January 30, 2006



I started the management training program in 1969 at Store #306 Huntsville AL. After vaious assignments at #261 Huntsville; #346 Anderson SC; #318 Parkersburg WV; and #310 Jackson OH, I managed my first store in Jackson, MS. I managed stores in Metairie, LA and Forest MS until 1978. One thing was common to all those locations — Great people! Although I have been able to reach a few of them using internet resources, most are “off the radar”. I miss them — especially the one I thought I didn’t like at the time.
Jeffrey Fussell - February 01, 2006



well i started in the sign shop,in1960,went to the service in61 and back to mgr training in64.worked no172 fairmont w.v.,monessen pa, number 4 new ken pa. then mgr at etna,dormont, then down to tarboro n.c.operations at 721 annapolis where those fools at ames took over and distroyed more than one co.i have many memories in my 27 year life with g.c.cant wait to read the new book. buzz grooms
robert grooms - November 21, 2006



my mother worked in ohio at gc murphys store for 25 years. anyone out there remember the store?
linda - April 09, 2007



I have read quote a lot about the old G.C.Murphy’s stores. I am trying to get something started like that without borrowing a lot of money. I currently own a mattress/furniture store, and I am trying to convert over to make it more of a variety store for small towns. I got started by reading how stores made it through the Great Depression. G.C.Murphy’s seemed to do well, so I started reading more, and I liked what I read. I also was able to call Edwin Davis and Clair McIlhaney, who were kind enough to speak with me. I have talked to a number of my customers, and they liked the G.C.Murphy’s store. When I was a teenager in Indiana, PA, I went to the G.C.Murphy’s store there. Of course there was the Mack Library.I am trying to see if I can get some training manuals or other information. I am 51 years old. I don’t know the future or if I can make it fly, But I’m going to try. Another complication is all the building codes now. -Bill Schell, Latrobe, PA (724-537-3886)
Bill Schell, Jr. - December 05, 2008



Ed Duffy
Richard Fulton - July 15, 2012



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