The New York Store

Korrick's Department Store

View down Washington Avenue ca. 1935 Department stores once dotted Washington Avenue, in downtown Phoenix. These included Newberry's, Kress's, Penney's, looking toward Korrick's. Source: Posted on City-Data Forum > US Forum > Arizona > Phoenix area on October 25, 2011 by "Roosevelt." Date: ca. 1935

The Korrick Family operated one of the largest department stores in downtown Phoenix, Arizona from the mid-1890s to the mid-1960s.

The Polish-Jewish Korrick family opened up their store in the late 1890s. This was one of the first department stores in the Phoenix area, along with the Goldwater and Diamond department stores.

Sam Korrick arrived in Phoenix in 1895 on the chance that he could make it big in the city. First, Korrick arrived in New York but realized he could have a better opportunity if he traveled to Texas to get a job at the Diamond family store. On his route to Texas, he decided there would be more opportunity if he headed straight to the west coast, but stopped off in Phoenix. He decided that Phoenix would be the best place to open his store. He originally called it "The New York Store," located on East Washington Street. Later the department store would be referred to as "Korrick's."

With the store's success, Sam Korrick sent for his brother Charles to help maintain the store. After Charles arrived in Phoenix in 1900, Sam died suddenly in 1903. On the day of Sam's funeral, every store in the area closed because of the community's respect for Sam.

After the sudden death of Sam Korrick, brothers Carles and Abe took over running the department store. Abe had a way of merchandising and marketing the store to the local community. Charles became an instrumental leader of the Jewish Community, helping to establish Temple Beth Israel and the founder of the Arizona Club.

During the seven decades to follow, Korrick's was one of the department stores in downtown Phoenix where regular folk came to shop. The department store had every item a man or woman could desire at that time. There were dresses, suits, household goods, and many other things. While maintaining an active department store, the Orrick family remained committed to the Jewish community in Phoenix.

In 1957, to stay relevant to the community, the Korrick building added more floors and completely modernized the exterior. During this time, the other department stores, Diamond and Goldwater, had moved out of downtown Phoenix because of the dwindling number of customers. Korrick's was the last department store to remain in downtown Phoenix until it closed in the mid-1960s.

The Korrick building is the only department store left standing of the original three in downtown Phoenix. It has a new façade covering the beautiful architecture that once made up Korrick's. The building is now home to local businesses and serves as an office space.