Dakota Lavota
Timeless hits will soon include holiday favorites! WRJN will start to spin Christmas-time tunes soon, another way we’re helping to preserve and create memories. Some of those memories might include shopping for gifts at stores long gone.
A story in the Racine Journal Times says Racine’s first department store could have been Hensen & Co. Dry Goods and Carpets. The business was listed in the 1892 city directory, however it was gone from the listings by 1895.
In 1898, Edward Zahn created what would become Racine’s most famous local department store. The business moved a couple times, eventually landing at the five-story building most remember at 5th and Monument Square. At its peak, Zahn’s had 51 departments, a grocery store, and employed 155 people. The store remained in Racine’s retail landscape until its closure in 1981. It’s now the site of the Hotel Verdant.
Many others have come and go. Some will remember Sandy’s, Goldblatts, Eitel’s, Turnstyle, and J.C. Penney. More about J.C. Penney and changing tastes below.
West Racine was home to another beloved business. Nelson Variety Store, originally called Nelson Dime Store, opened in the 1940s. Founded by Melvin and Fluvia Nelson, the family-owned business celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2015. The doors would close for good in 2017. The store’s motto was “We Sell Anything from Aspirins to Zippers”.
As shopping habits evolved, so did Racine’s retail landscape. Regency Mall opened its doors in 1981. Built on an 80-acre site formerly home to the Racine County Insane Asylum’s institutional farm, the mall marked a significant shift. The opening saw the relocation of major retailers from downtown, including J.C. Penney, which had operated downtown since 1925.
These days, the Downtown Racine Corporation has lead efforts to bring bustling holiday shopping traffic back to the downtown area, now boasting over 300 businesses, including retail, restaurants, hotels, museums, and jewelry stores.
In 2024, Regency Mall embarked on a major $120 million renovation project. The major undertaking has the demolition and rebuilding of the east wing for a Woodman’s grocery store, the addition of a hotel and 280 apartment units, and other new retail spaces. The project aims to reinvent the mall for the 21st century.
Do you have specific memories of Christmas shopping in Racine and Kenosha? Let us know!
