D.E. Frederick and James Mecham, two miners who had worked together in Colorado, formed a partnership after re-connecting in Seattle, and in 1890 established a secondhand furniture store called J.G Mecham and Company. A third partner, Nels Nelson, soon joined the men in their business venture. Mecham, due to ill health, sold his shares of the business, and the two remaining partners renamed the store Frederick & Nelson. Frederick had a talent for merchandising and providing exceptional service, while Nelson’s outgoing personality forged partnerships throughout the community. The result was to create the largest and finest store west of the Mississippi and north of San Francisco.

In 1918, Frederick & Nelson opened its flagship store between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and Pine Street in downtown Seattle. Innovative customer service practices such as home-delivery and a mail-order system (thanks to the installation of a telephone switchboard) helped the partners realize their motto: “If a customer asks for it, get it, and if enough people want the same thing, start a department.” Over the years, the flagship store included a tearoom, beauty salon, restaurant, post office, staff library, medical facility, candy kitchen, a reading and writing room, and a nursery. The store became a center for cultural and civic activity in Seattle, hosting meetings, lectures, classes, fashion shows, and exhibits.

In keeping with Frederick & Nelson’s philosophy and tradition, employees were held to the highest of standards. Dress codes and appearance, etiquette and “good taste” are among the many subjects addressed in the Frederick & Nelson and You training manual. Long careers with Frederick & Nelson were not uncommon for its employees. As evidenced by the Between Ourselves newsletters in this collection, the staff members were a valued part of the organization.

After 1980, as ownership changed, competition increased and retail practices continued to evolve, Frederick & Nelson struggled to stay in business, finally closing in 1992.