Lost Department Stores of Denver, author Mark A. Barnhouse

Denver’s 16th Street once boasted a thriving retail scene, with more than a half-dozen large department stores. Although they are now gone, many remember the joys of going downtown for holiday shopping, back-to-school sales, and sometimes, just for fun. These stores were all-encompassing, selling everything from baby clothes to bowties, from books to bedspreads. Some catered to bargain hunters while others served the country club set; most courted the middle class. The Denver, Daniels and Fisher, Neusteter’s, May-D&F, Fashion Bar: these local names and others all had their fans, and Denverites could not imagine life without them. Join Denver historian Mark A. Barnhouse for a look at the grand stores that once were the city’s pride.

Denver native Mark A. Barnhouse grew up in the Cory-Merrill neighborhood and now lives in West Highland. He double-majored in History and English at the University of Colorado, Denver, where he first began his research into Denver’s retail past. Since then he has published ten books, including Lost Department Stores of Denver, A History Lover’s Guide to Denver, Vanished Denver Landmarks, and his newest, Past & Present Denver.