Sibley's dept store service award pins 10 and 20 year 1/20 12k gf diamond chips

Description

Sibley's dept store service award pins 10 and 20 year 1/20 12k gf diamond chips
Own a piece of Rochester's history, can be worn as a pin or pendant
Few places in the Rochester, NY area tug at the nostalgic heartstrings like Sibley's
The prestigious department store was a landmark in downtown Rochester, NY from the time it opened just after the Civil War until it closed in 1990. The enormous building was at 228 E. Main St.
Sibley's had everything you could want from the bargain basement to the sixth-floor Tower Restaurant. In between were entire floors devoted to women's clothing, children's wear, and home furnishings, as well as men's clothes, jewelry, china, rugs, sporting goods and much, much more. Sibley's had a grocery and a butcher shop, an art gallery and a portrait studio, a bridal bureau and a Toyland adorned at Christmastime with the popular Magic Corridor.
Sibley's was Rochester's version of Macy's in New York City or Marshall Field's in Chicago. As one longtime employee said in a 1990
Democrat and Chronicle
story, "It was like walking into elegance."
There was more to Sibley's than its trademark quality merchandise and outstanding service. Sibley's hosted an annual scholastic art exhibition for nearly a half-century and events like Christmas pageants and the yearly "Gift of Love" gala, which benefited the Kidney Foundation. The store introduced Rochester to elevators in 1936 and aluminum "Charga-Plates" — precursors to plastic credit cards — years later. The place was innovative.
The business started in 1868 as Sibley, Lindsay & Curr at 73 Main St. Groundbreaking for the Granite Building was in 1891; when Sibley's moved in two years later, it was the largest department store between Chicago and New York City.
Fire destroyed the building in 1904, and Sibley's new building — the one still standing on Main Street — opened the following year. The bakery opened in 1910, and the grocery debuted in 1926, the same decade that "The Magic Corridor" started delighting kids and the young-at-heart during the Christmas holiday season.
The May Department Stores chain acquired Sibley's in 1986, and two years later, the shopping area of the downtown store was reduced to three floors. Customers began complaining about the merchandise and service for which Sibley's had become known. In early 1990, Sibley's closed for good