Then and Now: Galena Building
The Galena Building on the northeast corner of Post and Riverside was home to many retail clothing and shoe stores until 1975, when it was remodeled for Pacific First Federal Savings and Loan.
Section:Then & Now
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Then and Now: Galena Building
On the northeast corner of Post and Riverside, the Galena Block, which was built right after the 1889 fire, was home to several clothing and shoe retailers through the 20th century who were independent of the larger department stores, like The Crescent, the Palace department store and the Wonder Shop.
The long, narrow two-story building, oriented north and south, had its broad frontage on Post and a narrow face on Riverside. Over it‘s 130 years of existence, it was combined with and separated several times from adjacent buildings to the north and east.
In 1906, Dodd’s Clothing was in the Galena and sold suits, hats, ties and overalls, touting low prices in daily ads. Discount pricing didn’t work out, and Dodd’s went out of business in 1910.
By 1914, the two-building unified structure was Britt’s 10-cent store, a regional dime store chain. Britt’s was popular, prompting another retailer, J.J. Newberry, to acquire the store in 1924 and later, around 1930, move it one block east to be part of a new Newberry store at Riverside Avenue and Wall Street.
Once Britt’s was gone, Feltman and Curme Shoe Company opened a ground-floor shoe store that often sold at advertised discounts. The chain was founded in Richmond, Indiana, in 1912 by Arthur A. Curme and Charles H. Feltman. The partners grew the chain to almost 80 stores across the country at one point.
Lubin’s women’s apparel shop leased out the second floor above the shoe store. It was founded by childhood friends Barnett “Ben” Goldstein and Harry Lubin, who grew up together in Poland. When they first arrived in Spokane in 1909, they opened a dry goods business called New York Outfitters and ran a variety of businesses before opening the women’s clothing shop.
The business suffered two fires over the years, each time rebuilding and reopening, and Lubin’s lasted until 1986, when it was purchased by a longtime employee. Lubin’s closed for good in 1993.
The Feltman and Curme company closed its stores, including the Spokane store, in 1957. Other businesses that have been at the corner include the Kornenberg’s Shoe Hospital, Zales jewelry, a United Cigar store, and Singer Sewing Machines.
Pacific First Federal Savings and Loan remodeled the building in 1975 and modernized both the interior and exterior.
More recently, Global Credit Union was there from 2003 to 2010.