When the Davis McCollum Department Store first opened its doors in late October 1928, more than three thousand people crowded the streets at Fourth and Liberty.
"Everybody had heard about this fabulous new place and they just wanted to see it," said Fam Brownlee, a local historian. "Everything upstairs was really upscale, it was aimed at the high end, but they put a lot of emphasis on the basement, the bargain basement. And it had terrific prospects. Who wouldn't have wanted to invest in it, with everything booming? But it didn't last very long."
