Recently researching the London department store Selfridges, I was surprised to find there was a strong connection to Chicago, the city in whose suburbs I have spent most of my life. Maybe you already knew? Well, here’s the story for the rest of us:

Born in Wisconsin in 1858, Harry Gordon Selfridge was raised in Michigan, mainly by his mother as his father abandoned the family after the Civil War. He worked a variety of jobs to support the two of them, including a stint at Leonard Field’s dry goods store in Jackson, Michigan.

As a young man, Harry convinced Leonard to write a letter of introduction to Marshall Field, a cousin who ran a successful store in Chicago. The introduction was successful, and Harry moved to Chicago to be a stockboy at what would eventually be called Marshall Field and Company.

Steadily climbing the corporate ladder for twenty-five years, stockboy Harry became junior partner Harry, and he even opened up his own store in Chicago, Harry G. Selfridge and Co. That store was short-lived, however, because he sold it to Carson, Pirie and Company at a profit.

If you are Chicagoan of a certain age like me, Marshall Field and Carson, Pirie are store names that you grew up with, classy places that everyone knew. Alas, they are no more. After many changes, Carson Pirie Scott closed for good in 2018, and Marshall Field was taken over by Macy’s in 2006.

But back to Harry Selfridge.

As Harry’s career soared, so did his social connections. In 1890, he married Rose Buckingham, another name that Chicagoans will recognize. The Buckinghams were a wealthy family, starting with grandfather Alvah’s grain storage firm, Buckingham and Sturges. One of the most familiar reminders of their wealth is Chicago’s famous Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park.

Buckingham Fountain was built as a gift to the city in honor of Clarence Buckingham by his sister Kate Sturges Buckingham. That Buckingham and Sturges firm was very successful! Kate and Clarence were cousins to Rose.

So how did these Chicago-related Selfridges wind up in London?

After Harry sold his store, he was bored. He continued raising four children, played golf, and traveled. While in London, he decided that the city needed a Marshall Field’s type of store and decided to go back into business. Daniel Burnham, an architect famous in Chicago for, among other things, the White City of the World’s Columbian Exhibition, designed the store building, and Harry picked a spot that was right by a tube station for easy access.

Selfridges department store opened in 1909 and was soon known for its spectacular display windows that enticed customers. Once inside, in addition to the usual merchandise, Selfridges offered a rooftop terrace, restaurants, a library, a shooting range, a “Silence Room,” and much more to keep customers in the store as long as possible.

Harry and Rose remained in England, renting Highcliffe Castle in Dorset, and during World War I, they ran a convalescent center for injured American soldiers. Unfortunately, Rose was one of the many victims of the Spanish Flu and died in 1918.

Selfridges continued to prosper and is considered a worthy rival of that other famous London shop, Harrods. Harry, however, didn’t prosper quite as well. His extravagance and womanizing during the Great Depression drained his wealth, and he was pushed off the board of his store in 1941. He died a few years later at age 89 and is buried in London next to his wife and mother.

There was a television drama in 2013 called Mr. Selfridge. It starred Jeremy Piven and Frances O’Connor as Harry and Rose. Zoë Wanamaker, who played Ariadne Oliver in the Poirot series, seems to be in it as well. If you watched Mr. Selfridge, then you probably already knew everything I just learned. I have not seen it yet, but now I certainly want to!

Photo of Harry Gordon Selfridge
Photo of Rose Selfridge