Government Employees Store
Government Employees Store (G*E*S or G.E.S.) was a membership discount department store located at Lomb Avenue and 12th Street Southwest across Village Creek from Rickwood Field. The store extended membership invitations to all government employees and contractors.
It opened on November 2, 1962, occupying 2 acres of its 10-acre site with an air-conditioned, one-story, self-service layout. The building was designed by Charles McCauley. The Birmingham City Commission rezoned the property after initially denying the developers.
The store's departments were independently owned. J. C. Penney operated the grocery department and Ward's (later to be renamed Circuit City) ran the electronics department. It also had an auto department with gas pumps, a jewelry counter, toys, and a deli. Most purchases were placed into plastic crates on a roller track and delivered to a covered drive-through lane to load into customers' cars. The store was also known for its large bags of caramel corn.
After the store closed in 1973 it was operated as a Miller's department store.
References
- "Department store plans being drawn" (October 1961) The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Rewound
- "Big, new store opens in West End" (November 1962) The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Rewound
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