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How a pioneering merchant blended religion and business to create a unique American shopping experience On Christmas Eve, 1911, John Wanamaker stood in the middle of his elaborately decorated department store building in Philadelphia as shoppers milled around him picking up last minute Christmas presents. On that night, as for years to come, the store was filled with the sound of Christmas carols sung by thousands of shoppers, accompanied by the store's Great Organ. Wanamaker recalled that moment in his diary, "I said to myself that I was in a temple," a sentiment quite possibly shared by the thousands who thronged the store that night. Remembered for his store's extravagant holiday decorations and displays, Wanamaker built one of the largest retailing businesses in the world and helped to define the American retail shopping experience.
About the Author
Nicole C. Kirk writes about the ways religion, business, and technology mutually shaped one another in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century America. Her book has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, and Smithsonian Magazine Online, and the Religious News Service (RNS) .Kirk is an associate professor and the Frank and Alice Schulman Chair of Unitarian Universalist History at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, Illinois and holds degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University. Visit her website: nicolekirk.comFollow her on Twitter @Prof_in_Chicago
