Pollard's Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pollard's Store |
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Pollard's Store, now Target Country
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| Location | 18 Gill Street, Charters Towers, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900 - 1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | c. 1909 - 1930s |
| Official name: Fossey's Store, Charters Towers, Daking-Smith & Company, Pollard's Store | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 3 October 1996 |
| Reference no. | 601259 |
| Significant period | 1900s, 1930s (fabric) c. 1909-ongoing (historical use) |
| Significant components | tower, lead light/s |
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Pollard's Store is a very old and important building in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia. It was built around 1909 and is now a Target Country store. This building is special because it is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it's protected for its history and beauty. It was once known as Daking-Smith & Company and later as Fossey's Store.
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The Store's Early Days
The building was first built around 1909 for a company called Daking-Smith and Co. They sold many things like clothes, furniture, and shoes. It was built where an old hotel used to be.
Charters Towers was a very rich gold mining town. In 1899, it produced a huge amount of gold! Even though gold mining was starting to slow down a bit, the town was still doing very well when this big store was built.
Daking-Smith wanted to build a modern and fancy shop. He was inspired by the big department stores in cities like Melbourne and Sydney. These stores were becoming popular places where people, especially women, would go not just to buy things, but also to enjoy shopping as a fun activity.
How Shopping Changed
Between 1860 and 1920, more people had money and free time. Shopping became a popular hobby, not just for the very rich, but also for middle-class families. The first big department stores, like Le Bon Marché in Paris (opened 1852) and Macy's in New York (opened 1860), showed how popular these new stores could be.
These stores offered great customer service. They wanted shoppers to feel special and happy, which encouraged them to spend more money.
Charters Towers was a busy town with about 30,000 people in 1899. It had people from many different backgrounds and was even called "The World." Because it was far away from big cities, it made sense to have a large, modern store to serve everyone in the town and the rich farming areas nearby.
The Daking-Smith building looked very impressive. It was unusual for a town in North Queensland to have such a grand building. The bricks used were even made right there in Charters Towers, showing that no expense was spared in its construction.
Stan Pollard Takes Over
Stan Pollard started working at Daking-Smith & Co.'s store in 1912 when he was just sixteen. However, in 1925, Daking-Smith's business closed down, and the store was empty for a few years.
In 1928, another company tried to run a mail-order business there, but they didn't last long. Meanwhile, Stan Pollard opened his own small menswear shop nearby. By 1934, he was able to buy the Daking-Smith building with a partner.
Stan Pollard made some changes to the store. He removed the old windows and used them to create "island" display areas. He also changed the layout inside, moving the cashier's desk. A special system that carried cash around the store was installed when Mr. Pollard bought it. It stayed until 1993!
Stan Pollard & Company printed two catalogues every year. These catalogues went not only to people in Charters Towers but also to the wealthy farms and ranches in the surrounding areas. The store made many items right there, like hats, dresses, and bedding. Many women worked upstairs making these items, keeping up with the latest styles. The store also sold glassware, gifts, and toys.
The Store During Wartime
During the Second World War, many American soldiers were stationed in Charters Towers. The Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Army were also in the area. This sudden increase in people meant the town's resources were stretched. During this time, Pollard's "Big Store" became a favorite place for military personnel to shop.
Stan Pollard & Co. ran the "Big Store" until 1993. After that, it became a Fossey's store, and then a Target store, and now a Target Country store.
What the Store Looks Like
The former Pollard's Store is at the western end of Gill Street, which is the main shopping street in Charters Towers. It stands out among other important buildings.
It's a two-storey building with a grand front made of red bricks from the local area. The roof has a curved top, with tall parts sticking up and a large round window in the middle. This window has beautiful leadlight stained glass. There are also tall, eight-sided towers at each end of the building. The letters "D S & Co." (for Daking-Smith & Co.) are on the front.
The roof is made of corrugated iron and has a skylight in the middle.
Over the footpath, there's an awning. Inside the entrance, there are special display cases with red tiles and brass frames, also with leadlight panels. The ceiling in this area is made of decorative pressed metal.
The sides and back of the building are made of plain brick. There's also a smaller round leadlight window at the back.
Inside, the building has a mezzanine level, which is like a half-floor, around a central open space. There are strong steel and timber columns supporting it. The underside of the mezzanine has a beautiful pressed metal ceiling. The main store ceiling is angled, showing the timber beams that hold up the roof.
Why It's a Heritage Site
Pollard's Store is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because it's very important to Queensland's history and culture.
- It shows the wealth of Charters Towers: The store shows how rich Charters Towers was in the early 1900s because of its gold mining and farming.
- It's a rare example of a grand department store: It's one of the few remaining examples of an early "grand" department store that brought a new style of fancy shopping to a remote part of Queensland.
- It shows what early 20th-century department stores were like: Even today, it's still used as a department store and helps us understand how these stores looked and worked a long time ago.
- It's beautiful: The building looks great and adds to the beauty of Charters Towers. It's an important part of the old commercial buildings on Gill and Mosman Streets, like the Stock Exchange and old banks.
- It's important to the community: The people of Charters Towers have always seen this building as a key part of their city's history and a vital local shop that served them for most of the 20th century.
- It's linked to Stan Pollard: The store has a strong connection to Stan Pollard, who was an important person in Queensland's history.
