Brothers Gustave A. and Meyer Efroymson, along with their brother-in-law Louis P. Wolf, opened the Star Store in 1888 in a small wood structure on the northeast corner of W. Washington and Missouri Streets. Some thought it unwise to locate a store outside of the traditional Washington Street business corridor between Illinois and Pennsylvania Streets, but the Star Store thrived and the successful owners constructed this five-story and basement building in 1898. The establishment remained at this site until about 1950. The extensive retail store sold a variety of goods including clothing, shoes, fabric, millinery, carpet, household goods, hardware, and even groceries in the early years. Newspaper advertisements reveal that bargains were to be found at the store, which was sometimes marketed as “a department store for the thrifty.”
