! I Growth of Big Oakland Furniture House Traced By ALLEN in the year 188!) a small firm which has since grown Into one of ths largest retu'll institutions In California. '-This concern was known as lhA Phir-fifTA f'lnrlr pnmnanv and was f ju tided and conducted by H. tv. jacKsun, i ueumig -jureiy in small home furnishings. The eterl- " ' 1 ft . . . ... v , . v- . . n .... ... quickly recognized by 1 the public ana me new concern proeperea. ii outgrew .one store after another until about 1894' It located on the north side of Fourteenth Btreet, between Broadway and Franlilln streets, In what was for those days rather spuclo.ua, quarters, .. ; lowevoit, , in the . course- of two years, vheri that .location proved Inadeaunte. the firm "-'-again was compelled to move, this time to Twelfth' street, between Clay ana Washington. At the same time the name of the firm was changed and was1 thereafter known as the Jackson Furniture company. -. Again th firm was compelled to' enlarge its quarters and wax fortunate enough to secure the store in tha rear, fronting on tMevenm street,- and -was-mofthe first large retail establishments running from one sweet 10 anoiner., . , Gradually more departments were added. Carpets,, rugs, draperies, bedding.' in fact everything desirable in a complete home furnishing-establishment. Along with the growth of the establishment, there naturally followed, an Increase in personnel, "hlle lit the - begin- X 1 !"' rl . .ii(3i;.i';j of Engineering KULBKRG nlng ail the work was performed by H. K. Jackson or under Ws per sonal supervision. As the firm grew, additional help was needed and his brother came out from the easttq assist him. Department managers and buyers -for the various- departments came later, the first of them F. L. Voir.-M-sr. who Ik still with the company.! A. j. Nathan was next engaged to take charge of the rugs, drapes and bedding department, which occupied a corner of the mezannlne floor about as large as the entrance area of the present store. It may be Interesting to note at this time that this same department still under Nathan's managernent, occupies an entire floor of 25,300 square feet about twenty times the area of Mr. Jack son's first store. The great 4ire that destroyed San Francisco in 1906 materially af fected the growth of this young firm. The morning after the fire, Jackson personally visited bedding, mattress and spring manu facturers in astbay cities and secured their entire output to relieve the distress of the many refugees frorn -SarFrancisoo who came to the .east side of, the bay seeking shelter selling at regular prices to those who could pay giving to those who could not pay. This humane act of Jackson's wife, really the foundation stone for the tremendous growth the concern has.' since., n Joyed. In.- .fact, two years later they -had. again entire-lyj outgrown their quarter CJack-son then entered Into an agreement with Cas. Heesman, then one of the leading clothing merchants in Oakland, to erect for the Jackson Furniture company a modern, com-m-idious, up-to-date building at Clay, Thirteenth tnd Fourteenth streets. . It Is Interesting to note that at the opening of this new six-story building, with a frontage of 115 feet, that there was only, two other business houses-on Clay street. One was the- Taft nd Pennoyer, who had i moved the year before from Fourteenth arra Broadway.' to the corner of Fourteenth and Clay streets. The 'other was the Pacific Gas & Electric Co., whose , office building occupied the corner- at Thirteenth and Clay streets. This building was later'torn down and a -new one erected In Its place, housipg the i Jackson n Furniture company and covering" over i acres of floor-space, making it one of the largest and most attractive home furnishing stores on the entire Paciflo coast, whiih enviable position, it still occupies.