Gump's Stories

The first and only treasure I purchased for my little apartment once I was on my own was a bunch of jade grapes from Gump’s. They were the only spot of elegance, and perhaps, of hope, in my home. My dream was to support myself as a writer. In the meantime, I’d put on pantyhose and suits, go to the day job, and fall asleep many nights at the computer in my back bedroom.

The grapes adorned my coffee table. I do not remember how much I paid for them, only that it was money that should have gone for food or even rent. I didn’t regret spending it. The grapes were a metaphor for the future. One day I would have a home deserving of them. All these years later, with a dozen published books to my name, I no longer have to go to a day job. Those who come into my home often comment on the lustrous cluster of jade grapes on my entry table. Where did I get them? I am often asked. For me, the grapes are a connection to my past, and they are a promise to the future. Each day, I once more appreciate their beauty and all they stand for.

Submitted by: Bonnie H., Fresno
October 19, 2011

I introduced my partner to the magical world of Gump’s. Our lakeside home looks like a Gump’s catalog! I have introduced many friends to this catalog as well as the store in California. Their birthday wish is always the same, something from Gump’s please!

Submitted by: Jim B., Renton, WA
October 8, 2011

I’ve only been to Gump’s once, and it was when I was too young to remember, so my Gump’s Story is actually my mother’s. She grew up in San Francisco in the 30’s and was gorgeous (though she didn’t think so). One day when she was in Gump’s she caught the eye of someone involved in the Gump’s fashion shows and was hired. She was supposed to model the next day, but she didn’t show up. Too shy, I suppose. Silly girl!

Another time she was in Gump’s with her mother who was an entirely different person than my mother. They were admiring a very expensive dining table, then looked at the price, which was well beyond my grandmother’s means. While my mother gasped and loudly repeated the number, my grandmother merely said in her lovely English accent, “Quite reasonable.”

Submitted by: Jean P., Ventura, CA
June 30, 2011

Though I am not a resident of San Francisco, I have been a shopper at Gump’s since 1971. I truly believe that the quality filled and elegant store of Gump’s is the basis for the often heard phrase about San Francisco “San Francisco is the city where all the women are beautiful and all the men are charming”. It is AND they are!

I look forward to coming in to your store again in August this year.

Submitted by: Alan R., Washington, D.C. & Hayama, Japan
June 27, 2011

During my first trip to San Francisco this past April, my relatives took me to see many of the famous sites. We had a wonderful time,however, Gump’s was never mentioned and if I passed it, I was never aware of it!

Upon arriving home I visited the library to locate a book about “anything San Franciso”! I came across a very interesting book entitled GUMP’S TREASURE TRADE by Carol Green Wilson, published in 1949. I was mesmerized by this account of the Gump family and their progress in business through the years, especially on the life of A.L. Gump and his passion for life, beauty, art and quality. The way he lived his life, accomplishing so much, despite a severe handicap, was amazing!

After finishing the book, I wondered if it were possible that this wonderful instition could still be around? I googled “Gump’s” and was so excited to find you very much still a favorite extablishment worldwide!!!

I look forward to coming back to San Fransciso to visit your store, and in the mean time I have ordered your catalog!

By the way, I am very interested in history and would love to know who has continued on the business in the family. At book end, Richard and Robert, A.L.s sons, were running things, however, that was many years ago. Is it possible for me to learn more of the story?

Looking forward to shopping with you and learning more.

Submitted by: Anita C., Garland, TX
June 8, 2010

I am a native New Yorker now living in New Jersey who is affectionately referred to as a “shopaholic” by family and friends. In my defense, all I can say is that I embrace completely my shopping experience. (And I’ve had many!) On my first trip to San Francisco three years ago, I entered the Gump’s store on Post Street. It was a moment I had planned on, as I receive the catalog by mail.

That first visit completely exceeded my expectations. This was more than a store; it represented a way of life. Everything I saw epitomized beauty, whether it was pottery, sculptural glass, jewelry, prints, etc. And the pricing (surprisingly) was quite varied. The store became a feast for my eyes. I spent hours looking at it all, and came home with several wonderful pieces. I felt compelled to take pictures of this unique interior, so I did.

When I returned home, and related this amazing experience to others, most of my relatives gave me that same sympathetic look I’m used to. I guess the reality is that you need to “experience” Gump’s to fully understand it. For myself, Gump’s represents a dedication to an aesthetic of craftsmanship and beauty that I’ve never seen or felt within any kind of department store. Thank you so much for this dedication to a vision of bringing art and beauty to everyone. Coincidentally, I’m trying to talk my husband into a special birthday present of a trip to San Francisco in the fall. Can you guess why?

Submitted by: Barbara B., Kearny, NJ
June 8, 2010

When I was in 6th or 7th grade in about 1958 or 1959, my class, from the tiny town of Crows Landing, drove two hours for a field trip to San Francisco and Union Square. It was amazing for us “farm kids” to walk around Union Square and look in all the windows. But what I remember most about that trip was going to Gump’s and being taken into the jade room. We all sat around this big table and someone from the store brought out several beautiful pieces of jade and told us about the different colors and other characteristics. They also explained how people rubbed their jade when they were worried. When I think back now, someone in our little school must have known someone who worked at Gump’s. I don’t imagine many elementary schools took field trips to the jade room in Gump’s.

Submitted by: Kathryn H., Merced, CA
May 26, 2010

As a young child, my parents would take my sister and me to Gump’s and lots of lovely stores in downtown San Francisco. Gump’s stood out somehow, due to its unusually gorgeous items that made a child’s eyes widen.

In the early 70’s, I worked downtown and made many visits to Gump’s on my lunch hour. I oooed and aaaed over Lou Rankin’s concrete sculptures that were way beyond my budget. I would often drop by just to view those fabulous whimsical animals. I told myself that someday I would be able to purchase one.

Many years later, I took the plunge and in the 90’s I took home a few adorable dogs and a cat. I adore those special pieces of art. They grace my home and every time their eyes meet mine, I think of classy, beautiful, memorable Gump’s.

Submitted by: Jill M., San Rafael, CA
March 22, 2010

I have been a Gump’s shopper for over 40 years, back in the day when you had a Gump’s credit account without a credit card. Every visit to San Francisco, Gump’s is my first stop. I always find what I am looking for, either in store, through catalog or on-line. Two weeks ago I was in San Francisco and Rose Levy assisted me. She was more than delightful, as are the majority of Gump’s associates. It is a special place to shop, although I must admit, I do miss the old store...there was a certain sense of adventure around every turn.

Submitted by: Thomas D., Washington, DC
March 18, 2010

Have you been to places where the way they treat you depends on whether you look like you’re going to buy something? I walked in, got into a conversation with one of the sales people - and now Gump’s is selling my sculpture. Now, that’s my kind of store!

Submitted by: Larry F., Monterey, CA
March 13, 2010

I remember going to Gump’s with my Grandmother and my cousins when we were very young. Going to Union Square was always a treat. She would do our hair in long curls (like Shirley Temple), dress us in matching dresses, and we would have lunch.

Afterward, we would always go to Gump’s to window shop. I remember all of the Oriental home furnishings and the glitz of the gold embellishments everywhere. It was usually Christmas time and the wonderment of Gump’s must have stayed with me, because to this day, my home is filled with Oriental furnishings through and thorough.

I only wish my home was large enough for those ceiling lanterns - Fabulous!

Submitted by: Hillari A., Emeryville, CA
March 7, 2010

My first recollection of Gump’s was climbing the curved staircase to the upper floors of the “old” Gump’s. This was during the 1960’s and I was in college at the time. Being a native-born San Franciscan, I knew this store epitomized the style and flavor of my home town. Even though as a student my resources were limited, I had been taught by my Mother that quality will always trump quantity, so I opened a Gump’s account in order to purchase special gifts for my family and friends. Since Gump’s did not issue a plastic charge card, I felt like a movie star when I would arrange for purchase merely with my signature. As my friends got married and my parents celebrated many anniversaries, all my purchases were from Gump’s. And since I am especially fond of fine jewelry, my parents always bought my gifts from Gump’s, especially jade. I have continued this tradition and now have a wonderful collection. So many thanks to the associates and designers at Gump’s for a lifetime of special San Francisco memories.

Submitted by: Linda C., Windsor, CA
March 7, 2010

My lasting memory is one of walking Post Street every holiday with every family member, first as a child, then as a ingenue, then as a mother and peering into the Gump’s holiday windows. The act of peering in actually drew me and countless generations to discover the objects of art that Gump’s is known for...world class discovery of beauty, grace and art.

My enduring memory, however, is one of coming down to the store and in an attempt to perform my last “nesting” duty during the final month of my second pregnancy and purchasing the final dinner plate in a favorite faience-ware set that I hold dear to this day! When I stepped up to the gift wrap counter to pick up my order, I felt faint and a very GENTLE-man customer came to my assistance and not only walked me over to the comfortable chair near by, but retrieved a glass of water from the professional attendant behind the counter who also came forward. Not only did they render pure class in their immediate attention to me, the very GENTLE-man actually walked me to my car at the Sutter Street garage with my package in hand. I shall never forget the world-class service I received at Gump’s that day. My thirty-year-old daughter will never forget either! World-class staff and world class customers! A San Francisco original. Thank you, Gump’s!

Submitted by: Teresa D., Daly City, CA
March 7, 2010

I have fallen in love with Gump’s to the degree that I have referred to it as Gumpsitis. I enjoy luxuriating over a good perusal on every floor.

It is also very nice to see the dear staff that smiles and share great stories. I look forward to seeing some of my art on the shelves someday.

Submitted by: Carla L., San Francisco, CA
March 7, 2010

My first visit to Gump’s was in 1959 as part of a graduation dress shopping spree at City of Paris. When I moved from Santa Clara to SF in 1961 I went to Gump’s every chance I got. I loved the place entirely. It was the foundation for my decorating style, the Trade Route. I also loved to include a lunch at The Domino Club. I wonder if it still there. I miss I. Magnins, but miss Gump’s the most, and I vow to come back to my roots in SC and SF. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Submitted by: Patricia D., Dyersville, IA
March 7, 2010

My first visit to Gump’s was when I took the Daylight Limited from Los Angeles to attend the San Francisco World Fair in 1939. Two events took place that would have an impact on my life: One was watching Pan Am’s China Clipper land on its return from the Orient; and the second was the discovery of Asian art at Gump’s. Everytime I went to The City, I would always have money enough to buy one Asian art treasure to bring home. In later years I would become a consultant and advisor and a frequent flyer to Asia -- and when I would add some unique piece to my collection, I would always judge it on the basis of whether it would meet the Gump’s standard. As I approach my 80th year, I can still point with pride to those items that have enriched my life.

Submitted by: Clive G., Whittier, CA
March 7, 2010

I don’t have a Gump’s story right now, as I stumbled across it on the internet, and I am totality taken. It is intriguing and I am going to visit the store as soon as I can. I have been to San Francisco many times in my life, how I missed Gump’s I have no idea.

San Francisco has many wonderful memory’s for me and I did leave my heart in San Francisco.

Submitted by: Sally R., Kingman, AZ
March 6, 2010

Actually, this is my son’s story. My father told it many times before his death.

My son was 10 when he accompainied his grandparents to San Francisco. It was his first flight, his first adventure, and his first independent travel from his parents. Back home, we were putting the finishing touches on our spanking new swimming pool. Gump’s was always a treasured stop by my parents, as it has been for all of us since. There he was, in awe of its splendor and splendid offerings. He stood in front of a specially exhibited ring. He asked his grandfather how much it cost. My dad told him 10,000 dollars. My son exclaimed (in a loud voice) “that costs more than our swimming pool.” The year was 1971.

Our return trips are always a pilgramage to the site and relive this story!

Submitted by: Courtenay C., Conroe, TX
March 6, 2010

I visited Gump’s for the first time in 1963. A friend invited me to join several other girls for a quick trip during semester break. One of the group was working at Gump’s during summer vacations and she gave us the Grand Tour, including a stop in the Jade Room. I was familiar with Bullock’s Wilshire and I. Magnin in Los Angeles, but Gump’s was in another class altogether. The store looked more like a museum and I fell in love with the jade and Asian furniture, accessories and art objects. That trip was the first of many I’ve made over the years to Gump’s. To me, San Francisco was the epitome of everything elegant and Gump’s the epitome of everything San Francisco. Every Gump’s purchase I make reminds me that it’s all still true.

Submitted by: Pat H., Los Angeles, CA
March 6, 2010

In the 60’s, my husband and I left our homes in Kentucky. Atlanta newspapers became our life. During that period, a friend introduced me to Gump’s catalog.

Over the next 30 years, my husband had many business trips to West Coast. He retired from the public relations field and knowing he had cancer, wanted me to see San Francisco and all of the memorable places he had enjoyed.

I saved the best for last! Gump’s was a must on that visit and what a beautiful visit it was. We carried home gifts to each other and to this day, I remember the floor with museum quality pieces with so much love. Whenever I look at those gifts, they sing with beautiful clarity of all that we enjoyed in that visit on that day. I lost him shortly thereafter, but those gifts ring with memories that carry me forward. My daughter who is 41, connects all of the memories with those pieces. There’s nothing like that first visit to Gump’s!

Submitted by: Patricia D., Mount Pleasant, CA
March 6, 2010

Kudos to Gump’s with their updated website. The history of Gump’s and the stories are truly wonderful; I have been smiling all day with the flood of memories from the various stories. As a young child in 1950 Gump’s was a Christmas “must”. We went every year to visit the store to see the windows and smell the flowers in the flower stands outside of Gump’s. The Christmas windows evolved over the years from decorations to pet adoptions, and then back to decorations. In the late 60’s I registered with Gumps’ bridal registry and was given a silk brocade picture album as a thank you.

My father purchased a “lounging outfit” for my mother in the early 50’s at Gump’s. The slacks were black velvet and the top (jacket) was a pale blue silk quilted with frog closures which became my mother’s Christmas attire for years.

Submitted by: Darla G., Saratoga, CA
March 6, 2010

I was raised in the Bay Area, and my grandmother, mother and I would go to shop in San Francisco about once a month. Hats and gloves were de rigueur. We would have lunch at Blum’s on Union Square. Anyone remember their Coffee Crunch and Chocolate Fudge cakes? Then, off to Gump’s to enjoy a treasure trove of wonderful taste in jewelry and objects for the home. It was magical...sort of a wonderland...a little dark inside the store, which may have made it even more alluring and exotic. I later bought my dining room table from Gump’s, which I still use and care for today with love. I ordered it based on the huge dining room table that Gumps had on display...simple oval, with the most beautiful grain in the wood. That table stood on display in Gump’s for years. I really wanted to buy that one, but it was never for sale. I wonder... where is it now? I adore my memories of this wonderful place.

Submitted by: Diane F., Newport Beach, CA
March 6, 2010

My first memories of Gump’s are of accompanying my parents to Union Square to see Gump’s famous Christmas window displays. When we entered Gump’s I was always struck with awe. It was like a mystery house with rooms within rooms within rooms of fantastic objects, jewels, sparkling crystal, and exotic Chinese and Japanese antiques.

As I got older, I would go on my own and it was a liberating kind of delight that came with looking at exotic objects from all over the world. My favorite expedition was to climb the winding stairs up to the third floor of the old Gump’s building. At the top of the stairs stood a giant golden Buddha. From there one could wander through rooms of various antiques, furniture, and finely crafted objects d’art from the orient. I always looked forward to the art gallery that stood beyond the furniture galleries. They had shows of paintings and sculpture which was inspiring and opened my mind to the world of fine art. The staff was most gracious, kind and cultured. Even though I was a young teenager they treated me with respect and deference.

It was much later when my uncle died and I was trying to replace some missing silverware in a set that I inherited from him, that I discovered the pieces had come from Gump’s. He had inherited them from his parents who had had a bridal registry at Gump’s at the turn of the century.

My older sister, also looked forward to seeing Gump’s. When she was attending UC Berkeley, she and her sorority sisters delighted in field trips to Union Square and Gump’s in particular.

When my wife and I were married, my brother went to Gump’s to shop for a wedding present for us. He selected a beautiful oriental style flowerpot with a green celadon glaze. It came with added value because of the story he told about his experience in buying it. When he took the flowerpot to the counter to purchase it, the actress, Lauren Bacall complimented him on his taste and the quality of the purchase.

Counting six generations of family in the Bay Area, it seems uncommonly appropriate that my daughter now works for a company that started shortly after our relatives first arrived in San Francisco.

Submitted by: Alan N., Ukiah, CA
February 9, 2010

My Gump’s story is actually a story about the memories of my grandmother. Gump’s has always represented the epitome of my grandmother’s classical, elegant and exotic style, and the lure of San Francisco itself.

Growing up in Southern California, my grandmother introduced me to many of the finer things in life. She and my grandfather lived in an immaculately kept, modest, yet well-appointed home in suburban Los Angeles; a treasure trove of interesting and beautiful things. She herself personified poise and refinement: she served breakfast wearing a navy silk robe and pearls, she had a regular shampoo-and-set appointment at the salon, and her fingernails were always polished. She even made her weekly trips to the local Ralph’s supermarket in a dazzling blue convertible Mustang with a white interior.

She was my style icon and Gump’s was her favorite store.

In her house, the bright TV room was lined with shelves of art books boasting gorgeous photographs; my lunchtime PB&J arrived on Wedgwood china decorated with tiny strawberries and my (cloth!) napkin was rolled in a silver napkin ring. Original paintings lit by tiny lamps waited around corners, and a stash of M&Ms filled a curious Japanese-style red lacquered box on the coffee table. Even my grandmother’s tube of Love That Pink lipstick was housed in an sleek leather-covered lipstick case. I’m certain most, if not all, of these accessories came from her favorite San Francisco store.

And this is not to mention Grandma’s jewelry. I have fuzzy recollections of her descriptions of trips that she and my grandfather made to Gump’s in the 60s and 70s to buy new baubles: her signature gold and jade basket-shaped ring, the giant cushion shaped topaz, the jade bracelet with Shou symbol links, a fantastic string of pearls. Her favorite jewelry pieces — almost all of which came from Gump’s — now stand as a testament to the timeless style of my grandmother and of Gump’s, for they are still modern and contemporary yet classic.

I was well into my teens when I first visited Gump’s, and so as a young kid, I imagined it as a store unrivaled in elegance, where fashionable San Franciscans emerged from the fog to buy their monogrammed guest soaps and silver salad spoons and have their personal stationery engraved; a wonderland of sophistication and luxury. Turns out I was exactly right.

While I don’t know what happened to the art books or napkin rings or the funny lacquered candy box, my grandmother’s jewelry is still prized among her daughters and granddaughters — and eventually her great-granddaughters, too. Each time I see her topaz ring on my sister’s finger or fasten her jade bracelet’s tiny clasp around my wrist, I remember Grandma’s quiet sophistication. By wearing the pieces she loved so much, I hope to glean a hint of her chic style; picturing her as she carefully selected the item from among the hundreds of dazzlingly beautiful pieces that filled the display cases of her favorite San Francisco destination.

Submitted by: Shelby D., Sunnyvale, CA
February 4, 2010

Before I lived in San Francisco, I visited the city quite often for both business and personal reasons. On one of my first visits, I discovered Gump’s. I was attracted at first by the eclectic contents of the window displays.

A few seconds after walking into the store, I knew I’d discovered something special. Not only was there a wide range of attractive items for sale, but most were of a luxury nature and one-of-a-kind, or at least very hard to find elsewhere. The scale of the store was just right - not overwhelmingly big, but just big enough to have a wide selection of merchandise.

Beyond the very appealing merchandise, was a level of customer service that I was totally unaccustomed to (and I have shopped in some fairly exclusive, high end stores around the country). The gift wrapping service, both in terms of the actual wrapping itself as well as the customer friendly attitudes of the staff, was something I’d never experienced before. It was one of the factors that most impressed me about Gump’s and prompted many return visits.

I’ve lived in San Francisco for eleven years now, and Gump’s is the first place I think of when I need a special gift (or feel like treating myself). I love the store and hope it’ll be there forever.

Submitted by: Alex, San Francisco, CA
February 4, 2010

On my first trip to San Francisco I was told... “You must see Gump’s!” As a true shopper and a New Yorker, I thought, “well I am certain that everything I need I am able to acquire in Manhattan...but, sure why not, let’s see what awaits.”

I entered from Post Street to be greeted by an airy lantern-filled room with the most fabulous Buddha I had ever seen outside of a museum. As I explored the first and second floors...every place I looked, I saw one exceptional object after another...antiques, Buccellati silver objects, carved Jadeite, handmade stationery, the most special gifts for babies — to mention just a few.

I decided to buy a sterling silver child’s toothbrush for my niece. The knowledgeable associate asked if he could have the gift wrapped for me. I was happy to say yes and waited just a few minutes while a kind woman behind the wrap desk chatted pleasantly... “Here you are, Sir. I hope you enjoy your stay in San Francisco.”

I left knowing that I had discovered one of the true treasures that exist in this mad, mad world...a place of beauty and refinement...Gump’s.

Submitted by: Joseph C., San Francisco, CA
February 3, 2010

My first Memory of Gump's was when i was 6 (1966). My grandmother brought us to San Francisco for our annual holiday shopping trip. I remember her saying we are going to Gump's, so we have to wear a suit, a tie and an overcoat. It was my first time to San Francisco and I remember being mesmerized by all the cool old stuff they had. Of course I also remember her saying "dont touch anything". I wish she had lived long enough to know I work here, she would have been so proud. They were some of my fondest memories with my grandma.

Submitted by: Mark M., San Francisco, CA
February 1, 2010

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