Become Part of the Store Family From its flagship store on Market Street in the heat of Philadelphia, Strawbridge & Clothier strove to meet the needs of its customers for over a century. Built on a foundation of integrity and character, the store and its founders, Justus Strawbridge and Isaac Clothier, made sure the customer was always right and the price just. The department store later branched out to nearby New Jersey and Delaware in the mid to late Twentieth Century. At the time of its sale in 1996, Strawbridge & Clothier was the oldest department store in the country with continuous family ownership. Author Margaret Strawbridge Butterworth charts the history of Philadelphia's Strawbridge & Clothier through vivid stories from past employees and customers alike as she invites readers to join the "store family."