In 1946 if you were shopping at C.C. Anderson’s Golden Rule Store at 10th and Idaho in Boise, you could pick up a super warm “Wool of the West” blanket, custom made Venetian blinds in the drapery department, an Atlan slip in lingerie, and an airplane on the main floor.
Yes, the department store was the first in Idaho to put an airplane on their showroom floor. Specifically, it was a Luscombe 8E, an all-metal, two-place light plane for personal use. The plane had a two-tone color scheme, ample baggage capacity, and a roomy cabin. It was powered by a 65 HP Continental engine.
To understand why a department store would feature an airplane—actually sold by a local airplane distributor—you have to understand how interested the public was in personal aviation at that time. Women pilots had their own association in Boise, going back to 1937. Air shows were all the rage. The Idaho Statesman had a regular aviation section that took up a full page. It included reports from airports all around the state. The paper even had an airport editor.
Following World War II there was a great expectation that pilots would come back home and purchase personal aircraft. Some did, of course, but the airplane never became as popular as the automobile.
C.C. Anderson’s store, one of 34 he eventually owned across the state, is still a well-known building in downtown Boise. You might remember it as the Bon Marche or later Macy’s. Today it is the headquarters of Athlos Academies.
Yes, the department store was the first in Idaho to put an airplane on their showroom floor. Specifically, it was a Luscombe 8E, an all-metal, two-place light plane for personal use. The plane had a two-tone color scheme, ample baggage capacity, and a roomy cabin. It was powered by a 65 HP Continental engine.
To understand why a department store would feature an airplane—actually sold by a local airplane distributor—you have to understand how interested the public was in personal aviation at that time. Women pilots had their own association in Boise, going back to 1937. Air shows were all the rage. The Idaho Statesman had a regular aviation section that took up a full page. It included reports from airports all around the state. The paper even had an airport editor.
Following World War II there was a great expectation that pilots would come back home and purchase personal aircraft. Some did, of course, but the airplane never became as popular as the automobile.
C.C. Anderson’s store, one of 34 he eventually owned across the state, is still a well-known building in downtown Boise. You might remember it as the Bon Marche or later Macy’s. Today it is the headquarters of Athlos Academies.
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