How Phillips Emporium came to be

In May 1886, Helena Griffith's great grandmother, Mary Gross Phillips, purchased The Phillips Building at 10-12-14 East Main Street for $5,000. She opened Phillips Cafe and Phillips Boarding House. In about 1920, Ms. Phillips rented the commercial floor to F.W. Woolworth, a fixture on Main Street until 1990. Helena fondly remembers shopping for the perfect diamond or emerald ring for all of 25 cents! The original wood floors remain beneath the linoleum and carpeting and remnants of the pressed-tin ceiling are reminders of an era when building codes were less particular.

In 1990, Phillips Emporium opened to the public. The word "emporium" is from the Victorian era referring to a "marketplace." It is the perfect way to describe the growing selection of high-quality items sold at reasonable prices. The Teeny Tiny Bookshop at Phillips Emporium is the latest addition.

Phillips Emporium continues the vision and spirit of Phillips Cafe. Although the cafe aspect is not active, the space never ceases to be a meeting ground for cultural and political groups. Today the commercial floor is shared with the MUSIC HALL at PHILLIPS EMPORIUM and the COLUMBIA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE.