DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY: HECHT'S CELEBRATES 75 YEARS DOWNTOWN

Buying a dress at Hecht's is more than just shopping it's a tradition.

And a proud tradition it is. Hecht's is commemorating its 75th year of business in downtown Cape Girardeau three-quarters of a century marked by ups and downs in hemlines, necklines and waistlines.

And although Hecht's has undergone a renovation here and there, like a classic Dior, its character has remained unchanged.

Of stores in business downtown since 1917, only two remain: Hecht's and Lang's Jewelers.

Hecht's is a landmark, both because of its architecture and its reputation as a hallmark women's store. The business began in 1917 when its founder, the late Louis Hecht, determined the time was right for a move from Poplar Bluff to the larger river city of Cape Girardeau. One of 10 children, Hecht had been associated with his father, the late Jacob Hecht, in two stores at Poplar Bluff.

Determined to trod a path of his own, Louis Hecht arrived in Cape Girardeau, surveyed the downtown area, rented a room at 135 Main (there was no north and south designation at that time) across from the old Buckner-Ragsdale store, and hung out his sign.

His son, Martin Hecht, who now operates Hecht's Stores, said his father "rented an empty room from Gibony Houck with the intention of opening a store with goods for men and women with an emphasis on women's apparel. The Houcks were hesitant to rent the space to him. After all, they didn't know my father; he was from Poplar bluff.

"The Houcks prided themselves on the fact that they had never rented to anyone who had gone broke and they certainly didn't want to start," said Hecht. "But they finally relented and my father got the space."

Intuition on the part of the Houcks and determination and enterprise on Louis Hecht's part resulted in much more than a one-room venture. Today, the Hecht firm includes four other stores in downtown Cape Girardeau: Hecht's Main Street Store, 35 N. Main, now in its 27th year; Hecht's Too, 46 N. Main; Hecht's Woman, 113 N. Main; and Hecht's Shoes, 109 N. Main. In addition, there are Hecht's stores in malls at Carbondale, Ill., and Paducah, Ky.

The opening of Hecht's in 1917 was heralded by newspaper advertisements of men's suits at $9.75 and women's coats at $4.95. The community welcomed Hecht's, but not long after opening the store Louis Hecht answered the call to serve Uncle Sam in World War I. He sold his store stock and joined the thousands of young men who sacrificed careers and families to fight for their country.

Hecht returned to Cape Girardeau after the war, and on June 10, 1919, opened a new store at 127 N. Main.

Business was good. Hecht first joined two storerooms, but soon outgrew those and bought adjacent property. He commissioned famed artist-architect Tom P. Barnett of St. Louis to design the building at 107 N. Main. Barnett was also architect for the Southeast Missourian newspaper building at 301 Broadway.

Barnett, a seasoned European traveler, carried out a Parisian theme, adapting the front archway and ceiling of the store in the architecturally classic design of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The store's gabled roof, however, was topped with a distinctly American touch a Mayflower weather vane that today is the icon of the flagship store.

At the grand opening in December 1927, Martin Hecht said he had his first "job" with the company. "My sister passed out flowers to the ladies and I passed out cigars to the men," he said. "I was only 2 years old at the time."

Louis Hecht knew that even though Cape Girardeau was in the nation's heartland, there was a place in that Midwestern heart for the latest styles. Toward that end, Hecht and his wife were among the few small-town merchants at that time to make two buying trips a year to New York, where they personally selected the latest in New York and Paris fashions.

Today, Hecht said, buyers still choose fashions from such markets as New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. "Montreal is also a big market, especially for furs," said Hecht.

After the death of his wife in 1946, Louis Hecht moved to Las Vegas to open another store. Management of the Cape Girardeau store passed to Martin Hecht and his brother, Chic Hecht. Chic Hecht followed his father to Nevada in the 1950s, later building a political career as U.S. senator from Nevada between 1983-1989. He was named by President George Bush in 1989 to serve as ambassador to the Bahamas, a post he still holds.

Chic Hecht recently sent a congratulatory message to the store. "I'm happy to know that business is still good," he said. "The Hecht family is one of the few families who have maintained a successful business for 75 years."

Although far removed from Cape Girardeau, Louis Hecht also took an active interest in the stores' progress. Louis Hecht died in Las Vegas in 1988 at the age of 99.

Through the years, Martin Hecht, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and a veteran of World War II, has been assisted in the operation of Hecht's Stores by his wife, Laverne "Tootie" Hecht; James Cairy, a partner in the firm; and Dan Elkins, general manager of all the Hecht's Stores.

Hecht said that like the fashions sold, the store format has also changed over the years.

"When the store first opened, there was a great deal of open space," he said. "Clothes were placed around the walls, and they were brought out for customers to see. We still bring clothes out for our customers to see, but we also have more display racks of clothing on the floor now.

"Our selection is much greater now, and, of course, Hecht's for years has handled clothing for women only," said Hecht.

"In addition to serving regional shoppers, Hecht's has also had its share of celebrity shoppers, including legendary stage actress Helen Hayes, who discovered the store during a Mississippi River cruise on the Delta Queen.

Hecht said the store at 107 N. Main remains the company's flagship store. "We have a thriving business downtown," said Hecht, a staunch supporter of downtown Cape Girardeau. "It's the number-one store in volume."

The store still has one of its original fixtures, a plush round settee situated near the entrance.

The theme Hecht has selected for the 75-year anniversary of Hecht's Stores is "75 years under the same family ownership."

"There aren't many family operations left in the ladies' apparel business," Hecht said. "We're proud to be one of them."

"The pride that Hecht has in Hecht's Stores is well-deserved," said Robert Hendrix, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. "The pride that we have in a local independent store is great because this is the type of leadership that builds communities," he said. "Hecht's has created a tremendous amount of positive attitude in Cape Girardeau."

The diamond anniversary that Hecht's is observing, Hendrix said, is also "a diamond in Cape Girardeau's business crown."