10/16/2026
DEPARTMENT STORE DAY is celebrated annually on October 16th to honor the history, cultural impact, and retail innovations introduced by department stores.
The Bonnewitz Company of Van Wert stood at the southwest corner of Main and Market streets. It was Van Wert's tallest building, five stories high with a basement full height. In 1909 it was described as 'the sparkling new D.R. Bonnewitz Sons department store.
David R. Bonewitz commenced his career as a dry goods merchant in the village of Convoy after coming to Van Wert County in 1854. After a successful career there, he moved to Van Wert in 1877 and step by step he won his way upward, and became one of the town’s leading businessmen. In Van Wert, he formed the firm of Bonewitz, Schumm & Co., and dealt in dry goods, carpets, notions, etc. In 1879, the firm’s name was changed to Bonewitz and Schumm and remained until 1884 when Mr. Bonewitz became sole proprietor. ‘Mr. Bonewitz is the owner of the imposing three-story building in which he carries on his business, the salesroom of which measures 22 x 132 feet, and is filled with the most select stock to be found in northwest Ohio’ (A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio, 1896)
Lee Bonnewitz (interestingly the spelling of the last name switched), born in 1867 came to Van Wert as a boy and worked with his brothers as assistants in his father’s store. After college, he returned to Van Wert to join in his father’s business, a dry goods store. As an ambitious businessman, he built a 5 story store at the corner of Main and Market Streets; the store was completed in 1907 and then burned in 1909 with it being rebuilt. Once he became interested in peonies, he left the management of the department store to his associate and devoted his time to flowers.
The entire building was built of sparta brick and stone with terra cotta trimmings. It was well lighted by large windows on the east and north. It had an entrance with deep display windows on Main Street. There were three large show windows on Market Street in addition.
The floors were hard maple; the building was heated with steam. The elevators were operated by electricity and it was lighted by incandescent and arc lights. The first floor had a gallery or mezzanine around it.
The basement, first and second floors were used for sales rooms to display stock. The third floor was used for the cloak department and the fourth for reserve stock.
So important was this leading dry goods store that the Ohio Electric or traction line which ran down Main Street had a spur put down South Market St. close to the building. A row of hitching racks for horses lined the west side of Market Street.
On October 6,1909, according to reports, Don Conn was riding down Water Street (Central Avenue) on his bicycle when he saw the disaster. It was just after 11:30 pm. Flames, bright and orange, were shooting up the elevator shaft at the top of the rear of the new Bonnewitz building. Conn raced to notify the Fire Department, and the alarm was sounded at 11:34 pm.
Almost in an instant, the interior of the building was a mass of flames. Stocks of dry goods, carpets and curtains added to the fury of the fire. Firemen were on the scene as quickly as possible, but the water pressure was too low, which forced them to wait until the steamer arrived. All this took time, and 20 minutes passed before streams of water played on the blaze.
Neighboring buildings were ignited and soon the entire business district was in danger. The flames spread to the Jones and Tudor Hardware Store, and soon the building was a complete wreck and the fire beyond control. The deep thud of exploding powder in Jones and Tudor's added to the conflagration.
At 12:08 a.m., the first great crash occurred with the east wall of the Bonnewitz store collapsed with a thundering sound. Help was requested from both Delphos and Fort Wayne.
From the hardware store, the fire leaped to a frame building owned by C.A. McConahay and occupied by Paul Baroni as a confectionery. The building and its contents were badly damaged.
Guests at Hotel Marsh were routed by the fire and vacated with their belongings. Other store owners and property holders made every effort to save their belongings. Heat cracked the big plate glass windows in Bien Brothers Clothing Store on the north side of Main St.
The Van Wert Public Service turned off electric power until 2:15 a.m. The telephone company sustained heavy damage which resulted in phone outages in 3rd and 4th wards. The midnight traction car was forced to stop about a mile and a half east of town due to lack of power. Passengers walked to town to view the fire.
When daybreak arrived, Bonnewitz store was smoldering in ruins. Loss was estimated at $300,000. Insurance coverage amounted to $175,000. The Bonnewitz Company eventually relocated in the Alonzo Conant building on W. Main St. and continued as a great mercantile store in Van Wert. It was a mark of distinction to say, "I got it at Bonnie's."
Source: VWCo Historical Society files
