Banana Republic stores were each lavishly decorated with authentic vintage items as well as custom made items that reflected colonial safari and travel themes. Each store famously had a surplus Army Willy Jeep in the window, and often large museum quality animals such as elephants. The shoplifting detectors were disguised in large tusks framing the doors and some stores had tusks for door handles. We’d like to share these items from our collection and encourage other collectors to submit their finds (or sell to us!) Collecting BR store items is a specialized and often expensive hobby. Items are rare and highly prized. Presumably, when stores were transitioned their displays were carted off by employees, perhaps sold at auction, possibly simply discarded, so they are out there somewhere waiting to surface. (WHERE are all the JEEPS?)
A dressing room stool, the sculpted elephant foot (likely created by a master diorama craftsman from San Francisco’s Academy of Science) is cast in fiberglass with a faux zebra skin padded seat. This suitcase was part of a display at the Grant Avenue flagship store in San Francisco. Props such as these old cameras were liberally scattered about the store displays. These were from San Francisco’s Grant St. Store. One of my favorite small items, this bag check tag was from a New York store.
Signage was abundant and esoteric in the store, but examples of signage do not come up often, this photo was from an old eBay auction. Previously posted, resin tusks used as door handles to a BR store, repurposed on my BR collection display cabinet. Framed BR covers were used to decorate walls in the store and dressing rooms. These are verified examples in my collection. At first I thought very rare and old duo-tone catalogs were used, but these are actually color copies made for framing.
About The Author
Robyn Adams
Robyn's fascination with Banana Republic began in 1984 when her Alaskan adventurer father began buying the clothing and giving her the catalogs. She loved the clothes and as an artist she was drawn to the illustrations. She went on to study illustration at art college in BR's hometown of San Francisco and worked for years as a background artist for animation. She is now based in Oakland, CA as a graphic designer and illustrator with Secret Fan Base . She's been collecting and archiving at Abandoned Republic since 2011.
My former husband, Mike Jones, was the manager of the Bleecker Street store when it first opened. We had lots of Banana Republic memorabilia around our house when I was married to him, but one thing have I held onto all these years and it’s the elephant stool with the cushioned top. It’s a standing joke, large dinners who gets to sit on the office stool instead of a real chair. He also had a real elephant foot but he got that one in the divorce.
For years we had the old cash wrap (we used it as a bar) in our house as well. Hanging on the wall was a cast rhinoceros head and zebra head.
After he left New York, he opened the Banana Republic store in Princeton, New Jersey, where I met him. Sadly, he passed away this past year. He kept in touch with a bunch of people from his banana days, including people from the very early days when he was a national recruiter for them.
What an amazing collection! Thank you so much for this fantastic blog.
These were so cool!
These were so cool!
My former husband, Mike Jones, was the manager of the Bleecker Street store when it first opened. We had lots of Banana Republic memorabilia around our house when I was married to him, but one thing have I held onto all these years and it’s the elephant stool with the cushioned top. It’s a standing joke, large dinners who gets to sit on the office stool instead of a real chair. He also had a real elephant foot but he got that one in the divorce.
For years we had the old cash wrap (we used it as a bar) in our house as well. Hanging on the wall was a cast rhinoceros head and zebra head.
After he left New York, he opened the Banana Republic store in Princeton, New Jersey, where I met him. Sadly, he passed away this past year. He kept in touch with a bunch of people from his banana days, including people from the very early days when he was a national recruiter for them.