Jeremy Wayne’s Best Business Choices: Charles Department Store, Katonah

In the beginning – or near the beginning — was GUM (goom), the Russian department store/mall whose original incarnation was conceived in the 18th century by Catherine the Great, where once Muskovites queued across Red Sqaure for staples such as bread and milk, but where today you can splurge on more than 100 luxury brands and visit powder rooms that are still said, by those who know about such things ,to be the most sumptuous public restrooms in the world.   

Then came Harrods of London, in 1860, where famously you could buy anything from a pin to an elephant. The following year saw Bloomingdale’s – originally a seller of hoop skirts, which at the time were all the rage in Europe, while Saks, later Saks Fifth Avenue, opened in 1867 in Washington, D.C.  

Though not in the same league as those giants, a local Westchester department store is nevertheless in a league of its own. Charles Department Store in Katonah, one of the county’s most popular family-owned retailers, is turning 100 years old this year, celebrating its centenary over a six-month period, set to culminate at the official centennial in October. 

Sicilian immigrant Charles Raneri opened the store in 1924 – when Calvin Coolidge was in the White House and hemlines were just beginning their daring, upward trend. Now under the leadership of Kelly Raneri, Charles’s great-granddaughter, the store will host a series of events celebrating longtime partnerships with brands like Barbour, Pendleton, Ugg, Dansko, Kizik, Echo Design, Staub and Vitamix. Shoppers will have the opportunity to experience an array of trunk shows, giveaways, raffles and more – all in the heart of the much-anticipated fall season. 

“Reaching this milestone is incredibly exciting for our business and our family,” Kelly Raneri, a lifelong New Yorker, told Westfair. “And that’s because we get to celebrate what we love most – our customers, our brands and our hamlet.”  

In 2021, a dozen years after entering the business full-time, Raneri took over the reins as the first woman to be the store’s sole proprietor. During her tenure, the store has made critical upgrades to its technological systems, expanded its private label collection and undergone a large-scale renovation.  

These days, the categories of goods for sale have been narrowed, she told Westfair – the top ones being men’s and women’s clothing, footwear, accessories and housewares, with an emphasis on kitchen and cooking. “We are known for curating high-quality goods across the best brands, coupled with personalized customer service,” she added. “As far as our selection goes, we’re the opposite of Amazon….”  

We wondered, inevitably, how Charles Department Store has stayed 100 years young, apparently prospering in the age of internet shopping, and wondered, too, what advice Raneri might have to offer other “independents.” She said, “Stay open to change, listen to what your customers are telling you, keep your merchandise fresh and exciting and don’t be afraid to take some risks.” 

Not so different, you might conclude, from how Harrods has flourished across the years. 

For more, visit charlesdeptstore.com.  

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