Daniel Low & Company

• Daniel Low & Co. was a landmark store downtown on Washington St., located in the distinctive 3-story, red brick building, formerly the First Church, built in 1826. This popular store operated from 1874 until 1995.

• This corner lot, in what is known as Townhouse Square, held Salem's first Meeting House from 1634-1673. A bronze plaque on the side of the building, now used by Rockafella's Restaurant, tells the story.

• Many city residents remember shopping for gifts and jewelry in the store with the white columns, chandeliers and wide central staircase. Even when being used as a church, the bottom floor was rented out to retail establishments to offset the cost of maintaining the building.

• Daniel Low & Co. became famous for their souvenir witch spoon which they began making in the 1880's and advertised in national magazines. They became successful with the creation of their own mail-order catalog, which grew to as large as 200 pages. Their first mail order catalogue was called the Daniel Low Year Book and put out in 1892.

• The owner's son Seth took over after Daniel Low died of a heart attack in the store in 1939. Later the company was run by Seth's widow Florence until the mid-1950s. Bill Follett bought and ran the company until it was sold, along with the building in 1994.

See Also

• Vertical File in Salem Collection - Daniel Low and Company

• "Plate under church cornerstone was prophetic" Salem Evening News, Aug.29,2001.
• "Farewell to a Salem institution; venerable retailer William Follett to close Daniel Low & Co." Boston Sunday Globe, North Weekly, May 1,1994.
• "A stalwart of downtown business; Follett's stores have anchored Salem 62 years" Salem Evening News, Aug. 16, 1989.