Victoria's Secret certainly has a wonderful history, it all started when a graduate student from Stanford Graduate School Of Business felt rather embarrassed when it came to purchasing beautiful lingerie from a department store. His name was Roy Raymond who was located in San Francisco, California. In 1977 Roy decided to open his first store at Stanford Shopping Center , thus Victoria's Secret was born. Soon to follow was a mail-order catalog and three other Victoria's Secret stores.
An Original Victoria's Secret tag from the original store.
The stores were created to make a man comfortable when purchasing women lingerie, the decor of the stores were Victorian designed with wood panel walls and friendly staff. Instead of bras and panties being hung on a sterile rack, they were paired together in all sizes and mounted on frames. The stores were very detailed and were quite inviting when a gentleman came to purchase lingerie.
Quite possibly, the original Victoria's Secret first store in Palo Alto. But not 100% positive.
After 5 years of operation Roy Raymond sold Victoria's Secret to The Limited, unfortunately his next business adventure ended in bankruptcy and he plummeted to his death off of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Another original ad.
Through the 1980's The Limited kept the image intact while expanding to offer an array of merchandise including shoes, perfumes and evening wear with its mail-catalog that was sent out eight times annually. During the 1990's Victoria's Secret had became the largest American lingerie retailer making over a billion dollars.
Be sure to see my vintage Victoria's Secret gowns at Sweet Cherry Vintage on eBay.
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