The stone tablet commemorating the first ever May Department Store anchored in front of 314 Harrison Ave is a cool sight for Gen X-ers or older, or anyone who has ever been held hostage by a mother, grandmother, wife or girlfriend in a May store (a Western US chain bought out by Robinsons ages ago).
Yes, David May opened for business from a tent on present-day Harrison Ave, 300ft south of this tablet. His customers were the miners and he sold them clothes, tools and dry goods. Eventually he built the first May Department Store at 318 Harrison Ave, which was his base of operations from 1881-88.
