Wigwam Stores Inc. - End

End

In 1976, one year after the proxy fight and the major sell-off of the Wigwam stores, Homer moved to Phoenix and still had influence in the company. He mainly oversaw the Phoenix division after he stepped down as president. Lillian Titel, who was present throughout the company’s history, was the main merchant of the company. In the company's heyday, she was executive vice-president in Seattle. She then moved to California, where she still resides today, and took charge of the California division of Malcum’s, Webb’s, and Wigwam stores. Then she became President and CEO after the proxy fight in 1975, and the buying out of Adler and the major sell-off of the Seattle and Hawaiian divisions. It was under her control that the company faced one of its biggest disasters. The company already had sold many of its stores, and now its main stores were in California and Arizona. In 1977, one of the largest remaining stores, measuring about 150,000 total square feet, burned to the ground in Glendale, California. The fire destroyed everything in the store. Luckily, no one got hurt, but the damage cost the company millions of dollars. The Glendale store was one of the more profitable stores left. This blow left the company in a bad situation, with hopes of rebuilding the company to its height of success in the 1960s and early 1970s. Soon after, Lillian Titel stepped down from her presidency. Monty Ortman, manager of the Arizona division and son of Dallas Ortman, took the job. He soon sold the rest of the company and split the profits with the remaining partners and shareholders. They made a considerable amount of profit when the sold the remaining parts of the Wigwam company. Through the strong leadership of family and friends, a strong family tradition persisted through the company’s history. One notable fact is that not one Wigwam department store or sister store opened on a Sunday. The Wigwam also never sold cigarettes or alcohol because these items do not represent the beliefs of Homer Powell. Homer Powell lived a full life. He stuck to his values and had a even to his final days. He died two days before Easter in 2006.