Buffums Department Store. T-Shirt

Remembering Buffums Department Store in Long Beach. California. Buffums, originally written as Buffums' with an apostrophe, was a chain of upscale department stores. Buffums had a large downtown store, and starting in the 1950s, slowly grew to be a small regional chain of 16 speciality department stores across Southern California. Over the years, the stores gained a reputation as the “Grand Dame” of department stores in the area. The stores’ interiors were known for large chandeliers and other upscale touches. The chain marketed itself as “Buffums Specialty Store,” in an attempt to differentiate itself from other local chains.  Its most famous advertising line was “I’ve been to Buffums.”