The Rifle Munro Mercantile, the first of Fred Munro’s five Mercantile stores in western Colorado opened in 1900 in a frame false fronted building.
In 1906 his success allowed him to expand into the his new brick building at 144 East Third Street, where sun light streamed in on two sides through large windows along East Avenue and Third Street. In October 15, 1909 The Rifle Telegram reported “a complete and up-to-date steam heating plant, together with pipes for hot and cold water” had just been installed, “which will add greatly to the comfort of the occupants of this building. Another pleasing feature just completed in connection with the company’s building is a drinking fountain which has been put in on the East Avenue side. The fountain is constructed to furnish water to the thirsty animal as well as to mankind.” The store prospered and in May of 1911 the newspaper reported that Munro Mercantile generously filled an urgent need suggested by the paper for a “rest room” for the ranch ladies when they came into town. On the balcony was a “genuine restroom furnished with cushioned chairs, settees, nicely carpeted and equipped with toilet conveniences.”
In 1947, JCPenny found that Rifle fit their postwar business model of a small rural town. All JCPenny logo signs were large for greater visibility. The upper windows allowing in natural light were covered with a one piece metal sign and individual letters. Enhanced interior lighting provided by florescent light fixtures compensated for the lost light. The showcase windows displayed mannequins in up to date fashions, tile floors covered the dark wood floors while air conditioning cooled the store. It was a shock to Rifle when JCPennys suddenly closed in 1975. Now, mall stores were the way of the future.
Gaylord Henry needed more room so he moved quickly to secure the location. To set Henry’s department store apart from JCPennys he added cowboy boots, western shirts, cowboy hats and Levis to his mix of inventory emphasizing the rural lifestyle of Rifle. He removed the canvas sidewalk awning and replaced it with a rustic shake shingle western awning. The upstairs rooms were remodeled into offices, anticipating the 10,000 new residents that would be moving into Rifle with the Exxon oil shale boom. On May 2, 1981 Gaylord joined City officials and met with Exxon in Grand Junction where they were threatened that if they didn’t vastly improve the hospital and increase the number of doctors Exxon would build their own facility exclusively for their employees. Oddly, that very afternoon Exxon pulled out and that day became known as Black Sunday, the oil shale bust. Gaylord and Phyllis Henry survived the bust, their business continued until they retired in 1991.
In 2000 after the Henry building had been vacant for nine years Garfield County purchased it for the Rifle Annex of County offices which locals could use to avoid going to Glenwood. It was also an effort by the County Commisioners to give downtown a boost. These County Offices moved in 2016 after completion of the Garfield County Administration Building – Rifle, next to the Rifle Fair Grounds.
