Home KC’s fading “ghost signs” are remnants of a garment empire that once dressed the world Read More » Nicole Kinning April 25, 2026
![Peck’s Department Store 1044 Main St. “The operation that became Peck’s Department Store in 1914 opened as Doggett and Orrison in 1868,” according to We Were Hanging by a Thread. The dry goods store, which sold clothing and textiles, would later evolve into Peck’s and play a vital role in one of the city’s greatest entrepreneurial stories. “Nell [Donnelly] started in her basement and got an order for 16 dresses from Peck’s department store in 1916,” according to Jackson and Brownfield. “Reportedly, she delivered the dresses, and they sold out in three days. Then, they gave her an order for 300 dresses.” Peck’s orders effectively launched her business, which grew into the Donnelly Garment Company and its iconic Nelly Don dress line: women’s clothing that finally ditched the shapeless, potato-sack style for something wearable and attractive. In February, the Kansas City Business Journal reported that the former Peck’s Department Store building is the subject of a proposal to convert the ground level into a restaurant and commercial space, with 74 loft apartments planned on the remaining floors.](https://kansascitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Ghost-Signs_Peck-683x1024.jpg)