In 1841 an enterprising young man from Maine left his job as an errand boy in a Boston dry goods store and went into business for himself. Eben Jordan's first customer purchased one yard of cherry colored ribbon, and a Boston tradition was born. Ten years later, Jordan formed a partnership with Boston merchant Benjamin L. Marsh, laying the foundation for the nation's first "departmentalized" store.

The partners began as wholesalers. Eben Jordan traveled to Europe in search of fine linens, silks, and woolens to sell in Boston. As the business grew, it moved from one location to another. In 1861 Jordan and Marsh decided to begin selling directly to the public. They acquired a brownstone building in a central location, 450 Washington Square, at the heart of what is still Boston's downtown shopping district.

The two men were skillful entrepreneurs, and they were soon expanding into nearby buildings and offering an increasing quantity and variety of goods. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Eben Jordan, Jr. and a new partner named Edward Mitton introduced Bostonians to a whole new way of shopping.

Jordan, Marsh and Company combined an elegant atmosphere with excellent personal service and a wide range of merchandise. With many different departments displaying wares from around the world, the store drew shoppers from the city as well from the growing "streetcar suburbs." Once at the store, consumers could do more than just shop. Jordan Marsh offered fashion shows, a bakery famous for its blueberry muffins, art exhibitions, even afternoon concerts. (Jordan Hall is named for its greatest benefactor, Eben Jordan Jr., who was a lover of classical music; he also built the Boston Opera House.)