Abraham & Straus

Abraham & Straus

File:Abraham & Straus Department Store Final Logo.png
Company type	Corporation
Industry	Retail
Founded	February 14, 1865 (1865-02-14) in Brooklyn, New York
Founder	Abraham Abraham Joseph Wechsler
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Purchased by Federated Department Stores, rebranded as Macy's and Stern's
Successor	Macy's
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Products	Apparel, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, and home goods
Parent	Federated Department Stores (1929–1995)

Abraham & Straus, often abbreviated as A&S, was a prominent department store headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City. Established in 1865, it became part of the Federated Department Stores group in 1929. Following Federated’s acquisition of R.H. Macy & Company in 1994, the A&S brand was phased out. The majority of A&S locations were rebranded under the Macy’s banner, while some stores transitioned to Stern's, another Federated division known for offering more budget-friendly merchandise compared to Macy’s or A&S.

Timeline

• 19th Century — The business began operations in 1865 in Brooklyn, New York, initially named Wechsler & Abraham, founded by Joseph Wechsler and Abraham Abraham. In 1893, the Straus family—prominently including Isidor Straus and Nathan Straus—who had acquired a partnership interest in Macy’s in 1888, purchased Joseph Wechsler’s stake and renamed the store Abraham & Straus. Although not formally integrated into Macy’s at that time, the two companies maintained close cooperation through shared international offices and ongoing collaboration.

• 20th Century — In 1929, several family-operated department stores, including Abraham & Straus, F&R Lazarus & Co. (and its Cincinnati-based subsidiary Shillito’s), and Boston’s Filene’s, united to form Federated Department Stores, Inc., a holding company with headquarters initially in Columbus, Ohio before relocating to Cincinnati. In 1992, Federated merged with Allied Stores Corporation. Subsequently, Abraham & Straus and Jordan Marsh divisions were merged into the A&S/Jordan Marsh division based in Brooklyn. Early the following year, Macy’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Federated then acquired the bankrupt R.H. Macy & Company in 1994 and consolidated Macy’s operations with A&S/Jordan Marsh. By 1995, the Abraham & Straus brand was retired in favor of the more widely recognized Macy’s name.

• 21st Century — During renovations at Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street in 2006, a historic bronze plaque commemorating Isidor and Ida Straus, who perished aboard the sinking of the RMS Titanic, was removed and entrusted to the Straus family. On May 29, 2014, representatives from the Straus family, the Straus Historical Society, and Macy’s leadership gathered to re-dedicate the Isidor and Ida Straus Memorial Plaque at Macy’s Herald Square entrance on 34th Street.

Founding and Early Development

Namesakes

File:Abraham Abraham 1843-1911 (cropped).jpeg

Abraham

File:Isidor Straus 1903.jpg

Straus

The initial Brooklyn location opened in 1865 at 285 Fulton Street, occupying a space measuring 25 by 90 feet. Both Abraham Abraham, then 22 years old, and Joseph Wechsler invested $5,000 each to acquire the property. By 1883, the company had acquired the newly constructed Second Empire style cast-iron Wheeler Building at 422 Fulton Street, establishing it as their flagship location.

On April 1, 1893, Nathan Straus, Isidor Straus, and Simon F. Rothschild purchased Wechsler’s share. While the Straus brothers supplied capital, Rothschild took an active managerial role. This marked the formation of Abraham & Straus. At that time, the workforce numbered approximately 2,000 employees. Partners included Simon F. Rothschild—Abraham’s son-in-law—Edward Charles Blum, and Abraham’s son Lawrence Abraham.

1900–1969

By the turn of the century, employee numbers had grown to approximately 4,650. From the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century, A&S operated a network of catalog store agencies throughout Long Island to reach its clientele.

In 1912, Isidor Straus and his wife Ida tragically perished during the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

Circa 1915, following the marriage of Abraham's daughter to Percy Selden Straus—Isidor’s son—the Straus family divided their retail holdings: Nathan’s descendants managed A&S while Isidor’s branch oversaw Macy’s.

Starting in 1928, a $7.8 million enlargement project was undertaken at the Fulton Street store involving excavation of a new basement without interrupting customer activity above. The revamped store reopened on October 10, mere days before the onset of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. In mid-1929, Abraham & Straus partnered with Filene's and Lazarus to establish Federated Department Stores, with Bloomingdale's joining a year later. To reduce costs during the Depression, employee scheduling was adjusted based on hourly sales figures and all staff accepted a ten percent salary reduction; notably, no layoffs occurred.

Walter N. Rothschild served as president and chairman from 1937 until 1955. He was succeeded by Sidney L. Solomon, who became the company's first president from outside the family. Employee numbers had increased to around 12,000 by this period.

Post-World War II expansion saw continued growth. In 1950, A&S acquired Loeser’s Garden City location and opened its inaugural new branch in Hempstead, New York two years later.

Over subsequent decades, the firm extended its reach throughout the New York metropolitan region. One notable development was an anchor store at Paramus Park in Paramus, New Jersey, which required construction of an access road still known today as A&S Drive despite the store's conversion to Macy's.

1970–1995

During the 1970s, Federated made efforts to modernize A&S's image by investing in the development of new, higher-end retail locations. The company introduced a refreshed logo that reinstated the full name Abraham & Straus on its storefronts. Additionally, a centralized distribution hub was established, which reduced the non-selling floor space required in individual stores.

The first upscale store under this initiative debuted in 1978 at the Monmouth Mall located in Eatontown, New Jersey. Subsequent openings included a location in White Plains, New York in 1980, followed by a store at The Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey in 1981, and a replacement for the chain’s Babylon, Long Island outlet at the Westfield Sunrise Mall.

In 1981 and 1982, A&S expanded into suburban Philadelphia with two new stores at The Court at King of Prussia and Willow Grove Park Mall. However, these outlets struggled to establish a strong market presence and were ultimately shuttered in 1987 and 1988. Their former spaces were taken over by Philadelphia-based retailer Strawbridge and Clothier.

The Short Hills store initially appeared incongruous within the upscale mall environment, as customers found the store’s stricter policies on check acceptance, inter-store transfers, and refunds unappealing. Over time, A&S adjusted the merchandise assortment at this location to better align with the mall’s affluent clientele.

Following Federated’s acquisition of Macy's in 1994, it became clear that both Macy’s and A&S targeted similar middle-income shoppers. Consequently, Federated decided to phase out the less dominant A&S brand. In January 1995, it was announced that all Abraham & Straus stores would be rebranded by April 30. The majority of these outlets were converted into Macy’s or Stern’s locations; one store became a Bloomingdale’s while another was sold to Sears.

The two stores transitioning to Bloomingdale’s and Sears closed their doors during the conversion process, whereas most locations rebranded as Macy’s or Stern’s did so seamlessly without interruption. The A&S stores at Queens Center and Sunrise Mall were closed to accommodate relocated Macy’s and Stern’s stores along with their staff.

Although the A&S chain ceased operations on April 30, the Roosevelt Field store—destined to become a Bloomingdale’s—continued operating clearance sales under the A&S name until May 28, 1995.

• Logos
• 1893–1955
  1893–1955
• 1955–1960s
  1955–1960s
• late 1960s–1976
  late 1960s–1976
• 1976-1978
  1976-1978
• 1978–1987
  1978–1987

Fulton Street flagship store

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Livingston Street annex

The Brooklyn flagship of the company occupied an expansive 841,000-square-foot space situated at 422 Fulton Street within the Fulton Street Mall district.

From its inception, the enterprise aimed for prominence. In 1885, architect George L. Morse was commissioned to design the Fulton Street location in Downtown Brooklyn. During the renovation and expansion phase between 1928 and 1930, the firm engaged Starrett & van Vleck to create an Art Deco extension that fronted Fulton, Hoyt, and Livingston Streets. By 2003, the building was recognized by the Brooklyn Heights Association and the Municipal Art Society as one of 28 historic structures in downtown Brooklyn warranting preservation.

In the mid-1970s, Abraham & Straus' main store became renowned for its innovative use of live mannequins. Linda Timmins, who led this department, chose one youthful and ingénue model with "The Editorial Look" from each high school across Brooklyn and Manhattan. Selection criteria included academic excellence; among those chosen were Yvette Post from Manhattan's Performing Arts High School, juvenile opera talent Robert Westin from the Metropolitan Opera, Alan Jay Kahm and head cheerleader Paula Gallo from Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School, as well as Maria Russo representing Catherine McAuley High School (Brooklyn). These "Living Mannequins" showcased designer apparel and contemporary styles by Nik Nik, Pierre Cardin, and other leading fashion houses in store windows for extended periods.

Due to safety concerns caused by crowds frequently obstructing traffic, Abraham & Straus eventually relocated the Living Mannequins indoors to avoid fines imposed by city authorities. Despite this adjustment, public interest remained strong. Each season, the youthful models participated in in-store runway presentations for the Designer de Jour events. Notably, even during the 1970s, these shows exclusively featured high-end designer garments rather than polyester suits or non-branded attire.

On July 16, 2014, Women's Wear Daily disclosed that Macy’s had paused renovations at its Brooklyn flagship while contemplating a possible sale of the property. Valued at approximately $300 million (~$Template:Format price in Template:Inflation/year), developers were reportedly interested in converting it into condominium units. Additionally, Macy’s was rumored to be exploring plans to establish a new store elsewhere in Downtown Brooklyn.

In 2016, ownership of the upper floors transferred to Tishman Speyer, initiating a three-year project to reconfigure and renovate the retail space across the first four levels. Subsequently, those renovated floors were sold to a real estate consortium on December 5, 2024. Despite these efforts, the store continued to struggle financially and ultimately ceased operations on March 24, 2025.

See also

• List of department stores transformed into Macy's
• List of former department stores in the United States