Cain-Sloan
| File:Cain-Sloan Department Store Final Logo.png | |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1903 |
| Founder | Paul Lowe Sloan Pat Cain John E. Cain |
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Area served | United States |
Key people | John Sloan |
Cain-Sloan Co. Inc. operated as a department store chain headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1903, it became part of Allied Stores in 1955 and was later acquired by Dillard's in 1987. The chain was notably involved in the 1960 Nashville sit-ins.
History
Founded in Nashville by Paul Lowe Sloan, Pat Cain, and John E. Cain in 1903,[1] the company joined forces with New York-based Allied Stores Corp. in 1955. It remained a subsidiary until its sale and rebranding as Dillard's during 1987–1988.[1]
Cain-Sloan operated four stores located at Downtown Nashville, Hickory Hollow Mall, Rivergate Mall, and The Mall at Green Hills.
Civil Rights Movement
During the Civil Rights Movement, Cain-Sloan became a focal point of one of Nashville’s pioneering sit-in demonstrations led by African-American students.[2] On December 5, 1959, a group of college students led by future Congressman John Lewis entered the store with the intention of sitting at its lunch counter; they were courteously asked to leave and complied.[3] Following the April 1960 march at Nashville’s courthouse and Mayor Ben West’s declaration that lunch counters should be desegregated,[4] Cain-Sloan along with other downtown Nashville retailers quietly began serving customers of all races at their lunch counters starting May 10, 1960.[5]
Conversion to Dillard's
In 1987, just prior to the merger between Allied Stores and Campeau Corporation, the four Cain-Sloan locations were sold separately to Dillard's. This acquisition marked Dillard's entry into the Nashville market through the takeover of three mall-based stores, while the downtown Cain-Sloan location was closed rather than converted. By 1991, Dillard's had replaced the original Cain-Sloan store with a newly constructed building at Hickory Hollow Mall as part of that mall’s expansion.
After this transition, Dillard's pursued further growth in Nashville by opening two additional stores at Bellevue Center and Cool Springs Galleria, alongside acquiring three former Castner Knott outlets located at Donelson Plaza, Harding Mall, and Stones River Mall in Murfreesboro. Over time, Dillard's undertook renovations at the Stones River site but subsequently closed its stores at Harding Mall, Donelson Plaza, Bellevue Center, and Hickory Hollow Mall. The Bellevue Center location was the earliest among these to cease operations, shutting down in late 2007. The Hickory Hollow store followed suit in August 2008, leaving only the Rivergate and Green Hills stores from the original Cain-Sloan conversions still operating under the Dillard's banner.
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- ↑ John Lewis, Walking with the Wind, pp. 88-89; ISBN 0-15-600708-8
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