Famous-Barr
| File:Famous-Barr Department Store Final Logo.png | |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1911 |
| Founder | David May |
| Defunct | September 9, 2006 |
| Fate | Purchased by Macy's |
| Successor | Macy's |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Products | Apparel, shoes, bedding, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, and household goods. |
| Parent | The May Department Stores Company (1911–August 30, 2005) Federated Department Stores, Inc. (August 30, 2005–September 9, 2006) |
| Website | Archived official website at the Wayback Machine (archive index) |
The Famous-Barr Co.—originally known as Famous and Barr Co.—operated as a division of Macy's, Inc. (previously Federated Department Stores). Its headquarters were situated in the Railway Exchange Building in St. Louis, Missouri. This establishment served as the principal store for The May Department Stores Company, which was acquired by Federated on August 30, 2005. Subsequently, on February 1, 2006, Famous-Barr was integrated into the newly formed Macy's Midwest division.
History
The origins of the company date back to Motte's, a retail outlet founded in 1874 by Jesse W. Motte that specialized in boots and shoes at 714 Franklin Street. In 1876, Motte partnered with Joseph Specht, his store manager. They expanded their inventory to include clothing and relocated to 703–705 Franklin Street. The business was listed in city directories as Famous, Motte & Specht, but was commonly referred to as the Famous Clothing Company, a name reportedly derived from customers calling it the "famous place for bargains".
Retail entrepreneur David May purchased the Famous Clothing Store in 1892. Later on, he acquired William Barr Dry Goods Co., and in 1911 merged the two entities to establish Famous-Barr.
Between the early 1900s and the 1940s, Famous-Barr was among several St. Louis retailers that owned a resort along the Meramec River.
In 1914, David May inaugurated a new Famous-Barr department store located downtown in St. Louis; this location was notable for being the first department store in the nation equipped with air conditioning.
On October 8, 1948, Famous-Barr launched its inaugural branch at Clayton, Missouri, positioned at Forsyth and Jackson.
In 1955, another branch opened within the Northland Shopping Center in Jennings, a mall owned by May Companies—the parent company of Famous-Barr. This Northland location marked its 25th year in operation by 1980.
The company expanded further in 1991 by assuming operational control over the Indiana-based L.S. Ayres division. Subsequently, after May acquired The Jones Store in Kansas City following Dillard's purchase of Mercantile Stores Co., Famous-Barr incorporated The Jones Store into its operations in 1998. Both chains maintained their original names but discontinued their separate headquarters.
The Famous-Barr brand was officially retired on September 9, 2006, when Federated rebranded most regional department stores under the Macy's banner—except for the Eastland Mall store located in Evansville, Indiana. That particular store closed and was replaced by Dillard's due to an existing Lazarus store having converted to Macy's in 2005. The downtown St. Louis flagship store and corporate offices were gradually downsized before closing entirely in summer 2013; retail staff were reassigned to other locations while administrative personnel relocated to Earth City.
See also
- Stix, Baer, Fuller, a former rival department store located in St. Louis
- List of department stores converted to Macy's
- List of defunct department stores of the United States
References
External links
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- Webarchive template wayback links
- Defunct department stores based in Missouri
- Companies based in St. Louis
- Retail companies established in 1911
- Macy's
- Retail companies disestablished in 2006
- Defunct companies based in Missouri
- 1911 establishments in Missouri
- 2006 disestablishments in Missouri
- May Department Stores