Foley's

Foley's

Company type	Department store chain
Industry	Retail
Founded	1900 in Houston, Texas, United States
Founder	Pat and James Foley
Defunct	2006
Fate	Rebranded as Macy's
Headquarters	Houston , United States
Area served	Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana
Products	Clothing, accessories, home goods (typical department store products)
Number of employees	1,200 (at time of closure)

Foley's was a prominent regional department store chain headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas, initially owned by Federated Department Stores from 1947 until 1988, and again from 2005 to 2006, with ownership by May Department Stores between 1988 and 2005. On August 30, 2005, the Foley's division was dissolved, and its operations were integrated into Federated's Macy's West and Macy's South divisions. The chain maintained retail locations across Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. By September 9, 2006, the Foley's brand, along with other regional names under May Company, was retired and rebranded as Macy's.

History

Established in 1900 by siblings Pat and James Foley in Houston, Texas, the company began as Foley Brothers. The business became part of Federated Department Stores, Inc. in 1945.

The first branch store opened in 1961 at Sharpstown Shopping Center in Houston, marking the beginning of several expansions throughout Houston over the following decades. During the 1970s, Foley's extended its presence to Austin, Texas, followed by further growth into San Antonio in the 1980s. By 1987, Foley's had incorporated Federated's Dallas-based Sanger-Harris chain, which operated stores throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, as well as in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Tucson, and Albuquerque.

In 1988, after real estate developer Campeau Corporation acquired Federated, Foley's was sold to May Department Stores along with Filene’s to help finance Campeau’s purchase. Two years later, Federated filed for bankruptcy, severed ties with Campeau, and merged with Campeau's retail holding company Allied Stores. Following acquisition by May Company, Foley's shuttered several underperforming locations in Dallas—including its flagship downtown store—and closed its Albuquerque store. Simultaneously, it assumed control of two Lord & Taylor stores: one under construction at Oklahoma City's Penn Square Mall (opened spring 1989) and another at San Antonio’s Shops at Rivercenter.

Throughout the next ten years, May invested heavily in constructing new stores, modernizing outdated ones, and renovating existing locations. In 1993, May Department Stores merged May Daniels & Fisher into Foley's, expanding Foley’s reach into the Denver-Aurora area, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins-Loveland markets in Colorado, and reestablishing its presence in Albuquerque. On February 2, 1997, the two Arizona stores located in Pima County were transferred to May’s Robinsons-May division. In 2001, Foley's broadened its footprint into Louisiana after May acquired several former Maison Blanche stores that had become Parisian outlets through Proffitt’s (now Saks Incorporated).

Federated regained ownership of Foley’s upon acquiring May Department Stores on August 30, 2005. The following year marked the start of Foley’s conversion into Macy’s; marketing materials began featuring "Foley's – Now part of the Macy's Family." On September 9, 2006, all Foley’s stores officially adopted the Macy’s name as part of Federated’s nationwide consolidation of former May brands. In conjunction with these changes, Federated announced plans to close Foley’s headquarters located in Downtown Houston, which employed approximately 1,200 people.

The original Downtown Houston Foley’s building was demolished on Sunday, September 22, 2013.

1900s – 1951

1900: On February 12, brothers Pat and James Foley, two ambitious Irish entrepreneurs, launched Foley Brothers with a $2,000 loan from a relative. Their initial store, occupying approximately 130 square meters at 507 Main Street in Houston, Texas, offered calico, linen, lace, pins, needles, and men's accessories.

1905: Experiencing rapid growth, Pat and James acquired the adjoining property and expanded their inventory to include ready-to-wear apparel for women and children along with millinery products.

1911: The business relocated to the 400 block of Main Street and was formally incorporated with a capital investment of $150,000 (equivalent to approximately $Template:Format price adjusted for inflation).

1916: Foley Brothers ranked third among Houston retailers by generating $400,000 in sales (around $Template:Format price in current dollars). The workforce had expanded from 10 to 150 employees, the company maintained 750 active charge accounts, and operated out of roughly 2,140 square meters of retail space.

1917: Ownership transferred to George S. Cohen and his father Robert, a merchant from Galveston. Under their leadership, the store grew significantly, approaching $1 million in sales by 1919 (approximately $Template:Format price adjusted).

1922: Foley Brothers moved into a newly acquired three-story building adjacent to 400 Main Street. By the end of that year, it had become Houston’s largest department store, offering shoes, a beauty salon, and radios.

1941: With the United States entering World War II, Foley Brothers redirected its advertising and human resources efforts toward war bond campaigns and other wartime activities. Sales promotions were suspended throughout this period.

1945: Fred Lazarus, Jr., president of Federated Department Stores, visited Houston while his son was stationed nearby at an Army base. He learned Foley Brothers was available for purchase and subsequently acquired the company.

1947: On October 20, Foley's inaugurated a new location at 1110 Main Street in downtown Houston. Federated invested $13 million in constructing this facility, which was acclaimed as the nation’s "most modern department store".

1951: The inaugural Foley's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place.

1960–1999

1960–1967: The first branch store opened in Sharpstown, followed by additional locations in Pasadena, Almeda-Genoa, and Northwest Houston.

1971–1979: New stores launched at Memorial City and Greenspoint in Houston as well as at Highland Mall in Austin.

1980–1987: Expansion continued with openings at San Jacinto (California), North Star Mall, Willowbrook (California), Barton Creek, West Oaks, Ingram Park, Deerbrook, Post Oak Mall, College Station, and Padre Staples (La Palmera).

During this period, Federated merged Foley’s with Dallas-based Sanger Harris, operating under the Foley’s name.

1988: The May Department Stores Company purchased Foley's in Houston along with Filene's in Boston from Federated.

1989-1991: New stores were established at Rolling Oaks Mall (San Antonio), The Parks at Arlington (Arlington), Tucson Mall, and Vista Ridge Mall (Lewisville).

1993: The May D&F division covering Colorado and New Mexico was integrated into Foley's operations, forming a 49-store division that became May Company's largest.

1994–1998: Additional locations opened at Mall of Mainland, Temple, Woodlands, Northwest Austin, Sugar Land, Northwest Albuquerque, Laredo, and Park Meadows. The Fort Collins store reopened following major renovations. Jones & Jones in McAllen, Texas was acquired and rebranded as Foley’s.

2000–2006

2000–2004: New locations were launched at NorthPark Center, Broomfield, Hurst, Baybrook Mall, Beaumont, Cielo Vista, Houston Galleria, Lake Charles, Golden Triangle Denton, and Sunland, with several occupying former Montgomery Ward premises. Foley's expanded its presence by acquiring one McRae's store along with two Parisian outlets in Louisiana. Additional Foley's stores opened at Cortana Mall, the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, and Acadiana Mall in Lafayette. Both Memorial City and Baybrook malls reopened after reconstruction.

2004: The May Department Stores Company completed the acquisition of Marshall Field's, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn.. This acquisition increased May's portfolio to seven divisions, encompassing Foley's, Filene's, Robinsons-May, Famous-Barr, Hecht's, Lord & Taylor, and Marshall Field's.

2005: The openings of La Cantera (San Antonio), Firewheel Shops (Garland), and Centerra (Loveland CO) marked further expansion. May Department Stores and Federated Department Stores, Inc. announced a merger plan that was finalized in the third quarter. Through this merger, Federated regained control of two former chains it had previously sold to May—Foley's and Filene's—bringing them back under Federated’s corporate structure for the first time since 1988.

2006: Domain Mall in Austin and Northfield Stapleton in Denver, CO were inaugurated. On February 1, 2006, Foley's Houston division was dissolved; operations for its stores in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and most of Texas (excluding El Paso) were transferred to Atlanta-based Macy's South. Meanwhile, locations in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and El Paso came under the management of San Francisco–based Macy's West. By September 9, 2006, the Foley’s brand was retired as part of Macy’s nationwide initiative to rebrand all former May Company stores.

See also

• List of defunct department stores of the United States
• List of department stores converted to Macy's