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Lion Store

From Alfawiki
Lion Store
Company typeDepartment store chain
IndustryRetail
Founded1857
FounderFrederick Eaton
Defunct1998
FateAcquired by Dillard's; brand phased out in 1999
Headquarters
Toledo, Ohio
,
United States
Area served
Toledo, Ohio region
ProductsFashion apparel, home furnishings

Overview

Lion Store, originally established in 1857 under the name Frederick Eaton & Co. and formally incorporated in 1890 as The Lion Dry Goods Co., was a department store chain based in Toledo, Ohio. From 1914 until its acquisition in 1998 by Dillard's, the company was managed by Mercantile Stores. Following the purchase, the Lion brand was phased out in 1999.[1][2][3]

Historical Development

Initially operating as a downtown dry goods retailer, Lion adapted to the post-World War II economic expansion by opening new locations during Toledo's suburban growth. The original downtown store was shuttered in 1980 due to the effects of urban decline.[3] By the year 1998, the chain consisted of three stores specializing in fashion apparel and two stores focused on home furnishings, all situated within regional shopping malls catering to middle and upper-middle income demographics.[4]

Market Position and Influence

As a leading retail presence in Toledo, Lion commanded an estimated market share ranging from thirty to forty percent in 1998.[5] The store played a pivotal role in shaping the local retail landscape, with developers often basing their projects on whether Lion would serve as an anchor tenant.[5] Reflecting its significant impact on area shoppers, a local retail executive humorously noted that "people born in Toledo are born with two things: a Social Security card and a Lion credit card."[5]

Founding period

During the mid-1800s, Frederick Eaton, originally from New England, established a dry goods shop in Toledo. In its inaugural year, the business earned $15,000, leading the enterprise, then called Frederick Eaton & Company, to relocate to a more spacious site in downtown Toledo. Between 1859 and 1865, Eaton acquired two life-sized cast-iron lion sculptures and positioned them at the storefront entrance. Customers soon began calling the establishment "The Lion Store." In 1866, the store transitioned to its final downtown address, bringing the lions along. Following Eaton’s death in 1890, the Lion Store became incorporated into H.B. Claflin & Company. Later, it was absorbed by the Mercantile Stores group.

Expansion after World War II

In 1957, the company inaugurated a location within Westgate Village Shopping Center. By the 1990s, this site had transformed into a home-focused store and briefly operated as a Dillard's Home Store before shutting down. Another branch opened at Southwyck Shopping Center in 1972. After the closure of the Lamsons store there, a second Home Store was launched at Southwyck. Both Southwyck locations ceased operations in the early to mid-2000s following short-lived conversions into Dillard's outlets. The original downtown store closed its doors in the early 1980s.

Final years and acquisition by Dillard's

In the mid-1980s, a Lion Store branch began operating at North Towne Square in North Toledo; this location closed in the late 1990s after briefly functioning as a Dillard's store. A new store opened at Franklin Park Mall in 1993 and remains open today under the Dillard's brand, representing the only surviving successor of the Lion Store. The iconic lion statues are displayed prominently within the main atrium of this Franklin Park Dillard's location.

Gallery

References

  • Hendrickson, Scarborough House, 1979. The Grand Emporiums
  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named UT - Wholly Toledo
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dillard's 1999 Annual Report
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Lost Toledo
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Mercantile 1998 Annual Report
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Blade - August 1998

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