Maas Brothers

Maas Brothers

Company type	Private (formerly)
Industry	Retail (Department store)
Founded	December 10, 1886 (1886-12-10) in Tampa, Florida, United States
Founder	Abe Maas, Isaac Maas
Defunct	1991 (1991)
Fate	Merged into Burdines
Headquarters	Tampa , United States
Area served	Florida's Gulf Coast region, parts of Georgia and South Carolina
Key people	Abe Maas (Founder, Chairman), Isaac Maas (Founder), Jerome A. Waterman (President)
Products	Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, housewares

Maas Brothers was a well-known department store headquartered in Tampa, Florida, established by entrepreneurs Abe and Isaac Maas in 1886. Originating as a small 23-by-90-foot shop, it grew into a network of 39 outlets throughout Florida's Gulf Coast region. The brand was discontinued in 1991 following its merger with the Burdines chain, which itself became part of Macy's in 2005.

History

Initially, Abe and Isaac Maas launched their retail activities in Georgia before moving to Tampa in 1886, drawn by the city's advantageous waterfront location. On December 10, 1886, Abe inaugurated the Dry Goods Palace; Isaac formally joined the business in 1887, founding Maas Brothers together. Due to expansion, the store relocated twice before unveiling its largest location in 1921—then Florida’s second-largest department store and home to the state's first escalator. By 1929, Maas Brothers had solidified its position as a leading retailer on Florida’s West Coast, earning the slogan "Greater Tampa's Greatest Store."

Allied Stores

The Maas family sold the enterprise to Hahn Department Stores in 1929, enabling access to national purchasing resources while retaining family leadership. Hahn was renamed Allied Stores Corporation in 1935. That same year saw leadership changes within the Maas family: Isaac Maas passed away, Abe assumed the chairman role, and nephew Jerome A. Waterman became president. Abe Maas died in 1941 at age 86.

Expansion

Maas Brothers opened its first comprehensive branch store in downtown St. Petersburg in 1948, followed by new locations in downtown Lakeland (1954), Sarasota (1956), and Clearwater (1961). The company ventured into mall retailing with a 1965 store at Edison Mall in Fort Myers. By 1981, Maas Brothers operated seventeen stores, culminating with the opening at Gulf View Square Mall in Port Richey. In 1985, it incorporated the Savannah-based stores of Allied affiliate Levy's of Savannah, which had been founded in 1871.

Campeau takeover

Celebrating its centennial in 1986, Maas Brothers became part of Canadian real estate developer Robert Campeau’s acquisition of Allied Stores Corporation. To improve efficiency and reduce expenses, Maas Brothers merged with the less profitable Jordan Marsh Florida division in 1987, resulting in a combined total of 39 stores spanning Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The merged entity was branded Maas Brothers/Jordan Marsh by 1989.

Campeau continued his expansion strategy with the successful acquisition of Federated Department Stores in 1988, which subsequently purchased Miami-based competitor Burdines in 1994. This consolidation led to shared administrative services among Maas Brothers, Jordan Marsh, and Burdines to enhance operational effectiveness.

Bankruptcy and merger

By 1989, the substantial debt incurred from Campeau’s buyouts placed financial strain on Federated and Allied. Both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 16, 1990. Underperforming locations—including the flagship store in Tampa—were shuttered by early 1991. The restructuring process involved merging Florida operations; Maas Brothers/Jordan Marsh’s headquarters were consolidated into Burdines by July 1991. On October 20, 1991, all Maas Brothers outlets were rebranded as Burdines. Most former Jordan Marsh stores were sold off due to overlap with Burdines locations. Eventually, Burdines along with other Federated divisions (excluding Bloomingdale's) transitioned to Macy's branding in 2005.

Former Locations

City	Location	Opened	Status
Tampa	Downtown (Zack & Tampa Streets)	1921	Closed in 1991; building subsequently demolished.
	WestShore Plaza	1966	Currently operating as Macy's.
	University Mall	1974	Macy's closed this location in 2017; served as Dillard's Clearance Center until 2022; scheduled for demolition.
	Homestore (Gandy Boulevard)	1956	Functions as Macy's Furniture Gallery.
St. Petersburg	Downtown (1st Avenue and 3rd Street North)	1948	Closed in 1991; building demolished; original medallion remains embedded in sidewalk.
	Tyrone Square Mall	1972	Operating under Macy's brand.
Clearwater	Downtown (Cleveland Street & Osceola Avenue)	1961	Closed in 1991; later became Stein Mart; building demolished in 2019.
	Countryside Mall	1975	Expanded in 2000; currently Macy's location.
Bradenton	DeSoto Square	1973	Macy's closed the store in 2014; briefly operated as Your Treasure House; presently vacant.
Fort Myers	Edison Mall	1965	Continues to operate as Macy's.
Gainesville	Gainesville Mall	1968	Closed by Burdines during the 1990s.
Hilton Head, South Carolina	The Mall at Shelter Cove	1988	Opened as Jordan Marsh; ceased operations in 1991.
Lakeland	Downtown (Kentucky & Lemon Streets)	1954	Closed by Burdines in 1994.
Naples	Coastland Center	1977	Second floor added in 1995; remains a Macy's store.
Ocala	Paddock Mall	1973	Currently operating as Macy's.
Port Richey	Gulf View Square	1981	Closed by Macy's in 2015; building was demolished afterward.
Sarasota	Downtown/Main Plaza (Main Street & Washington Boulevard)	1958	Closed in 1991; building has been demolished.

City	Location	Opened	Status
Disposition of the stores Numerous former Maas Brothers mall anchor locations have transitioned into Macy's stores, whereas the majority of downtown outlets have ceased operations, with only one still active. Sarasota. The downtown Sarasota location closed its doors in 1991 and was razed in 1996 to facilitate construction of a twenty-screen cinema complex. St. Petersburg. The downtown St. Petersburg store—known as "The Sunshine Corner" at the intersection of 1st Avenue and 3rd Street North—expanded to nearly cover an entire city block. After shuttering in 1991, it was leased to the Florida International Museum (FIM) from 1995 until its closure in 2005. Despite a successful Titanic exhibit in 2008 attracting approximately 800,000 visitors, the museum struggled to maintain attendance and defaulted on loans, leading to repossession by the City. Proposed redevelopment plans included establishing a new downtown campus for St. Petersburg College within the former furniture store space; constructing a sixteen-story Florida headquarters for Progress Energy, Inc. on the original store site; and developing a twenty-nine-story Grand Bohemian Hotel and condominium by the Kessler Collection, which ultimately did not come to fruition. Following agreements reached in 2005, demolition of the original store and east addition occurred to allow Progress Energy’s headquarters construction and college renovations. The iconic "Sunshine Corner" terrazzo medallion was carefully removed during construction and reinstalled afterward to preserve its heritage. Tampa. The downtown Tampa store remained vacant for fifteen years before being demolished in 2006 to make room for a condominium tower project. However, due to the real estate market downturn, those plans were abandoned and the site was sold off and converted into a parking lot. Clearwater. The former downtown Clearwater store—later known as Harborview Center—was scheduled for demolition in May 2010 but experienced a temporary delay when leased to a film production crew shooting "A Dolphin's Tale" for five months. Lakeland. The downtown Lakeland location operated under Burdines until relocating to Lakeland Square Mall in 1994. The original building now serves as headquarters for Watkins Trucking, a FedEx subsidiary. See also List of department stores converted to Macy's List of defunct department stores of the United States Further reading History of the Maas Brothers family