MainStreet (department store)

Template:Other uses

MainStreet

File:MainStreet Discount Stores Logo.png
Company type	Department store
Industry	Retail
Founded	1983, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Defunct	1989
Fate	Acquired or Rebranded by Kohl's
Headquarters	Bannockburn, Illinois, USA
Area served	Chicago metropolitan area, Detroit, Michigan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Twin Cities, Minnesota
Products	Apparel, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, consumer electronics, small appliances, housewares
Parent	Federated Department Stores

MainStreet was a department store chain headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Introduced in November 1983 by Federated Department Stores (currently known as Macy's, Inc.), the brand grew throughout the 1980s to encompass twenty-nine outlets across Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota. By 1988, ownership transferred to the Wisconsin-based retailer Kohl's, which rebranded the majority of MainStreet stores under its own banner by March 1989.

History

The MainStreet chain was established in 1983 by Federated Department Stores—now operating as Macy's, Inc.—initially launching seven locations within the Chicago metropolitan region. Positioned as a mid-tier retailer specializing mainly in soft goods, it shared similarities with competitors such as Kohl's and Mervyn's. Store layouts typically adopted a "racetrack" design common among discount retailers; however, checkout counters were dispersed throughout the premises akin to conventional department stores. Expansion beyond Chicago began around 1986 with new outlets opening near the Metro Detroit area.

Ownership of MainStreet changed hands when Campeau Corporation, then controlling Federated, divested the chain to alleviate debt incurred from its acquisition of Federated. In 1988, Kohl's purchased twenty-six out of twenty-nine existing MainStreet stores for $90 million and subsequently transitioned these locations to Kohl's branding by March 1989.

A notable remnant of the MainStreet brand lingered in Downers Grove at a shopping center named "MainStreet Square," where the original signage remained visible well into the early 2000s before being replaced. This center had been anchored by a MainStreet store that has since been converted to Kohl's.