Meier & Frank

Meier & Frank
Company type	Department store chain
Industry	Retail
Founded	1857; 169 years ago
Founder	Aaron Meier
Defunct	2006
Fate	Rebranded as Macy's after acquisition by Federated Department Stores
Headquarters	Portland, Oregon, United States
Area served	Oregon, Utah
Key people	Aaron Meier, Emil Frank, Sigmund Frank, Julius L. Meier, Aaron (Bud) Meier Frank, Gerry Frank
Products	Clothing, department store goods
Parent	May Department Stores Company (1966–2005), Federated Department Stores (2005–2006)

Meier & Frank was a prominent American department store chain established in 1857 by Aaron Meier. He joined forces with Emil and Sigmund Frank, culminating in the opening of their flagship location, the Meier & Frank Building, in Portland, Oregon, in 1909. The company experienced significant growth throughout Oregon during the late 20th century, particularly after its acquisition by The May Department Stores Company in 1966. In 2001, Meier & Frank expanded into Utah by rebranding the ZCMI stores. Subsequently, May was purchased by Federated Department Stores in 2005, which led to the gradual replacement of the Meier & Frank brand with Macy's in 2006.

Foundation

Aaron Meier (1831–1889) arrived in the Oregon Territory in 1857 and established a mercantile shop at 137 Front Street, Portland. Despite early partnerships and financial difficulties, Meier relaunched his business using a $14,000 inheritance, relocating to larger premises on Front Street. He brought Emil Frank aboard in 1870 and later Sigmund Frank in 1872; Emil became a partner by 1873, formally creating "Meier & Frank."

After the devastating 1878 fire that razed much of downtown Portland including their store, they quickly rebuilt. Sigmund Frank became a partner in 1884 and married Fannie Meier, Aaron’s daughter. In 1885, Meier & Frank erected a two-story masonry building on Taylor Street and introduced the pioneering "Friday Surprise" sale in 1887, an early example of innovative retail marketing.

Passing of Meier

In 1888, Emil Frank exited the partnership due to disagreements over management direction, leaving Sigmund Frank as sole partner shortly before Aaron Meier passed away in 1889. The store continued operating under the "Meier & Frank" name. Sigmund assumed presidency while Aaron Meier’s widow, Jeannette Hirsch Meier, managed operations discreetly and brought additional family members from Bavaria into the business.

During the flood of 1894, three feet of water inundated the store’s street level; customers were transported by rowboats and shopped via elevated walkways.

By 1898, Meier & Frank relocated uptown into a modern five-story building on 5th Street (now 5th Avenue), equipped with two elevators and cutting-edge mechanical systems for the Pacific Coast region. This transition marked their evolution from a traditional country store to a contemporary department store encompassing retail space sixty-eight times larger than at inception. The company also introduced the innovative "money-back guarantee," a novel concept in merchandising at that time.

Flagship store development

Ten years later, Meier & Frank constructed a ten-story annex with two basement levels, which became the tallest retail building in the Pacific Northwest and Portland’s sole skyscraper at that time. Architect A. E. Doyle designed its white terra-cotta facade that influenced downtown Portland’s architectural character.

After Sigmund Frank’s death, Aaron Meier’s eldest son Abe Meier (1868–1930) assumed presidency and often greeted customers personally. His younger brother Julius (1874–1937) served as vice president and general manager. The company’s green delivery wagons and trucks became iconic throughout Portland, symbolizing dedication to customer service by delivering purchases regardless of size.

Meier & Frank supplied furnishings for the Fairmount Hotel accommodating visitors to the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.

In 1913, the original five-story building was replaced with a sixteen-story flagship store that opened in 1915, offering expansive retail space. The company maintained a purchasing office in New York City—an uncommon practice among West Coast retailers—demonstrating their market influence alongside cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.

By 1920, expansion included a four-story garage and stockroom facility plus an eight-story Retail Reserve Building inaugurated in 1923. That same year saw the debut of radio station KFEC atop their flagship building—branded as "The Meier & Frank Station." Notably, actor Clark Gable once worked at the store selling neckties.

Julius L. Meier led Oregon as governor from 1931 to 1935 while simultaneously managing company affairs.

Eventually encompassing an entire city block with seventeen stories, Meier & Frank stood among the largest retail establishments west of the Mississippi River during the early 1930s. Amidst President Roosevelt’s bank closures during the Great Depression, the company published a full-page advertisement entitled "Confidence," encouraging customers to trust their financial dealings with them; it also eliminated interest charges on credit accounts.

Following Julius Meier’s death in 1937, his nephew Aaron (Bud) Meier Frank (1891–1968) took over as president. He led the firm for nearly forty years and became a prominent figure within Portland’s business community.

Impact of World War II

Throughout World War II, Meier & Frank played a significant role in supporting the Allied war effort, earning recognition from federal authorities as the leading U.S. department store in this regard. From 1941 until 1945, the company devoted its entire newspaper advertising inventory to promoting war bond purchases, maintaining uninterrupted advertisements in The Oregonian for a remarkable span of 1,207 days. Additionally, Meier & Frank organized the largest individual war bond campaign nationwide, generating $32 million within a two-week period inside its auditorium.

Following the war, Meier & Frank invested $1.5 million to install what was then the world’s longest continuous escalator system, connecting all retail levels. The firm subsequently demolished the Portland Hotel, replacing it with a two-story parking garage occupying an entire city block. In the late 1960s, a proposal for an 11-story parking structure was rejected, which spurred downtown development efforts that ultimately resulted in the establishment of Pioneer Courthouse Square in 1984.

Growth and Acquisition by May

Under the leadership of Aaron Frank’s son, Gerry Frank (1923–2022), Meier & Frank inaugurated its first branch store in Salem, Oregon, in 1955. This location featured 185,000 square feet of retail space and parking accommodations for 1,000 vehicles. Five years later, the company opened Oregon’s second-largest department store at the newly developed Lloyd Center in Northeast Portland—then recognized as the world’s largest shopping mall—with prominent figures such as Japan’s crown prince attending the grand opening.

Between 1964 and 1966, internal family disagreements emerged concerning two competing acquisition proposals: one was a cash offer from Carter Hawley Hale Stores, supported by Aaron Frank; the other was a stock-based proposal from May Department Stores, backed by Jack Meier, son of Julius Meier. Ultimately, the families agreed to sell to May Department Stores in 1966. Following the sale, Jack Meier assumed the presidency while Aaron Frank retired; Gerry Frank transitioned into politics, serving as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield.

From 1969 through 2004, Meier & Frank expanded its footprint by opening stores at various locations including Valley River Center in Eugene (1969), Washington Square in Tigard (1973), Vancouver Mall in Vancouver, Washington (1977), Clackamas Town Center near Portland (1980 and again in 2002), Medford (1986), and Tanasbourne in Hillsboro (2004).

In 1990, Meier & Frank reported net retail sales totaling $284 million with an average sales rate of $149 per square foot. Although it operated fewer units than other May Department Stores divisions, it consistently achieved one of the highest sales per square foot figures—reaching $225 in the late 1990s—demonstrating strong market penetration and operational efficiency within its target regions.

Federated Acquisition and Transition to Macy's

In 2001, May Department Stores rebranded its Utah-based Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) outlets under the Meier & Frank name. The following year saw Meier & Frank merge its operations with Robinsons-May located in Los Angeles while retaining its original brand identity. In 2005, Federated Department Stores—the parent company of Macy’s—acquired May Department Stores and announced plans to rebrand Meier & Frank along with other subsidiaries as "Macy’s". Federated had adopted the Macy’s name in 2001 to consolidate its largest division under a single brand. By September 9, 2006, the transition was complete with the retirement of the Meier & Frank name and full conversion to Macy’s branding.

Restaurants

Meier & Frank once featured multiple dining establishments within their stores, all of which have since ceased operations as the company shifted focus toward expanding retail floor space in response to increased competition from shopping malls and food courts. Notable restaurant closures include:

The Georgian Room – Downtown Portland (shut down in 2005)
The Aladdin Restaurant – Lloyd Center (closed in 1990)
The Homestead Restaurant – Vancouver Mall (closed in 2002)
The Valley Room Restaurant – Washington Square (ceased operations in 1981)
The Oregon Room – Salem, Oregon (closed in 1998)
The Rotunda – Valley River Center, Eugene, Oregon

External links

Official website (Archived)
History of Meier & Frank, Portland history resource
Farewell to Meier & Frank, March 2005 issue of the Portland Tribune
Announcement of Meier & Frank rebranding as Macy's, Portland Business Journal
Federated’s 2006 Macy's brand expansion plan, official press release