Miller & Rhoads

Miller & Rhoads
	File:Miller & Rhodes Department Store Final Logo.png
Company type	Department store
Industry	Retail
Founded	1885
Defunct	1990
Fate	Acquired or Converted to Hecht's
Successor	Hecht's
Headquarters	Richmond, Virginia
Key people	Linton Miller, Co-Founder ; Webster Rhoads, Co-Founder; Simon Gerhart, Co-Founder
Products	Apparel, footwear, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, electronics, and home goods.

Miller & Rhoads was a prominent department store chain headquartered in Virginia, with a legacy spanning over a century primarily in Richmond. The flagship store gained fame for its "SantaLand" holiday attraction—now part of the Children's Museum of Richmond—and stood as a major retail competitor alongside Thalhimers. Following several changes in ownership starting in 1967, the Campeau Corporation took control in 1987 before selling the company to developer Kevin Donohoe and management teams prior to its 1990 shutdown.

Origins

The enterprise was established in 1885 by Linton Miller, Webster Rhoads, and Simon Gerhart, who invested $3,000 to launch Miller, Rhoads, & Gerhart as a dry goods retailer in Richmond. In 1888, the store moved to 509 East Broad Street. After Gerhart departed in 1890 to start his own business in Lynchburg, the Richmond store was renamed Miller & Rhoads.

By 1909, the Broad Street premises had grown to cover nearly half a city block; by 1924 it expanded to occupy an entire block stretching from Broad to Grace Street, ultimately encompassing close to 500,000 square feet. At its zenith during the mid-1900s, Miller & Rhoads became famous for its Tea Room—offering fashion presentations and signature dishes such as the Missouri Club sandwich and Brunswick stew—which fostered customer engagement and brand loyalty.

The company also invested heavily in modern retail amenities including a shared parking garage with capacity for 1,000 vehicles (also used by Thalhimers), air conditioning systems, and escalators. Hosting literary figures, art exhibitions, and community gatherings helped cultivate a sophisticated reputation within Richmond’s retail sector.

Santaland and the "real" Santa Claus

During the Christmas season each year, Miller & Rhoads converted a seventh-floor space into Santaland—a festive environment featuring woodland landscapes, animated creatures, decorated trees, and a stage where Santa Claus welcomed guests. This annual tradition became synonymous with the brand’s identity and was advertised with the slogan Miller & Rhoads – Where Christmas is a Legend.

After the store closed its doors, Santa appearances continued downtown—initially moving to Thalhimers in 1990, then relocating to Sixth Street Marketplace, and presently held at the Children's Museum of Richmond, which also organizes an annual Santa Tea event.

Postwar expansion

From 1956 through 1960, Miller & Rhoads broadened its footprint by opening full-service stores in Lynchburg, Charlottesville, and Roanoke, incorporating features such as the Tea Room modeled after the original Richmond location.

By the late 1960s, the chain introduced suburban specialty shops concentrating on family apparel within Richmond-area malls like Southside Plaza and The Shops at Willow Lawn, along with additional outlets in Petersburg, Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Roanoke.

In 1967, Miller & Rhoads merged with Washington D.C.-based Julius Garfinkel & Co. and New York specialty retailer Brooks Brothers to create Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads, Inc., thereby enlarging its corporate structure and expanding market presence.

The suburban era

Building on their success with smaller suburban outlets, Miller & Rhoads set their sights on establishing large anchor stores within regional shopping malls. Nevertheless, a lease provision at Southside Plaza prohibited openings within a five-mile radius, preventing the company from entering Cloverleaf Mall—Richmond’s inaugural major mall situated four miles away.

During the mid-1970s, the firm inaugurated sizable stores at Regency Square, Chesterfield Towne Center (located in suburban Richmond), and Newmarket North Mall (Hampton), relocating from nearby retail centers. Additionally, specialty stores were introduced in Roanoke; Portsmouth; and several North Carolina cities such as Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Fayetteville.

Growth extended into the early 1980s with the relocation of downtown Lynchburg and Charlottesville outlets to River Ridge Mall and Charlottesville Fashion Square respectively. New large-format stores also debuted at Lynnhaven Mall (Virginia Beach) and Greenbrier Mall (Chesapeake).

Although modernization efforts included an early 1980s logo redesign featuring elegant calligraphic lettering, Miller & Rhoads preserved traditional brand elements like engraved metal nameplates at all entrances, reinforcing its heritage throughout expansion.

Decline and closure

In 1982, the Garfinkel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads group was purchased by Allied Stores, marking the beginning of a downturn for the chain. Allied shut down numerous smaller locations, withdrew from most of the North Carolina market except for Raleigh, and cut back on maintenance for larger stores to reduce expenses. While some new large stores opened in Virginia, significant outlets such as downtown Roanoke were closed or relocated.

By 1985, Miller & Rhoads collaborated with Richmond city officials and Thalhimers to create the Sixth Street Marketplace in downtown Richmond, aiming to rejuvenate urban retail. Although initially thriving, this urban mall eventually declined and was demolished by 2004. Suburban Miller & Rhoads locations saw modest growth; however, downtown sales remained flat outside peak periods.

Following Allied’s sale of Miller & Rhoads in 1987 to Philadelphia developer Kevin Donohoe and store management, renovation and expansion initiatives were launched. At that time, the chain operated 21 stores with plans for new sites at Savannah Mall (Georgia), Carolina Place (North Carolina), and Dutch Square (South Carolina).

Nonetheless, by 1989, facing intense competition from regional chains like Leggett and Hess's alongside financial difficulties, Miller & Rhoads filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. By 1990, all stores had ceased operations.

The May Department Stores Company acquired four larger suburban Miller & Rhoads locations in Richmond and Hampton Roads for about $22.7 million and reopened them as Hecht's in late 1990. That same year, May also took over Thalhimers and subsequently merged it with Hecht's. At Regency Square and Lynnhaven Mall, Hecht's operated two separate stores—one occupying former Miller & Rhoads space and another previously Thalhimers—though Lynnhaven locations were later consolidated. The Regency Square outlets remained until Hecht’s rebranding to Macy's in September 2006.

Other former Miller & Rhoads properties were repurposed as department stores such as Montgomery Ward, Stone & Thomas, or Value City, converted into office spaces, subdivided for retail tenants, or demolished.

Beginning in 2006, the downtown Richmond flagship store underwent redevelopment into a mixed-use complex featuring a 250-room full-service Hilton Hotel (Richmond Hilton Downtown) alongside 130 residential units. This $100 million project is overseen by Richmond’s Broad Street Community Development Authority.

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