Prange's

H. C. Prange Co.

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (department stores)
Founded	October 4, 1887 (1887-10-04) in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States
Founder	Henry Carl Prange
Defunct	1992
Fate	Acquired by Younkers, Inc., most stores rebranded as Younkers
Successor	Younkers
Headquarters	Sheboygan , United States
Area served	Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan
Key people	Henry Carl Prange (founder)
Products	Department store retailing; discount stores under Prange Way brand (until 1990s)

H. C. Prange Co., often referred to simply as Prange's, was a department store chain originating in the United States, established in 1887 by Henry Carl Prange in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. At its height, the company operated retail outlets across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. Additionally, it ran discount stores under the Prange Way brand in Wisconsin and Illinois; however, this segment was divested during the 1990s. In 1992, following its acquisition, the majority of Prange's locations were rebranded as Younkers stores, marking the end of the Prange's name.

Origins

Henry Carl Prange, born to German immigrant farmers who settled in Wisconsin after the Revolutions of 1848, began his career in retail at John Plath's general store in Sheboygan in 1876, performing various roles including clerk and delivery person. In 1887, after an unsuccessful attempt to buy into Plath's business, Prange launched his own retail venture on October 4 alongside his sister Eliza and brother-in-law J. H. Bitter. The initial store spanned approximately 3,300 square feet in Sheboygan and was named H. C. Prange. Differentiating itself from competitors, the store extended credit lines to farmers. By 1898, it had incorporated as the H. C. Prange Company. A significant expansion occurred by 1923 with the construction of a new store on the original site that encompassed over 180,000 square feet, making it the largest retail establishment in Wisconsin outside Milwaukee.

During the economic turmoil of 1930, amidst the stock market crash, Henry Carl Prange aimed for $1 million in grocery sales and $2 million in dry goods revenue. Despite carrying substantial debt from acquiring the Hall Dry Goods building in Green Bay during the Great Depression, he proceeded to purchase LM Washburn Company in Sturgeon Bay and opened a third store for his company there. After a fire destroyed the Sturgeon Bay location in 1935, a replacement store was erected within five months. The company's expansion continued with the acquisition of Pettibone-Peabody in Appleton in 1946—one of Wisconsin’s oldest retail firms. Over subsequent years, H.C. Prange Company grew through further acquisitions and ongoing modernization efforts to remain competitive.

At its zenith, H. C. Prange Co. operated a total of 25 stores: 18 throughout Wisconsin, five in Michigan, and two in Illinois, collectively offering approximately 2.1 million square feet of retail space. In 1991, Prange's department store division reported sales nearing $229 million (adjusted for inflation). The largest outlet was located at Green Bay’s Port Plaza Mall. The company also expanded by acquiring select Peck & Peck locations following their sale by Minneapolis-based Salkin & Linoff during the late 1970s.

The End

In 1992, Younkers, Inc. acquired the 25-store department division of the H. C. Prange Company for $67 million (~$Template:Format price in Template:Inflation/year), also taking on roughly $9 million in outstanding liabilities related to the division. Over time, Younkers became part of Saks' "northern group," which later incorporated long-established Prange's rivals such as Boston Store and Herberger's under unified corporate ownership. This segment was eventually sold to The Bon-Ton based in York, Pennsylvania.

The original Prange's flagship location in Sheboygan ceased operations in mid-January 2014 after several years functioning under The Bon-Ton's Boston Store brand following their acquisition of Younkers. The building itself was rebuilt in 1984 after a water main rupture in 1982 caused structural damage that necessitated demolition due to sagging support columns. Beginning in January 2015, the 1984 structure was dismantled over approximately two months. The site served as an open-air venue for concerts during the summer before construction commenced on a new apartment complex aimed at attracting professional workers to the area.

Prange Way

Prange Way logo

Prange Way originated as a discount outlet named Prange's Budget Store within the flagship building back in 1911. This chain later transitioned into a discount department store format, establishing multiple locations across Wisconsin and Illinois. Between 1965 and 1966, two significant Prange Way discount stores were launched in Appleton and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin—the latter serving as a key anchor for the enclosed Forest Mall. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, additional outlets opened throughout Wisconsin and Illinois, including seven acquired from Schultz's Discount in 1989.

In 1990, ownership of Prange Way transferred to a consortium of its managers and other investors, with headquarters moving to De Pere, Wisconsin. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 1995, with legal representatives attributing financial struggles primarily to competition from national discount retailers. At that time, its largest creditor was the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, owed $3 million. Operating 21 stores across Wisconsin and one in Minnesota, Prange Way initially did not plan any store closures but anticipated some workforce reductions. Nevertheless, liquidation sales began soon after in November, leading to all stores closing following the 1995 Christmas season.

External links

• Official corporate site
• Coverage of Sale to Younkers
• Article on Company and PrangeWay Spin-off