Stix Baer & Fuller

Stix, Baer and Fuller
Company type	Public
Industry	Retail (department store)
Founded	1892
Founder	Charles Stix, Julius Baer, Sigmond Baer, Aaron Fuller
Defunct	1984
Fate	Acquired by Dillard's
Headquarters	St. Louis, United States
Area served	St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Kansas City
Key people	Arthur B. Baer (president 1937), J. Arthur Baer (final president)
Products	Upscale fashion retail
Parent	Associated Dry Goods (from 1966 until sale in 1984)

Stix, Baer and Fuller—also referred to as "Stix", SBF, or the Grand-Leader—was a department store chain headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, operating from 1892 until 1984.

Founders and history

Initially known as the Grand-Leader, the main downtown location was situated on Washington Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets and had expanded to cover the entire city block by 1920.

The company was established in 1892 by Charles Stix along with brothers Julius and Sigmond Baer and Aaron Fuller. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange and was a prominent participant in the American Merchandising Companies ("AMC"), a nationwide network of distinguished local department stores. Within the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Stix earned a reputation as a premier upscale fashion retailer, primarily rivaling Scruggs, Vandervoort and Barney.

Arthur B. Baer (1895–1970), son of Julius Baer, assumed the presidency in 1937. Significant shareholders included Arthur B. Baer, Sidney Baer, and Leo C. Fuller, all of whom held senior management roles. Day-to-day operations were overseen by seasoned retail professionals such as Morris Jelenko and Frank P. Wolff. The final president and general manager was J. Arthur Baer, descendant of Arthur B. Baer.

In 1966, Associated Dry Goods (ADG) acquired Stix, Baer and Fuller and extended its reach into the Kansas City market. Due to intense competition from Famous-Barr, ADG divested its 13-store division in 1984 to Dillard's, which subsequently rebranded all outlets.

The flagship downtown store, designed by John Mauran with development spanning from 1906 to 1991, briefly reopened in 1985 as part of the St. Louis Centre Mall but ultimately closed in 2001 amid the mall’s decline. Other branches—including those at River Roads and Crestwood Plaza—were demolished during redevelopment projects in the 2000s and 2010s.

Athletic sponsorship

During the early 1930s, the company sponsored the St. Louis Soccer League team named Stix, Baer and Fuller F.C., which secured back-to-back National Challenge Cup titles in 1933 and 1934.

Radio station

On April 3, 1922, the company launched radio station WCK, which changed its call sign to WSBF in June 1925 to align with the firm’s initials. The station was sold to Mississippi Valley Broadcasting Co. in 1927.

Television station

In 1955, Arthur Baer financed the construction of the Julius and Freda Baer Building, home to KETC Channel 9—the first television studio in the United States purpose-built for educational broadcasting—located near Washington University in St. Louis. The site is currently occupied by a university residence hall.

Community relations

The S bar F Scout Ranch in Knob Lick, Missouri, bears the name of Stix, Baer, and Fuller following their financial support for acquiring the property.

In September 1942, commemorating its fiftieth anniversary, Stix, Baer and Fuller contributed $10,000 toward preserving the Campbell House Museum in downtown St. Louis from demolition. The museum opened soon after with its original furnishings intact, while the company displayed a period-style replica of the Campbell parlor in its downtown store window as part of the celebration.

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