The Stores You Grew Up In
There was something unique about those big department stores that online shopping just can’t replace. Walking through the aisles, using the escalators, or having lunch at their small restaurants made shopping an experience. Some stores have managed to keep that feeling alive today. Others, however, couldn’t keep up with the convenience and low prices online, so they closed. To begin, let’s look at the well-known stores that remain part of our everyday shopping.
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1. Macy’s
Standing proudly in Manhattan, Macy's Herald Square reigns as America's largest department store, with an astounding 2.5 million square feet anchoring the retail giant's national presence of 350 locations. This NYC landmark, famous for its Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1924, grew from Rowland Hussey Macy’s original 1858 shop into a global retail icon.
2. Bloomingdale’s
Brothers Lyman and Joseph Bloomingdale dreamed bigger than their humble hoopskirt shop and expanded their vision into the magnificent Great East Side Bazaar in 1872. Their family enterprise flourished by joining Federated Department Stores in 1930 and growing into a retail legend that celebrated 150 years in 2022 with a blend of heritage and modern luxury.
3. Nordstrom
When it comes to customer service that goes above and beyond, Nordstrom wrote the book. This retail giant's famously flexible return policy and royal treatment of shoppers have fueled its journey from a single Seattle shoe store in 1901 to today's department store empire, complete with both full-line and Rack locations.
4. Dillard’s
Known for curating the finest in fashion and home furnishings, Dillard's has turned retail expertise into a family art form. What began as William T. Dillard's single Arkansas store in 1938 now spans more than 270 locations across 29 states, with son William II continuing the legacy as chairman of the company.
5. JCPenney
Who would have guessed that a single store in tiny Kemmerer, Wyoming, would grow into the retail giant JCPenney? Since James Cash Penney founded it in 1902, the company has blossomed into a nationwide department store empire. Over time, it expanded into chains like Eckerd drugstores and built a loyal following that has carried it through modern retail challenges.
6. Kohl’s
With over 1,100 locations nationwide, Kohl's stands as America's largest department store chain—quite the leap from its modest beginnings as Maxwell Kohl's Milwaukee grocery store in 1927. The retail giant found its true calling in 1962, opening its first department store in Brookfield, Wisconsin, and steadily expanding to suburban shopping centers across the country.
7. Bergdorf Goodman
Fifth Avenue wouldn't be Fifth Avenue without Bergdorf Goodman, the luxury department store that's anchored Manhattan's most fashionable thoroughfare since 1899. It started as a simple tailor shop and now it’s a New York landmark, gracing countless films and TV shows with its high-end fashion legacy
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8. Belk
Across 16 Southern states, nearly 300 Belk stores carry on a proud tradition that began in Monroe, North Carolina, back in 1888. This beloved department store chain wove its Southern heritage and community spirit into every new location by staying family-owned until its 2015 transition to private equity ownership.
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9. Saks Fifth Avenue
Under Saks Global's fresh 2024 ownership, the legendary Saks Fifth Avenue continues its luxury legacy that began in 1867. The retailer's crown jewel remains its 1924 Manhattan flagship on Fifth Avenue, where those show-stopping holiday window displays have charmed generations of New Yorkers.
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10. Boscov’s
Despite facing bankruptcy in 2008, Boscov's remarkable comeback story has made it America's largest family-owned department store chain today. This resilient retailer, founded in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1914, now operates more than 50 stores across the Northeast, proving that family businesses can thrive against the odds.
Now that we’ve explored the stores still standing, let’s take a trip down memory lane to the ones that vanished.
1. Sears
Would you believe a retail company once shipped entire houses through the mail? That's exactly what Sears did after launching as a catalog business in 1892. This innovative spirit helped them become America's top retailer until 1989, though their failure to adapt led to bankruptcy in 2018.
2. Lord & Taylor
In 2021, America bid farewell to its oldest department store as Lord & Taylor closed its final locations. The retail legend had begun in 1826, going on to create magic through its landmark Fifth Avenue flagship and enchanting holiday window displays that became synonymous with New York tradition.
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3. Kmart
From its position as one of America's largest discount retailers, Kmart built an empire spanning more than 2,000 locations across the country. Those signature Blue Light Specials, announced over store speakers, became a cultural touchstone before the retail powerhouse ultimately joined forces with Sears Holdings in 2005.
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4. Montgomery Ward
It's a retail irony that Montgomery Ward, which closed its doors in 2001, was actually America's original mail-order pioneer. In 1872, they launched the first-ever U.S. mail-order catalog and business, and revolutionized how rural Americans shopped by bringing countless products within reach.
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5. Mervyn’s
For countless families in California and the Southwest, August meant one thing: Mervyn's legendary back-to-school sales. The mid-range department store chain, launched in 1949, grew to include over 150 locations before its 2008 bankruptcy brought a bittersweet end to nearly six decades of retail history.
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6. Bon-Ton
From a single storefront in York, Pennsylvania, in 1898, Bon-Ton multiplied into a retail empire spanning 260-plus locations across 24 states, operating familiar names like Carson's and Bergner's. But by 2018, that impressive number dropped to zero as bankruptcy closed every store.
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7. Gottschalks
Starting as a single Fresno shop in 1904, Gottschalks mastered the art of bringing department store shopping to California's smaller cities, especially across the Central Valley. The homegrown chain grew into the state's largest independent retailer before its 2009 bankruptcy marked the end.
8. Ames
With over 700 stores spread across 20 states, Ames was quite the retail force after starting as a humble Massachusetts discount store in 1958. Their strategy of snatching up struggling chains like Zayre fueled impressive growth, though two bankruptcies ultimately led to their 2002 farewell.
9. Zayre
In 1956, when discount retail was just taking shape, Zayre emerged as a true pioneer in the industry. The chain, whose name cleverly borrowed the Yiddish word for "very," helped define the discount store concept before selling its operations to Ames in 1988.
10. Strawbridge’s
Standing proudly in downtown Philadelphia, the flagship Strawbridge's store watched over nearly 140 years of retail history. This architectural landmark began life as Strawbridge & Clothier in 1868, serving generations of shoppers until Macy's acquisition finally drew the curtain in 2006.
