Wellan's is a defunct chain of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

formerly headquartered in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

History

Beginnings

Wellan's Department Store started as a small store on Second Street in Alexandria and was founded by Louis Wellan. It had many items for sale such as dresses, menswear, and some toys and furniture. It coined itself as a new family-oriented store in central Louisiana, and conducted business in just that manner. In 1924, it moved to what would become its landmark location on Third Street. It served the city and region, and became known for its famous Christmas displays in December. For the month of December, the store would decorate its windows and its facade with dazzling lights. The company then went on an outward expedition and moved into the Alexandria Mall. The company took over

Palais Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal R ...

stores of

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

and acquired both Palais Royal Department Stores and The Depot Stores department stores. The company then established a "modern" store in Monroe, before being purchased by

Stage Stores, Inc. Stage Stores was a department store company specializing in retailing off-price brand name apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and housewares throughout the United States. Stores were usually located in shopping malls and centers or in s ...

, in 1997. The main building was demolished to make way for the Coughlin Saunders Performing Arts Center.

Modern Name Use

Stage Dept. Stores uses the name Palais Royal itself to brand some of its own stores.

References

{{Reflist Defunct retail companies of the United States Retail companies established in 1904 Defunct companies based in Louisiana Retail companies disestablished in 1989 1904 establishments in Louisiana 1989 disestablishments in Louisiana