Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (typically referred to as ZCMI) was an American
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 ...
chain. It was founded in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, on October 9, 1868 by
Brigham Young
Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...
. For many years it used the slogan, "America's First Department Store."
History
Even though
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church) had been headquartered in the
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
for some twenty years by that time, they were despised by the surrounding community, as Young had disparaged non-Mormon merchants who had engaged in
price gouging on necessities, and encouraged boycotting these businesses in 1866.
Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
business owners were routinely charged higher prices by wholesalers who discovered they were dealing with Mormons.
Partly because of the impending completion of the railroad, and partly to create a more fair business atmosphere, it was Young's idea to encourage Mormon businesses to band together under one roof. By pooling their resources, they were able to make larger orders to sell materials and goods exclusively (at the time) to fellow LDS Church members.
ZCMI was formally organized in 1868 and incorporated for a 25-year renewable contract in 1870.
The central component of this was the LDS Church's purchase of the Eagle Emporium, a conglomerate of mercantile companies owned by
William Jennings.
ZCMI became a formidable business force, eventually manufacturing its own line of boots and shoes, and a line of work clothes. It also sold everything from housing needs, lumber, nails, and the like, to household needs such as fabric, needles, thread,
food preservation
Food preservation includes processes that make food more resistant to microorganism growth and slow the oxidation of fats. This slows down the decomposition and rancidification process. Food preservation may also include processes that inhibit ...
products, furniture, and draperies, even some beauty products; nearly everything the pioneers needed to survive and thrive.
Based in Salt Lake City, it quickly became a household name in the community. The LDS Church was a significant influence in the company, retaining a majority interest in ZCMI until its eventual sale in December 1999.
The store was established by a vote from the
Council of Fifty
"The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a Lat ...
, an early organization in the LDS Church.
In 1990, ZCMI opened its first concept store called ZCMI II. Featuring a smaller floor plan than its usual stores, this concept sold solely men's and women's clothing and shoes, while lacking other departments such as housewares, linens, and children's clothing. The first of these opened at
Tri City Mall
Tri-City Pavilions, formerly Tri-City Mall, is a shopping mall in Mesa, Arizona, United States. It was developed in 1968 as an enclosed shopping mall featuring Diamond's and JCPenney as the anchor stores. The mall underwent a period of decline fo ...
in
Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...
in 1990.
In October 1999, as a result of losses for two consecutive years, along with mounting economic and social pressures, ZCMI was sold to
May Department Stores Company of
St. Louis,
[ ZCMI operated under its original name as a part of May's ]Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
-based Meier & Frank division until April 2002, when the stores adopted the Meier & Frank name. In addition to the name change, the Utah stores in Logan
Logan may refer to:
Places
* Mount Logan (disambiguation)
Australia
* Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
* Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud
* Logan City, local gover ...
and St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
, along with the Idaho stores in Idaho Falls and Pocatello, were sold to Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is an upscale American department store chain with approximately 282 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The ...
in March 2001. May Co. was sold to Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. (originally Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American conglomerate holding company. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito ...
(now Macy's, Inc.) in 2005. In September 2006, all Meier & Frank stores were converted to Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
.
The façade of ZCMI was used in the City Creek Center, retaining the original ZCMI nameplate as a front for Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
.
See also
* ZCMI Center Mall
The ZCMI Center Mall was a shopping center near Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States that was owned by Zions Securities Corporation (now Utah Property Management Associates), which opened in 1975 and closed in 2007. At the time of ...
– former LDS Church shopping center near Temple Square, Salt Lake City
* Zion's Central Board of Trade
* Zions Securities
Utah Property Management Associates (UPMA), formerly Zions Securities Corporation (ZSC), is a subsidiary of Property Reserve Inc., which manages property owned by the Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( ...
– LDS Church property portfolio
References
Further reading
*
External links
Utah state history: ZCMI
Utah Heritage Foundation
details on the ZCMI building façade in downtown Salt Lake City
{{Dillard's history
1868 establishments in Utah Territory
Clothing retailers of the United States
Companies based in Salt Lake City
Retail companies disestablished in 2002
Retail companies established in 1868
Defunct department stores based in Utah
Defunct organizational subdivisions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Economic history of Utah
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah
2002 disestablishments in Utah
May Department Stores