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Associated Dry Goods Corporation (ADG) was a chain of
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 ...
s that merged with
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many c ...
in 1986. It was founded in 1916 as an association of independent stores called American Dry Goods, based in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.


History

The chain began when Henry Siegel, who had founded department store Siegel, Cooper & Co. in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, obtained financing from Goldman Sachs for a store in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in the early twentieth century. Though Siegel failed in his endeavor, the remnants of the chain were merged with John Claflin's stores H.B. Claflin & Company, along with
Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
, Stewart & Co., Hengerer's, and J. N. Adam & Co. (with financing from J. P. Morgan & Company), to create Associated Dry Goods. Other stores were spun off to
Mercantile Stores Co. Mercantile Stores Company Inc. until 1998, was a traditional department store retailer operating 102 fashion apparel stores and 16 home fashion stores in 17 states. The stores were operated under 13 different nameplates and varied in size, with t ...
Through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s ADG continued to expand through acquisitions. In the 1970s, they created a new St. Petersburg, Florida-based department store,
Robinson's of Florida Robinson's of Florida was a chain of department stores on Florida's Gulf Coast and Orlando and based in St. Petersburg, Florida, starting with a store at Tyrone Square Mall in 1972. It had been founded in the 1970s as an attempt by Associated Dry G ...
. However, ADG was most well known for its upscale
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
based
Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
division, with over 84 locations across the country. Lord & Taylor was ADG's largest and most profitable division.


Major growth

In the early and mid-1980s ADG attempted to rationalize its department stores, focusing on high-growth areas. Several of its non-profitable department store chains were sold or shuttered. They merged Hengerer's of Buffalo, New York into Rochester-based
Sibley's Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company, known informally as Sibley's, was a Rochester, New York-based department store chain with stores located exclusively in the state of New York. Its flagship store, at 228 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, also ...
in 1981. 1983 saw the merger of Cincinnati-based H.& S. Pogue Co. (5 locations) into Indianapolis-based L. S. Ayres. Also in 1983 The Diamond division (2 locations) of
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
was sold to Stone & Thomas. In 1984,
Stix Baer & Fuller __NOTOC__ Stix, Baer and Fuller (sometimes called "Stix" or SBF or the Grand-Leader) was a department store chain in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1892 to 1984. Founders and History Originally called the Grand-Leader, the original centr ...
(12 locations) in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
was sold to Dillard Department Stores. Also, in 1984, the Baltimore-based Stewart & Company division was merged into its
Caldor Caldor, Inc. was a discount department store chain founded in 1951 by husband and wife Carl and Dorothy Bennett. Referred to by many as the Bloomingdale's of discounting, Caldor grew from a second story "Walk-Up-&-Save" operation in Port Ches ...
discount division. The Powers Dry Goods Company (9 locations) in Minneapolis, Minnesota were sold to
Allied Stores Allied Stores was a department store chain in the United States. It was founded in the 1930s as part of a general consolidation in the retail sector by B. E. Puckett. See also Associated Dry Goods. It was the successor to Hahn's Department Stor ...
' The Donaldson Co. in 1985. In early 1986, they merged the Louisville-based Stewart Dry Goods division into its Indianapolis-based L. S. Ayres & Co. operations.


Founding stores, acquisitions, chain divestitures, closures, and division mergers


Founding stores

* Hahne & Co.,
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.William Hengerer Co.,
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, (founded 1874) * J. N. Adam & Co.,
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, (founded 1881) *
Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
, New York, New York, precursor founded in 1826 * Stewart & Co.br>


Later acquisitions

* 1956 – The Diamond (Department Store), Charleston, West Virginia * 1957 – J. W. Robinson Co.,
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
* 1957 -The Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co.,
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...
, and branch stores, founded in 1868 * 1959 – The Erie Dry Goods Co./Boston Store,
Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...
* 1962 – The H.& S. Pogue Co.,
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
* 1963 –
Goldwater's Goldwater's Department Store was a department store chain based in Phoenix, Arizona. History Michael Goldwater, the grandfather of U.S. Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, established a trading post in 1860 in Gila City, A ...
,
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
* 1966 – Stix, Baer, & Fuller,
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
* 1966 – The Denver Dry Goods Co.,
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
* 1970s –
Robinson's of Florida Robinson's of Florida was a chain of department stores on Florida's Gulf Coast and Orlando and based in St. Petersburg, Florida, starting with a store at Tyrone Square Mall in 1972. It had been founded in the 1970s as an attempt by Associated Dry G ...
,
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
* 1972 – L. S. Ayres & Co.,
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
* 1972 – Sycamore Specialty Stores (a division of L. S. Ayres & Co.) * 1972 –
Ayr-Way L. S. Ayres and Company was a department store based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and founded in 1872 by Lyman S. Ayres. Over the years its Indianapolis flagship store, which opened in 1905 and was later enlarged, became known for its women's fas ...
(a division of L. S. Ayres & Co.) * 1972 –
Joseph Horne Co. The Joseph Horne Company, often referred to simply as Joseph Horne's or Horne's, was an iconic, regional department store chain based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The store was one of the oldest in the country being founded on February 22, 1849, ...
,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
* 1972 – Stewart Dry Goods Co.,
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
* 1981 –
Caldor Caldor, Inc. was a discount department store chain founded in 1951 by husband and wife Carl and Dorothy Bennett. Referred to by many as the Bloomingdale's of discounting, Caldor grew from a second story "Walk-Up-&-Save" operation in Port Ches ...


Chain divestitures, closures and division mergers

Several department store divisions were divested or closed prior to the 1986 merger with
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many c ...
* 1981 – Hengerer's of Buffalo, New York was merged into the Rochester-based
Sibley's Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company, known informally as Sibley's, was a Rochester, New York-based department store chain with stores located exclusively in the state of New York. Its flagship store, at 228 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, also ...
* 1983 – H. & S. Pogue Co. of Cincinnati was merged into the Indianapolis-based L. S. Ayres * 1983 – The Diamond, Charleston, West Virginia was sold to Stone & Thomas * 1984 – Stewart & Company of Baltimore was merged into its
Caldor Caldor, Inc. was a discount department store chain founded in 1951 by husband and wife Carl and Dorothy Bennett. Referred to by many as the Bloomingdale's of discounting, Caldor grew from a second story "Walk-Up-&-Save" operation in Port Ches ...
discount division * 1984 –
Stix Baer & Fuller __NOTOC__ Stix, Baer and Fuller (sometimes called "Stix" or SBF or the Grand-Leader) was a department store chain in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1892 to 1984. Founders and History Originally called the Grand-Leader, the original centr ...
,
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
was sold to Dillard Department Stores * 1985 – The
Powers Dry Goods The Powers Department Store of Minneapolis, Minnesota was a department store chain with roots dating to 1873, and that, at its peak, consisted of 7 locations in Minnesota. History S. E. Olson & Co. Norwegian immigrant Seaver E. Olson formed a p ...
Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota was sold to
Allied Stores Allied Stores was a department store chain in the United States. It was founded in the 1930s as part of a general consolidation in the retail sector by B. E. Puckett. See also Associated Dry Goods. It was the successor to Hahn's Department Stor ...
' The Donaldson Co. * 1986 – Stewart Dry Goods of Louisville was merged into the Indianapolis-based L. S. Ayres & Co.


Acquisition by May Department Stores

ADG was acquired by the
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many c ...
Company in October 1986 as part of a
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
2.2 billion merger. At the time, it was considered to have been the most expensive purchase/merger in retail history. After 1986, May converted or merged most of the former ADG department stores into its own divisions with the exception of the upscale
Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
, which was a long-time
fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...
leader and considered the “ crown jewel” of Associated. When the May Company acquired ADG in 1986, it was assumed that May bought ADG just for the upscale Lord & Taylor division. During the final year of retail operation, ADG operated over 155 department stores, in addition to
Caldor Caldor, Inc. was a discount department store chain founded in 1951 by husband and wife Carl and Dorothy Bennett. Referred to by many as the Bloomingdale's of discounting, Caldor grew from a second story "Walk-Up-&-Save" operation in Port Ches ...
(a northeast upscale discount chain), and
Loehmann's Loehmann's was an American retail company which started as a single store in Brooklyn, New York and grew to a chain of off-price department stores in the United States. The chain was best known for its "Back Room", where women interested in fash ...
, (a specialty off price retailer).


Timeline of May Company Conversions & Divestitures of former ADG Divisions

After the ADG merger, the May Company either divested or merged each of the former ADG divisions into its own regional nameplates: * 1986 –
Joseph Horne Co. The Joseph Horne Company, often referred to simply as Joseph Horne's or Horne's, was an iconic, regional department store chain based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The store was one of the oldest in the country being founded on February 22, 1849, ...
sold to Pittsburgh investor group due to a possible anti-trust suit by City of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
* 1987 – Denver Dry Goods Co. converted to
May D&F May-Daniels & Fisher (commonly known, and doing business as "May-D&F," in later years without the hyphen) was a Denver, Colorado department store created in 1957 when the original May Company operations in Colorado, founded by David May in 1877 ...
* 1987 –
Robinson's of Florida Robinson's of Florida was a chain of department stores on Florida's Gulf Coast and Orlando and based in St. Petersburg, Florida, starting with a store at Tyrone Square Mall in 1972. It had been founded in the 1970s as an attempt by Associated Dry G ...
sold to Maison Blanche/Goudchaux Co. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to be operated as Maison Blanche stores * 1988 –
Loehmann's Loehmann's was an American retail company which started as a single store in Brooklyn, New York and grew to a chain of off-price department stores in the United States. The chain was best known for its "Back Room", where women interested in fash ...
sold to an investor group led by Spanish concern, Sefinco Ltd., and the Sprout Group, a division of
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) was a U.S. investment bank founded by William H. Donaldson, Richard Jenrette, and Dan Lufkin in 1959. Its businesses included securities underwriting; sales and trading; investment and merchant banking; fina ...
* 1989 –
Goldwater's Goldwater's Department Store was a department store chain based in Phoenix, Arizona. History Michael Goldwater, the grandfather of U.S. Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, established a trading post in 1860 in Gila City, A ...
merged into J. W. Robinson's,
May Company California May Company California was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California and Nevada, with headquarters in North Hollywood, California. It was a subsidiary of May Department Stores and merged with May's other Southern California s ...
, and
May D&F May-Daniels & Fisher (commonly known, and doing business as "May-D&F," in later years without the hyphen) was a Denver, Colorado department store created in 1957 when the original May Company operations in Colorado, founded by David May in 1877 ...
* 1989 – Hahne & Co. converted into
Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
* 1990 –
Caldor Caldor, Inc. was a discount department store chain founded in 1951 by husband and wife Carl and Dorothy Bennett. Referred to by many as the Bloomingdale's of discounting, Caldor grew from a second story "Walk-Up-&-Save" operation in Port Ches ...
sold in leveraged buy out * 1991 – L. S. Ayres, (
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
) merged into
Famous-Barr The Famous-Barr Co. (originally Famous and Barr Co.) was a division of Macy's, Inc. (formerly Federated Department Stores). Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, in the Railway Exchange Building, it was the flagship store of The May Department S ...
but continued operating under the L. S. Ayres nameplate * 1986 – H & S Pogue, (
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
), formerly converted in 1983 by ADG to L. S. Ayres, sold to
Hess's Hess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company started in 1897 with one store, originally known as Hess Brothers, and grew to nearly 80 stores by its peak in the late 1980s. The chain's stores were closed or sol ...
&
JC Penney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...
* 1987 – Stewart Dry Goods Co., (
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
), formerly converted in 1984 by ADG to L. S. Ayres, sold to
Hess's Hess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company started in 1897 with one store, originally known as Hess Brothers, and grew to nearly 80 stores by its peak in the late 1980s. The chain's stores were closed or sol ...
* 1992 –
Sibley's Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company, known informally as Sibley's, was a Rochester, New York-based department store chain with stores located exclusively in the state of New York. Its flagship store, at 228 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, also ...
converted into
Kaufmann's Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Summary The store was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of the famous Fallingwater house. In the post-war years, the store became a regio ...
* 1992 – J. W. Robinson's merged with
May Company California May Company California was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California and Nevada, with headquarters in North Hollywood, California. It was a subsidiary of May Department Stores and merged with May's other Southern California s ...
to form
Robinsons-May Robinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, from 1993 until 2006. It was created when May Department Stores combined two of its chains, May Company California and J. W. Robinson's cha ...
Lord & Taylor, the last remaining nameplate, in 2021 converted to an online-only.


History by nameplate

The Denver Dry Goods Company The Denver Dry Goods Company, also known as "The Denver", is a defunct department store which was established in Denver, Colorado, USA, in 1879 by Michael J. McNamara and L.H. Flanders as M.J. McNamara & Company and later The McNamara Dry Goods C ...
,
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, was acquired by ADG in 1966. The division consisted of 12 stores in Colorado. After the 1986 May/ADG merger, it was largely shutdown and sold-off and the remaining units were absorbed by
May D&F May-Daniels & Fisher (commonly known, and doing business as "May-D&F," in later years without the hyphen) was a Denver, Colorado department store created in 1957 when the original May Company operations in Colorado, founded by David May in 1877 ...
(May Daniels & Fischer) in 1987. May D&F ended up absorbing 3 stores from The Denver Dry Goods Co.. In 1989, May D&F also absorbed ADG's former Goldwater's location in Albuquerque. In 1993, May D&F was merged into May's
Foley's Foley's was a chain of department stores owned by May Department Stores and headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas. On August 30, 2005, the division was dissolved and operation of the stores was assumed by Federated's Macy's West and Macy's ...
division of Houston. After May was bought by Federated, it was announced that most Foley's stores (including the former Denver Dry Goods/May D&F locations) would either be 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 ...
or sold. The Diamond, Charleston, West Virginia, was a small 2 store division located in West Virginia. ADG sold this division in 1983 to Stone & Thomas due to limited growth potential. Goldwaters,
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
, was founded in
Gila City, Arizona Gila City is a ghost town in Yuma County in the U.S. state of Arizona. The town was settled in 1858 in what was then the New Mexico Territory. History Gila City was founded on the south bank of the Gila River, 19 miles east of the confluence of ...
in 1860. It moved to Phoenix in 1872 and was acquired by Associated in 1963. It consisted of 9 locations in Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada. The chain became a division of May as part of the May/ADG merger in 1986. May dissolved the division in 1989 and split the stores into three other May divisions. Eventually May D&F, May Company California and J. W. Robinson's absorbed various stores with the Tucson-area stores being sold to Dillard's Department Stores. The H.& S. Pogue Co.,
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
, was acquired by Associated Dry Goods Corp. in 1962. In 1984, it was merged into L. S. Ayres & Co. of Indianapolis. After the May/ADG merger, its former branch locations were swiftly shuttered or sold to Hess's and JCPenney in 1987 and 1988 and the downtown flagship demolished. Hahne & Co.,
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Gimbels at Westfield Garden State Plaza but Sunday operating law in Bergen County prevented this—its 9 stores were shut down by May in 1989. Most of them (six) were absorbed by Lord & Taylor, while the large Westfield Garden State Plaza store was bought by Nordstrom. Hengerer's (The William Hengerer Co.),
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, was founded in 1874 as Barnes, Bancroft & Co.. It adopted the Hengerer name in 1895 and was purchased in 1905 by J. N. Adam & Co. It was a division of Associated Dry Goods Corp. from its inception in 1916. In 1981, ADG merged Hengerer's into Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co. of Rochester. After the May/ADG merger, Sibley's was merged into May's Kaufmann's division in 1992. After May was bought by Federated, it was announced that most
Kaufmann's Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Summary The store was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of the famous Fallingwater house. In the post-war years, the store became a regio ...
stores would either be converted to Macy's or sold. All the former Hengerer's locations became Macy's in September 2006.
Joseph Horne Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
Co.,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
. This was historically the carriage-trade department store of Pittsburgh. For several decades was in direct competition with cross-town rival Kaufmann's (a division of May). It was acquired by Associated Dry Goods in 1972 – and eventually acquired by May in October 1986 as part of the May/ADG merger. Due to anti-trust concerns and legal action by the City of Pittsburgh, it was promptly sold in December 1986 to an investor group. After several years of private ownership, it was announced the Dillard's would be buying the chain to combine it with the Dillard/DeBartolo co-owned Higbee's stores based in Cleveland. However, the deal collapsed and was not completed. Eventually the Joseph Horne Co. was sold off in parts, with Dillard's acquiring its three Ohio stores in 1992 and Federated Department Stores Lazarus division acquiring its remaining ten Pennsylvania stores in 1995. Federated eventually merged all of its divisions (including the former Joseph Horne/Lazarus locations) into Macy's. J. N. Adam & Co.,
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, was founded in 1881. It purchased Hengerer's in 1905 and, later that same year, both were sold to H.B. Claflin & Co., They later became United Dry Goods Companies. It was a division of Associated Dry Goods Corp. from its inception in 1916. The chain closed in 1960. L. S. Ayres & Co,
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
, was acquired by Associated Dry Goods Corp in 1972. L. S. Ayres & Co. absorbed Pogue's of Cincinnati in 1984 and Stewart's of Louisville in 1985. Upon completion of these mergers, L. S. Ayres & Co. consisted of 25 stores in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, After the 1986 May/ADG merger, the under-performing locations of both former chains were swiftly divested by May in 1987 and 1988. L. S. Ayres & Co. was shortened to L. S. Ayres and was operationally consolidated with Famous-Barr in 1991 (but continuing to operate under the L. S. Ayres moniker), when its downtown Indianapolis flagship and three other under-performing stores were closed. After May was bought by Federated, it was announced that most Famous-Barr – L. S. Ayres stores would either be converted to Macy's or sold.
Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
, New York, New York, was founded in 1826. The chain was a founding member of the Associated Dry Goods Corp. organization (then American Dry Goods) in 1916. It became part of May in the 1986 May/ADG merger. While a part of Associated and under the leadership of CEO Joseph E. Brooks, during the 1970s, the chain aggressively expanded into Texas, Illinois, and Michigan. In the early 1980s, South Florida saw 11 stores opened in quick succession. They partially withdrew from the oil-shocked Texas and southern Florida markets in 1989–1990 after the 1986 May/ADG merger. After May assumed ownership, ADG's Hahne's division (several New Jersey locations) and several former John Wanamaker (Philadelphia) locations were combined under the Lord & Taylor name-plate. From 1997 to 2006, Lord & Taylor occupied the former
Wanamaker's John Wanamaker Department Store was one of the first department stores in the United States. Founded by John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, it was influential in the development of the retail industry including as the first store to use price tags. ...
landmark store in downtown Philadelphia. During the 1990s and early 2000s, May took the chain national. Under the leadership of CEO Marshall Hilsberg, Lord & Taylor entered expansion mode opening stores as far west as Las Vegas, Nevada. At its then peak, Lord & Taylor operated as many as 86 stores across the country. May was purchased by
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 ...
in June 2005. Terry Lundgren, Federated's chairman, president and chief executive officer, announced on January 12, 2006 that Federated Department Stores would be selling the Lord & Taylor chain by the end of the year. On June 22, 2006, it was announced that NRDC Equity Partners, LLC would purchase Lord & Taylor for $1.2 billion. The sale that was completed four months later in October 2006. After its 2008 purchase of the Canadian department store retailer
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
, NRDC has stated that it plans to open stores internationally. In 2019, clothing rental firm Le Tote purchased the Lord & Taylor chain. On August 27, 2020, it was announced that Lord & Taylor will be going out of business after a bankruptcy filing on August 2, six years shy of its 200th anniversary. The
Powers Dry Goods The Powers Department Store of Minneapolis, Minnesota was a department store chain with roots dating to 1873, and that, at its peak, consisted of 7 locations in Minnesota. History S. E. Olson & Co. Norwegian immigrant Seaver E. Olson formed a p ...
Co, Minneapolis, Minnesota, consisted of 7 locations. In 1985, it was acquired by The Donaldson Company (of Minneapolis, a unit of Allied Stores Corp.), which gave
Donaldson's Donaldson's, previously known as The L. S. Donaldson Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota is a defunct department store company. History Scottish immigrant William Donaldson opened a small store in Minneapolis in 1881, located at 310 Nicollet Avenue. ...
some breathing room against dominant rival
Dayton's Dayton's was an American department store chain founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1902 by George Draper Dayton. It operated several local high end department stores throughout Minnesota and the Upper Midwest for almost 100 years. Although it ...
. In 1987, after Campeau Corp.'s buy-out of Allied Stores Corp., Donaldson's was purchased by
Carson Pirie Scott Carson Pirie Scott & Co. (also known as Carson's) is an American department store that was founded in 1854, which grew to over 50 locations, primarily in the Midwestern United States. Sold to the holding company of Bon-Ton in 2006, but still op ...
& Co. of Chicago which renamed its stores with its own imprimatur. Carson's in turn was acquired by P.A. Bergner & Co. of Milwaukee (and formerly of Peoria, Illinois) in 1989. They filed for bankruptcy in 1991. In 1995 Carson's sold the Minneapolis locations (formerly Powers/Donaldsons) to Dayton's parent Dayton Hudson Corp. Many of which re-opened under its moderate Mervyn's chain. This was mostly in a move to prevent serious competition in its Twin Cities stronghold. In 2004 when Dayton's successor
Marshall Field's Marshall Field & Company (commonly known as Marshall Field's) was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Mar ...
was acquired by May, it also agreed to buy the former Donaldson/Powers locations, which Mervyn's promptly shuttered, and left May responsible for disposing of the real-estate. J. W. Robinson's –
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, was a division of Associated Dry Goods since 1957, and consisted of 21 locations in California. J. W. Robinson's was acquired by May in the October 1986 May/ADG merger. It was historically a carriage-trade department store and operated in tandem with May's own middle-tier May Company California division for several years. In 1989 it took over operation of the Goldwaters stores in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1992, as part of divisional consolidations by the May Company, the J.W. Robinson Co. division was merged with the May Company California division to form a single Los Angeles based division to be called
Robinsons-May Robinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, from 1993 until 2006. It was created when May Department Stores combined two of its chains, May Company California and J. W. Robinson's cha ...
. After May was bought by Federated, it was announced that most Robinsons-May stores would either be 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 ...
or sold.
Robinson's of Florida Robinson's of Florida was a chain of department stores on Florida's Gulf Coast and Orlando and based in St. Petersburg, Florida, starting with a store at Tyrone Square Mall in 1972. It had been founded in the 1970s as an attempt by Associated Dry G ...
–
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
, was a division of Associated Dry Goods when acquired by May in 1986. It had been founded in the 1970s as an attempt by ADG to emulate the success of its upscale J.W. Robinson's stores (of Los Angeles) on the fast-growing Florida Gulf Coast. Rather than invest in the then stagnant Florida market, May sold the division in 1987 (seven stores) to Maison Blanche/Gouchaux Co. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to be operated as Maison Blanche stores. The bulk of the former Robinsons of Florida locations were subsequently sold by Maison Blanche to Dillard Department Stores in 1991. The Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co. –
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...
, and Syracuse, New York, founded in 1868, was since 1961 a division of Associated Dry Goods Corporation and was acquired by May in the 1986 May/ADG merger. It consisted of 14 locations in NY. It had previously absorbed the William Hengerer Co. in Buffalo in 1981. In 1992, Sibley's, as it was informally known, was merged into Kaufmann's. After May was bought by Federated, it was announced that most Kaufmann's stores (including the former Sibley's locations) would either be converted to Macy's or sold. The Stewart Dry Goods Co. –
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, consisted of seven stores in Kentucky and Indiana. In 1985, it was merged into L. S. Ayres & Co. of Indianapolis and after the May/ADG merger in 1986, its former locations were shuttered or sold to Hess's in 1987. Stewart & Company –
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. ADG closed this Baltimore based division in 1982. All stores were converted into Caldor stores over an 18-month period.
Stix Baer & Fuller __NOTOC__ Stix, Baer and Fuller (sometimes called "Stix" or SBF or the Grand-Leader) was a department store chain in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1892 to 1984. Founders and History Originally called the Grand-Leader, the original centr ...
–
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
and Kansas City, Missouri. In 1984, this division was sold after several years of continued losses. Dillard Department Stores acquired ADG's Stix, Baer & Fuller's 12 stores for approximately $93 million. The downtown St. Louis flagship building was operated as a Dillard's for several years, then converted into a Dillard's clearance center, and finally shuttered.


Discount and off-price chains owned by ADG

Loehmann's Loehmann's was an American retail company which started as a single store in Brooklyn, New York and grew to a chain of off-price department stores in the United States. The chain was best known for its "Back Room", where women interested in fash ...
– the Bronx, New York. Loehmann's was acquired by ADG in 1983, and consisted of 81 locations in 28 states. This acquisition gave ADG a major entry in the rapidly growing off-price retailing market. After the 1986 May/ADG merger, May quickly sold the division.
Caldor Caldor, Inc. was a discount department store chain founded in 1951 by husband and wife Carl and Dorothy Bennett. Referred to by many as the Bloomingdale's of discounting, Caldor grew from a second story "Walk-Up-&-Save" operation in Port Ches ...
– Norwalk, Connecticut. Caldor, an upscale discounter, consisted of 109 stores in New England and Mid Atlantic States. After the 1986 May/ADG merger, May promptly sold the division. The chain entered bankruptcy and was liquidated in 1999.


Additional information about ADG and May Department Stores

See also the
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many c ...
listing for very comprehensive information about May and all of May's current and former divisions. See also
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 ...
,
Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
, and Dillard's Department Stores


References

*Rizzo, Michael F., ''Nine Nine Eight: The Glory Days of Buffalo Shopping'', 2007, (Lulu Enterprises, Inc.: Morrisville, N.C.)


External links


MERCANTILE'S_HISTORY_Buying_up_small_chains_was_key._Tuesday,_May_19,_1998_BY_LISA_BIANK_FASIG_''The_Cincinnati_Enquirer
''_.html" ;"title="The Cincinnati Enquirer">MERCANTILE'S HISTORY Buying up small chains was key. Tuesday, May 19, 1998 BY LISA BIANK FASIG ''The Cincinnati Enquirer
'' ">The Cincinnati Enquirer">MERCANTILE'S HISTORY Buying up small chains was key. Tuesday, May 19, 1998 BY LISA BIANK FASIG ''The Cincinnati Enquirer
'' {{Macy's history Defunct department stores of the United States Retail companies established in 1916 Retail companies disestablished in 1986 1916 establishments in New York (state) May Department Stores