Filene's 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 under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...
chain founded in 1881 by William Filene. The historic
Filene's Department Store in the
Downtown Crossing district of
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
housed the flagship store and headquarters, while branch stores operated throughout
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
and
New York. Filene's was a founding member of the
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. (previously Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American holding company of department stores. Upon its establishment in 1929, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus (departm ...
holding company in 1929. It was acquired by
The May Department Stores Company in 1988, and expanded with the mergers of
G. Fox & Co. in 1992 and
Steiger's in 1994. Filene's and
Kaufmann's
Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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 regional chain ...
were merged into a single division in 2002, although they maintained their individual brands.
May was
acquired by Federated in 2005, which dissolved Filene's and converted stores to
Macy's in 2006. The former flagship store was divested after Federated retained the adjacent, existing Macy's that was converted from
Jordan Marsh in 1996, however, the building was designated a
Boston Landmark in 2006. , current tenants include advertising agencies
Arnold Worldwide and
Havas Media, and
fast fashion
Fast fashion is the business model of replicating recent catwalk trends and High fashion, high-fashion designs, mass production, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail quickly while demand is at its highest. The term ''fast ...
retailer
Primark.
Filene's Basement
Filene's Basement, also called The Basement, was a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores which was owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. until April 2009 when it was sold to Syms.
Founded in 1909 and one of the oldest off-price retailers in ...
was established in the basement of the Filene's Department Store in 1908, and evolved into a distinct
off-price store chain. It was
spun-off by Federated in 1988, and experienced several ownership changes before filing for bankruptcy and liquidating in 2011.
History
Origins
The precursor of the main company was a store opened in 1881 by William Filene. Filene was a German Jewish immigrant from Posen,
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
(now
Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
). He immigrated to
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
in 1848. Although William Filene is credited with creating Filene's, it was his sons,
Edward Filene and
Abraham Lincoln Filene, who expanded the business greatly.
[ Remembering Great American Department Stores] Edward and Lincoln were two of the best known businessmen in America and were responsible for converting their father's clothing store into one of the largest department stores in the country. The two sons assumed management of the store in 1891 and inherited the store upon their father's death in 1901; by that the company was known as William Filene's Sons & Company.
In 1908 Edward Filene opened ''the automatic bargain annex'' or
Filene's Basement
Filene's Basement, also called The Basement, was a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores which was owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. until April 2009 when it was sold to Syms.
Founded in 1909 and one of the oldest off-price retailers in ...
as a way to sell excess merchandise from the upstairs department store. He also developed an automatic mark-down schedule to reduce the price of merchandise, used thereafter for decades. Edward's influence gave Filene's an early reputation as a customer oriented store with slogans like “money back if not satisfied.”
A new main store,
Filene's Department Store, was completed in 1912 in Boston on the corner of Washington and
Summer
Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
streets, by Chicago architect
Daniel Burnham as his last major project. By 1929 Filene's expanded the main building, converting the block around Washington, Summer,
Hawley and Franklin streets into one department store.
Filene's is also a founding member of the
International Association of department stores in 1928, which is still active as of today.
Establishment of Federated

Also during 1929, Filene's joined
Abraham & Straus and
Lazarus as the founding members of
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. (previously Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American holding company of department stores. Upon its establishment in 1929, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus (departm ...
. From the 1930s through 1990s Filene's continued expanding beyond
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
with the country growing and adapting to new
shopping malls
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, it began to be used as a generi ...
. Filene's main rival company during this period was
Jordan Marsh, whose main store, like Filene's, was located in
Downtown Crossing in Boston, and was also making the transition, expanding into shopping malls. In 1947, the Filene's Basement trade-name was first applied to an annual
bridal gown sale. Lines extending around the store made it famous.
Acquisition by May
In 1988, after the leveraged buyout of
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. (previously Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American holding company of department stores. Upon its establishment in 1929, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus (departm ...
by
Campeau Corp. of
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Canada, the division was sold to
May Department Stores Co. along with
Foley's of
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
. It was then that the Filene's and
Filene's Basement
Filene's Basement, also called The Basement, was a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores which was owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. until April 2009 when it was sold to Syms.
Founded in 1909 and one of the oldest off-price retailers in ...
trade-names were disassociated. In 1992, Filene's absorbed
G. Fox & Co. of
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, and Steiger's in 1994, two other divisions of
May Company. During the 1990s there was a doubling of the Filene's organization as May invested in new stores and variegated Filene's price and product assortments. In 2002 Filene's assumed operational control of the
Kaufmann's
Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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 regional chain ...
stores in
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
, and western
New York state.
Acquisition by Federated and conversion to Macy's
Speculated since the early 2000s, Federated announced its planned acquisition of May in February 2005. The likelihood that the May nameplates would be replaced by the Federated-owned
Macy's was acknowledged, citing the "considerable success in re-branding
ederated'sregional stores as Macy's" and that "operating regional stores primarily under one brand means
heycan advertise nationally, unlike regional retailers, which is more cost-effective;" the changes were unlikely to occur before 2006. Indeed, the company-wide conversion to Macy's was confirmed in July,
and the merger was completed in August.
Federated continued to divest "duplicate" properties in shopping malls where Filene's and Macy's were both present; prior to consolidation, Filene's operated 47 locations across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
In regards to Downtown Crossing, however, the company remained uncertain whether the Filene's Department Store or the neighboring former Jordan Marsh flagship store (that became Macy's in the mid-1990s) would be retained.
Then-Boston Mayor
Thomas Menino expressed his preference for "marrying Macy's to the Filene's building."
Ultimately, the existing Macy's location was left intact and the Filene's store was closed in 2006.
The last remaining Filene's stores closed on September 9, 2006, with the conversion of the May-owned nameplates, Macy's had become a national retailer with over 800 stores. Upon receiving approval from shareholders that Federated itself be renamed
Macy's, Inc. in 2007, then-CEO Terry Lundgren admitted that business was struggling from "
aving throwna lot of change on the May company stores very quickly."
Legacy

When Filene's closed, the
Boston Landmarks Commission voted unanimously to protect the two oldest buildings that housed Filene's, the main 1912 store and a 1905 former glassware and china seller's building on the opposite corner. Two newer buildings, built in 1951 and 1973, were demolished in 2008.
Surprisingly, though many Bostonians felt a sense of loss, the public did not protest the closing, unlike that of
Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company (colloquially Marshall Field's) was an American department store chain founded in 1852 by Potter Palmer. It was based in Chicago, Illinois and founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, ...
in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, and
Kaufmann's
Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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 regional chain ...
in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. Boston had already lost many local companies to larger companies in the region, especially
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, including ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
s acquisition of the ''
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' and the subsumption of the
Bank of Boston and
Fleet Bank into
Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...
.
The Boston Landmarks Commission only protected the façade of each building, allowing developers to rip out the buildings' interiors, including the original paneling installed in the main store. When the project ran out of money, the buildings were left completely gutted.
In mid-2014, advertising and public relations company
Havas
Havas NV () is a French multinational corporation, multinational advertising agency, advertising and public relations company, with its registered office and head office in Puteaux, France.
Havas operates in more than 100 countries. The group ...
opened offices for several of its divisions (including advertising agency
Arnold Worldwide and media planning division
Havas Media) in the former Filene's Department Store. Earlier that year, Irish
fast fashion
Fast fashion is the business model of replicating recent catwalk trends and High fashion, high-fashion designs, mass production, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail quickly while demand is at its highest. The term ''fast ...
retailer
Primark announced that they would open their first location in the United States in the since-renamed Burnham Building.
The four-level, flagship store opened in September 2015, a mural inspired by the Filene's origin of the building was installed on the second floor.
Filene's Basement
By the direction of company president
Edward Filene, Filene's opened its famous "Automatic Bargain Basement" in 1909, which became a much-visited tourist attraction. The concept of the
bargain basement was not new (
Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company (colloquially Marshall Field's) was an American department store chain founded in 1852 by Potter Palmer. It was based in Chicago, Illinois and founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, ...
created the first in 1879), but Filene's basement was well lit and decorated ostentatiously. The basement had its own staff which bought surplus, factory clearances, overstock, or closeout merchandise - Filene boasted that he had once sold more than 7,000 pairs of woolen underwear during two July days. Goods were marked down according to an automatic schedule; an item that had been on sale for 12 days was marked down by 25 percent, after 18 days by 50 percent, after 24 days by 75 percent, and after 30 days it was given away. Ninety percent of goods sold in the basement were purchased within the first 12 days of sale.
Filene's Basement was separately owned and operated by Retail Ventures, Inc. until 2009 when it was sold to Buxbaum Group, a liquidation company. The Filene's Basement stores were not affected by the Filene's/Macy's merger. However, in 2007, the original Filene's Basement location was closed while the old Filene's building was being gutted and rebuilt. At the time of the closing, the store was expected to relocate back into its basement space in 2010; however, the Filene's Basement company began its third Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2011, liquidating and permanently closing all of its stores in December 2011.
Gallery
File:Washington st Boston.jpg, Shoppers hurry around Filene's (center right) on Washington Street in Boston.
File:Filenes ad on a ticketstub.png, Filene's advertisement on back of Red Sox baseball ticket.
File:Filene's clock DownTCrossing2008.jpg, Boston's own variation of the saying "meet me under the clock" with the Filene's clock on Washington Street (2008)
See also
*
List of defunct department stores of the United States
*
List of department stores converted to Macy's
*
Downtown Crossing, shopping district in which Filene's flagship store was located
*
Jordan Marsh, another Boston-based department store chain acquired by Federated and converted to Macy's
*
Mitchells Stores
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Magazine article (1912) about the architecture of Filene's* Boston Public Library
{{Macy's history
1881 establishments in Massachusetts
2006 disestablishments in Massachusetts
American companies established in 1881
Retail companies established in 1881
Retail companies disestablished in 2006
Clothing retailers of the United States
Companies based in Boston
Defunct companies based in Massachusetts
Defunct department stores based in Massachusetts
Macy's
May Department Stores