Abraham & Straus

Abraham & Straus
	1987–1995 logo
Type	Corporation
Industry	Retail
Founded	1865;158 years ago in Brooklyn, New York
Founder	Abraham Abraham ; Joseph Wechsler
Defunct	April 30, 1995;28 years ago
Fate	Acquired by Federated Department Stores, converted to Macy's, Stern's, and Bloomingdale's
Successor	Stern's (1867–2001); Macy's (2001–present); Bloomingdale's (2001–present);
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Products	Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares.
Parent	Federated Department Stores (1929–1995)

Last updated September 09, 2023

Abraham & Straus, commonly shortened to A&S, is a defunct major New York City department store, based in Brooklyn. Founded in 1865, it became part of Federated Department Stores in 1929. Shortly after Federated's 1994 acquisition of R.H. Macy & Company, it eliminated the A&S brand. Most A&S stores took the Macy's name, although a few became part of Stern's, another Federated division, but one that offered lower-end goods than Macy's or A&S did.

History

Timeline

1800s- The store was founded in 1865 in Brooklyn, New York, as Wechsler & Abraham by Joseph Wechsler and Abraham Abraham. In 1893, the Straus family (including Isidor Straus and Nathan Straus), who acquired a general partnership with Macy's department stores in 1888, bought out Joseph Wechsler's interest in Wechsler & Abraham and changed the store's name to Abraham & Straus. While Abraham & Straus did not at that time become a part of Macy's, the two stores shared an overseas office and maintained close ties.
1900s- Federated Department Stores, Inc. was formed in 1929 as a holding company by several family-owned department stores, including Abraham & Straus, F&R Lazarus & Co. (along with its Cincinnati-based subsidiary, Shillito's), and Filene's of Boston. Corporate offices established in Columbus, Ohio, later moved to Cincinnati. In 1992, Federated Department Stores merged with Allied Stores Corporation. The A&S and Jordan Marsh divisions were consolidated, forming the A&S/Jordan Marsh division, headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. Early in the new year, Macy's filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11. In 1994 the Federated Department Stores acquired the now bankrupt R.H. Macy & Company and combined Macy's, headquartered in New York City, with A&S/Jordan Marsh. In 1995, the name Abraham & Straus was dropped in favor of the more widely known name Macy's. In the few cases where both companies had stores in the same mall, only one building was kept as a Macy's.
2000s - In 2006, a historic bronze plaque honoring Isidor and Ida Straus and memorializing their deaths during the sinking of the RMS Titanic was removed from the Macy's flagship store during a 34th Street store renovation, and given to the Straus family. On May 29, 2014, members of the Straus family, the Straus Historical Society, and Macy's Executive Staff gathered for the re-dedication of the Isidor and Ida Straus Memorial Plaque at the 34th Street Memorial Entrance of Macy's Herald Square.^{[ citation needed ]}

Founding and early history

Namesakes

Abraham

Straus

The first Brooklyn store, at 285 Fulton Street, opened in 1865 and measured 25 feet by 90 feet. Abraham Abraham, age 22, and Joseph Wechsler each contributed $5,000 for the purchase.^[1] In 1883, the firm bought the recently built Second Empire cast-iron Wheeler Building at 422 Fulton Street to be their flagship store.^[2]

On April 1, 1893, Nathan Straus, Isidor Straus,^[3] and Simon F. Rothschild as partners – the Straus brothers provided the financing, but Rothschild was the active partner^[4] – bought out Wechsler, and the firm became Abraham & Straus. At the time, the company had 2,000 employees. Simon F. Rothschild, Abraham's son-in-law, Edward Charles Blum, and son, Lawrence Abraham, became partners in the new firm.^[5]

1900–1969

By 1900, the company had 4,650 employees. From the 1890s to the 1920s, A&S utilized a system of catalog store agencies across Long Island to serve customers.^[1]

In 1912, Isidor Straus, along with his wife Ida, died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

Around 1915, after Abraham's daughter married Isidor's son Percy Selden Straus, the Straus family divided up the empire with Nathan's family running A&S and Isidor's family running Macy's.^[3]

Beginning in 1928, the company embarked on a $7.8 million expansion of the Fulton Street Store, which included excavating a new basement without disturbing customers above. The renovated store opened October 10, just days before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. In the summer of 1929, the company joined Filene's and Lazarus to form Federated Department Stores. Bloomingdale's joined the following year. To economize during the Depression, the company began scheduling employees according to hourly sales. In addition, all employees took a 10 percent pay cut. No employees were laid off.^[1]

In 1937, Walter N. Rothschild led the company, and was president and chairman until 1955. Following Rothschild, Sidney L. Solomon became the company's first non-family president. At the time, the company had 12,000 employees.

After World War II – The company grew. In 1950, the company purchased Loeser's Garden City store, and two years later, its first new branch store opened in Hempstead, New York.^[1]

In the following decades, the company expanded throughout the New York metropolitan area. Among its expansions was an anchor store at Paramus Park in Paramus, New Jersey, which necessitated the building of an access road that, despite the conversion of the store to Macy's, is still today known as A&S Drive.

1970–1995

In the 1970s, Federated attempted to update the image of A&S and funded the construction of new, more upscale stores. A&S developed a new logo that once again branded the stores Abraham & Straus. The company opened a central distribution center which decreased the amount of non-selling space needed in each store.

In 1978, the firm opened the first of its more upscale stores at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, New Jersey. This was followed by stores in White Plains, New York, in 1980, The Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey, in 1981, and a replacement for the chain's Babylon, Long Island store at Westfield Sunrise Mall.

In 1981 and 1982, the chain opened two stores at malls in the suburban Philadelphia market, The Court at King of Prussia and Willow Grove Park Mall. These new stores struggled to find their niche, and the two Pennsylvania stores were closed in 1987 and 1988, respectively, and the space became occupied by Philadelphia-based Strawbridge and Clothier.

The Short Hills, New Jersey store seemed out of place in the very upscale mall, and customers resisted what were seen to be the store's more rigid policies concerning check acceptance, inter-store transfers, and refunds. Eventually, A&S would stock the Short Hills location with merchandise that better befit the location.

In 1994, Federated acquired Macy's. Since both Macy's and A&S competed for the same type of middle-income customer, Federated felt that the lesser-known A&S brand should be eliminated. In January 1995, it was announced that all A&S locations would be converted to other brands by April 30. Most became Macy's or Stern's, but at least one location was converted to a Bloomingdale's and another was sold to Sears.^[6]

Logos
1893–1955
1955–1960s
late 1960s–1976
1976-1978
1978–1987

Fulton Street flagship store

The company's 841,000-square-foot Brooklyn flagship store was located at 422 Fulton Street, in the Fulton Street Mall.

From the beginning, the company had high aspirations. In 1885, the company hired architect George L. Morse to work on the Fulton Street store in Downtown Brooklyn. For their 1928 to 1930 renovations and additions, the company hired architects Starrett & van Vleck to build an Art Deco addition that faced Fulton, Hoyt, and Livingston Streets. In 2003, the Brooklyn Heights Association and the Municipal Art Society put the building on a list of 28 historic buildings in downtown Brooklyn that needed to be protected.^[7]

In the mid-1970s, Abraham & Straus' flagship store made mannequin modeling famous. Linda Timmins, head of the division, selected one juvenile and ingénue with "The Editorial Look" from each of the high schools across Brooklyn and Manhattan. The schools and their students were also selected for high academic standing; Manhattan Performing Arts High School student Yvette Post, Metropolitan Opera juvenile star Robert Westin, Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School's Alan Jay Kahm and head cheerleader Paula Gallo, as well as Maria Russo of Catherine McAuley High School (Brooklyn) were some of the few selected to represent the youth of New York. These "Mannequin Models" would pose for up to an hour at a time in the windows of the store as "Living Mannequins", wearing classic designer clothes and current fashions designed by Nik Nik, Pierre Cardin, and other top designers and exclusive prêt-à-porter from upscale fashion houses.

Eventually, as crowds would often stop traffic and became a safety hazard, Abraham & Straus had to move the Living Mannequins inside the store or face a stiff penalty from the city. Despite this change, the crowds still came. Each season, the young mannequin models would be allowed to move in order to do an in-store runway show for the Designer de Jour. Although it was the 1970s, the store did not feature polyester suits or non-designer outfits in these shows.

Unlike countless numbers of downtown department stores that have closed throughout the nation, this historic location continues as a Macy's. At 1,012,000 sq ft (94,000 m²), it is the second-largest Macy's in the New York City area.^[8] Macy's utilizes the lower level through 5th floor for retail departments, the 6th floor for seasonal merchandise and a beauty salon, and upper floors for a number of corporate departments. Display windows continue to be maintained along Fulton Street, and the elevator bank in the middle of the street floor continues to evoke hints of this building's elegant past. The passenger elevators at this location were among the last in all of New York City to be converted from manual operator to automatic use. Macy's has continued to reaffirm its commitment to this location.^{[ citation needed ]}

On July 16, 2014, Women's Wear Daily' reported that Macy’s had stopped the renovation of its Brooklyn flagship while it considered possibly selling the property, which could be worth $300 million (~$343 million in 2021) from a developer looking to turn it into condominium apartments. It had also been reported that Macy's was considering building a new Downtown Brooklyn store.^[9]

By 2016, the decision was made to remain in the current location, but consolidate the space into four level floors and sell off the remaining floors.^[10] As of 2018, the work continues to progress.

Related Research Articles

Macy's, Inc. is an American holding company of department stores. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito's. Bloomingdale's joined Federated Department Stores the following year. Throughout its early history, frequent acquisitions and divestitures saw the company operate a number of nameplates. In 1994, Federated took over the department store chain Macy's. Despite a long history of preserving regional nameplates, with the acquisition of The May Department Stores Company in 2005, they were retired and replaced by the Macy's and Bloomingdale's brands nationwide by 2006. Ultimately, Federated itself was renamed Macy's, Inc. in 2007.

Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It has been a sister brand to the Bloomingdale's department store chain since being acquired by Cincinnati-based holding company Federated Department Stores in 1994, which renamed itself Macy's, Inc. in 2007. It is the largest department store company by retail sales in the United States as of 2015.

Stern's was a regional department store chain serving the U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The chain was in business for more than 130 years.

Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain founded in 1861 by Benjamin and Lyman Bloomingdale. It was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1930, which acquired the Macy’s department store chain in 1994, since which time they have been sister brands. Ultimately, Federated itself was renamed Macy’s, Inc. in 2007.

Fulton Street is a long east–west street in northern Brooklyn, New York City. This street begins at the intersection of Adams Street and Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights, and runs eastward to East New York and Cypress Hills. At the border with Queens, Fulton Street becomes 91st Avenue, which ends at 84th Street in Woodhaven.

Jordan Marsh was an American department store chain that was headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and operated throughout New England. It was founded by Eben Dyer Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh in 1841. The ownership of Jordan Marsh was transferred between several holding companies during its operation, including Hahn Department Stores in 1928, Allied Stores in 1935, and Federated Department Stores in 1988. The brand was retired and most stores were converted into the New York City-based Macy's in 1996.

Isidor Straus was a Bavarian-born American businessman, politician and co-owner of Macy's department store with his brother Nathan. He also served for just over a year as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He died with his wife, Ida, in the sinking of the Titanic.

Strawbridge's, formerly Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Center City Philadelphia flagship store was, in its day, a gracious urban emporium. The retailer started adding branch stores starting in the 1930s and, by their zenith in the 1980s, enjoyed annual sales of over a billion dollars By the 1990s, Strawbridge's became part of the May Department Stores conglomerate until May's acquisition by Federated Department Stores on August 30, 2005.

Filene's was an American department store chain; it was founded by William Filene in 1881. The success of the original full-line store in Boston, Massachusetts, was supplemented by the foundation of its off-price sister store Filene's Basement in 1908. Filene's, in partnership with Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, and Shillito's, was an original member of the holding company Federated Department Stores upon its establishment in 1929.

F&R Lazarus & Company was a regional department store with its retail chain operating primarily in the U.S. Midwest, and based in Columbus, Ohio. For over 150 years, Lazarus was influential in the American retail industry, particularly during the early 20th century as a founding partner in Federated Department Stores, and continued until the nameplate was retired on March 6, 2005, in favor of Macy's.

Read's Department Stores was a Bridgeport, Connecticut-based retail chain founded in 1857 by D. M. Read. Known for its classy, upscale merchandise, the flagship store was once hailed as New England's largest department store. It expanded to several other locations in the 1950s and 1960s, but these closed progressively through the 1980s and 1990s.

Abraham Abraham was an American businessman and the founder of the Brooklyn department store Abraham & Straus, founded 1865. The chain, which became part of Federated Department Stores, is now part of Macy's.

Bergen Town Center is a shopping center located in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA. The center consists of both an indoor mall and exterior outlying stores and occupies over 105 acres split between the municipalities of Paramus and Maywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramus Park</span> Shopping mall in Paramus, New Jersey

Paramus Park is a shopping mall located in Paramus, New Jersey, United States. It opened in 1974, is owned by Brookfield Properties, and has a gross leasable area (GLA) of 770,941 sq ft (71,622.8 m²).

Fashion Valley is an upscale, open-air shopping mall in Mission Valley in San Diego, California. The shopping center has 1,720,533 sq ft (159,842.7 m²) of leasable floor area, making it the largest mall in San Diego and one of the largest in California. It is managed by the 50% owner Simon Property Group.

Willow Grove Park Mall is a three-story shopping mall located in the community of Willow Grove in Abington Township, Pennsylvania at the intersection of Easton Road and Moreland Road in the Philadelphia suburbs. The Willow Grove Park Mall contains over 120 stores - with Bloomingdale's, Primark, Macy's, Nordstrom Rack, and Tilted 10 as anchor stores - along with several restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory, TGI Fridays, and Yard House. It is owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) and is the third most profitable mall in the Philadelphia area. The mall features a carousel, scenic elevator, and formerly featured a fountain. In October, the fountain was illuminated pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Lasalle & Koch Co. or Lasalle's was a department store in Toledo, Ohio, with branches in some nearby communities.

The Offerman Building is a historic commercial building at 503–513 Fulton Street in the Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Danish architect Peter J. Lauritzen in the Romanesque Revival style, the eight-story building was built between 1890 and 1892 to house the S. Wechsler & Brother department store. Although the lower stories remain in commercial use, the upper stories were converted into a 121-unit residential complex in the 2010s. The building is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Parmelee-Dohrmann was a Los Angeles-based chain of stores that sold fine china, crystal, glassware, silver, and objects of art.

Simon Frank Rothschild was an American merchant and philanthropist who served as president and chairman of the board at Abraham & Straus.

References

1 2 3 4 "...And Paramus Makes Ten," internal history published on opening of Paramus Park store, 1974
↑ "MAS Proposed Downtown Landmark #1". Brownstoner. October 2005.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
1 2 "Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Straus – information". engineer.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
↑ "Now Abraham & Straus.; Big Change in a Big Store Which All Brooklyn Knows". The New York Times . April 2, 1893. Retrieved March 19, 2007.
↑ McCash, June Hall (2012). A Titanic Love Story- Ida and Isidor Straus. Mercer University Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780881462777.
↑ Berger, Joseph (January 18, 1995). "After 130 Years, A. & S. Name Will Fade Into Retailing History". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
↑ Gray, Christopher (July 24, 2005). "Different Name, Same Architecture". The New York Times .
↑ "New York, NY – 5 Boroughs, Lower Hudson Valley & Northeast Bergen Co., NJ" (PDF). Macy's Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
↑ Moin, David (July 16, 2014). "Macy's Rethinking Brooklyn Unit's Future". Women's Wear Daily .
↑ Morris, Keiko (April 7, 2016). "Brooklyn Macy's Is Set for a Major Renovation". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660 . Retrieved November 11, 2017.

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[Paramus-1] 1 2 3 4 "...And Paramus Makes Ten," internal history published on opening of Paramus Park store, 1974

[2] "MAS Proposed Downtown Landmark #1". Brownstoner. October 2005.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[information-engineer.com-3] 1 2 "Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Straus – information". engineer.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2007.

[4] "Now Abraham & Straus.; Big Change in a Big Store Which All Brooklyn Knows". The New York Times . April 2, 1893. Retrieved March 19, 2007.

[5] McCash, June Hall (2012). A Titanic Love Story- Ida and Isidor Straus. Mercer University Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780881462777.

[6] Berger, Joseph (January 18, 1995). "After 130 Years, A. & S. Name Will Fade Into Retailing History". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2021.

[7] Gray, Christopher (July 24, 2005). "Different Name, Same Architecture". The New York Times .

[8] "New York, NY – 5 Boroughs, Lower Hudson Valley & Northeast Bergen Co., NJ" (PDF). Macy's Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2011.

[9] Moin, David (July 16, 2014). "Macy's Rethinking Brooklyn Unit's Future". Women's Wear Daily .

[10] Morris, Keiko (April 7, 2016). "Brooklyn Macy's Is Set for a Major Renovation". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660 . Retrieved November 11, 2017.

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