Miller & Rhoads
 |
|
| Department store | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Fate | Converted or Sold to Hecht's |
| Successor | Hecht's |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia |
|
Key people
|
Linton Miller, Co-Founder Webster Rhoads, Co-Founder Simon Gerhart, Co-Founder |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics and housewares. |
Miller & Rhoads was a Virginia-based department store chain. Throughout its 105-year lifespan, the store played an active role in the Richmond, Virginia community, along with its friendly cross-street rival Thalhimers. The Richmond flagship location was known for its "SantaLand" upstairs attraction, which has since become an attraction at the Hilton Hotel. In 1987, Campeau purchased Miller & Roads and later sold it to Philadelphia developer Kevin Donohoe and store management before closing in 1990.
In 1885, Linton Miller, Webster Rhoads, and Simon Gerhart opened a dry goods store in Richmond, Virginia. The store—Miller, Rhoads, & Gerhart—opened with an initial investment of $3,000. In 1888, Miller, Rhoads, & Gerhart moved to 509 East Broad Street.
Simon Gerhart relocated to Lynchburg, Virginia in 1890 and opened his own store there. It was at this time that the nameplate of the Richmond store changed to Miller & Rhoads. By 1909, the Richmond Broad Street store covered nearly half a city block, and by 1924, it covered an entire block, stretching from Broad to Grace Street.
During the middle part of the 20th century, the growth of Miller & Rhoads in Richmond was at its peak. The store was home to the ever-popular Tea Room, which featured regular fashion shows, and signature menu items such as the Missouri Club, Brunswick stew, and chocolate silk pie.
As time progressed, Miller & Rhoads began to boast modern conveniences like a 1,000 car parking garage (shared with Thalhimers), air conditioning and escalators. The store also hosted famous writers, art exhibits and other community events that helped add a cosmopolitan flair to the city.
Every Christmas season, a room on the seventh floor of Miller & Rhoads transformed into a magic wonderland called Santaland. The room was dimly lit, but thousands of tiny, white lights gave the appearance of night stars overhead. Woodland scenes with lifelike, animated animals were strategically placed throughout the room. Fully decorated trees adorned a path leading to the beautiful stage. Onstage were a huge fireplace, a Christmas tree, and a golden chair with a red velvet back and seat where Santa Claus sat.
Santaland became so much a part of the Richmond store's folklore that the company began airing commercials with the tagline Miller & Rhoads - Where Christmas is a Legend.
...
Wikipedia