Rich's (department store)
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| Department store | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Fate | Merged with Macy's |
| Successor | Macy's |
| Founded | 1867 |
| Defunct | March 6, 2005 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. |
| Parent | Federated Department Stores, Inc. |
| Website | None |
Rich's was a department store retail chain, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated in the southern U.S. from 1867 until March 6, 2005 when the nameplate was eliminated and replaced by Macy's. Many of the former Rich's stores today form the core of Macy's Central, an Atlanta-based division of Macy's, Inc., which formerly operated as Federated Department Stores, Inc.
The retailer began in Atlanta as M. Rich & Co. dry goods store on 28 May 1867. The store was at 36 Whitehall Street, and was run by Mauritius Reich (Anglicized to Morris Rich), a Hungarian, Jewish immigrant. It was renamed M. Rich & Bro. in 1877, when his brother Emanuel was admitted into the partnership; it was again renamed M. Rich & Bros. in 1884 when the third brother Daniel was admitted into the partnership.
Due to its expanding business, the store moved to ever larger locations. In July 1875 the store moved to 35 Whitehall, and in September 1875 to 43 Whitehall. In October 1875 it moved to 65 Whitehall at the corner of Hunter (now M.L. King Blvd.). And in September 1882 it moved to 54-56 Whitehall.
By 1877, Rich's was considered one of the "Big Five" stores in town, in the league of Chamberlain, Boyton, & Co., Ryan's; Keeley's; and Dougherty's; and later, of the J.M. High Company.
In 1901 it became a true department store by dividing merchandise into separated sections, and was incorporated as M. Rich & Bros. Co. In 1906, the adjacent M. Kutz & Co. building at 52 Whitehall was acquired. Both it and the Rich store at 54-56 Whitehall were torn down. Rich's closed its furniture annex and moved its dry goods to that building temporarily, while a new building was built on the site of 52-54-56 Whitehall. In April 1907 the new emporium opened for business. That building is still standing, known as the M. Rich and Brothers and Company Building at its current address of 82 Peachtree St. SE.
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Wikipedia