Macy's facts for kids
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Exterior of the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in Manhattan (2018)
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Formerly
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R. H. Macy & Co. |
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Genre | Department stores |
| Founded | October 28, 1858 in New York City, New York, United States |
| Founder | Rowland Hussey Macy |
| Headquarters | Macy's Herald Square, 151 West 34th Street, New York City, New York, United States |
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Number of locations
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450 (2025) |
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Areas served
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Key people
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Tony Spring (chairman and CEO) |
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| Parent | Macy's, Inc. (1994–present) |
Macy's is a famous American department store chain. It was started in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The very first store opened in Manhattan, New York City.
Today, Macy's is one of the biggest department store companies in the United States. It has 94,000 employees and makes billions of dollars each year. Macy's has about 450 stores across the country, including in Puerto Rico and Guam.
The Macy's Herald Square store in New York City is one of the largest department stores in the world. It covers almost an entire city block! Macy's is also well-known for its annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show.
Contents
How Macy's Began
Rowland Hussey Macy tried opening a few stores before 1858, but they didn't work out. He learned from these experiences. In 1858, he moved to New York City and opened "R. H. Macy & Co." on Sixth Avenue. This location was further north than other stores at the time.
On its first day, October 28, 1858, the store made $11.08. At first, Macy's used a rooster as its symbol. But by 1862, the famous red star logo appeared.
As the store grew, Macy's added more departments and took over nearby buildings. They used fun ways to attract customers, like having a store Santa Claus and bright window displays. They also offered a money-back guarantee.
In 1875, Macy took on two partners, his nephew Robert M. Valentine and his cousin's husband Abiel T. La Forge. Rowland Macy passed away in 1877. The Macy family owned the company until 1895. Then, two brothers, Isidor and Nathan Straus, bought the company. They had already been selling china in the Macy's store.
Macy's in the 1900s
Building the Famous Herald Square Store
In 1902, the main Macy's store moved to Herald Square at 34th Street and Broadway. This was quite far north from other big stores. Macy's even offered a special wagon to take customers from 14th Street to the new location!
The Herald Square store started as one building. But it grew to cover almost an entire city block. There was a small building on one corner that Macy's couldn't buy. So, they simply built around it! This small building still stands today and has Macy's "shopping bag" sign on it.
Sadly, in 1912, Isidor Straus and his wife, Ida, died when the Titanic sank.
The original Broadway store was designed with a grand style. Later additions in the 1920s and 1930s added Art Deco designs. In 2012, Macy's began a big renovation of this famous store. The building is so important that it was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1978.
Growing Across the Country
Macy's opened its first branch store outside New York City in 1941 in the Parkchester area of The Bronx.
Over the years, Macy's bought many local department store chains across the United States. For example, they acquired stores in Toledo, Atlanta, Newark, San Francisco, and Kansas City. Many of these stores were later renamed Macy's.
In 1965, Macy's opened a large round store in Elmhurst, Queens. A small house on the corner refused to sell its land, so Macy's built around it, creating a unique round shape.
Macy's New York started opening stores in other states in 1983, including Florida and Texas. By the mid-1980s, many of the acquired stores were officially renamed Macy's.
Changes and Growth in the 1990s
In 1992, Macy's faced financial difficulties and had to reorganize. They closed some stores and focused on two main divisions: Macy's East and Macy's West.
In 1994, R. H. Macy & Co. joined with Federated Department Stores. After this, Macy's moved its main office to Cincinnati, Ohio. Federated then continued to expand Macy's. They changed many other store names, like Abraham & Straus and Jordan Marsh, to Macy's.
Federated also bought Broadway Stores, Inc., which had stores in California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. Most of these stores became Macy's locations.
Macy's in the 2000s and Beyond
In 2000, Macy's opened its first store in a U.S. territory, in Puerto Rico. In 2001, they also acquired stores in Hawaii and Guam.
In the early 2000s, Federated changed the names of many of its other department store chains to Macy's. Stores like Burdines, Goldsmith's, Lazarus, and The Bon Marché all became Macy's. By July 2005, Macy's had 424 stores across the U.S.
Big Changes in 2005
On February 28, 2005, Federated agreed to buy The May Department Stores Company. This was a huge deal that created a department store chain with over 1,000 stores.
Federated then announced plans to change 330 of the May Company's stores to the Macy's name. This included well-known stores like Kaufmann's, Filene's, and Marshall Field's. Many people were upset about these name changes because these stores were beloved local landmarks. For example, film critic Roger Ebert expressed sadness about the loss of Marshall Field's in Chicago.
In 2006, Federated sold the May Company's Lord & Taylor division. By September 9, 2006, after all the name changes, Macy's operated about 850 stores. To celebrate this big expansion, Macy's used a special advertising campaign. They even took props from their annual Thanksgiving Day parade to different stores across the country.
In 2007, Federated Department Stores changed its own company name to Macy's, Inc. This showed how important the Macy's brand had become.
In 2009, Macy's started opening smaller, more modern stores. These "lifestyle" stores were designed to be more convenient and fit into open-air malls. They often included Starbucks Coffee Cafés and comfortable fitting rooms.
Recent Years
In 2014, Macy's announced plans to open its first store overseas in Abu Dhabi. In January 2015, Macy's announced it would close 14 stores and move some employees. They also sold the former Kaufmann's flagship store in Downtown Pittsburgh.
In 2016, Macy's announced it would close 100 more stores in early 2017. They planned to invest more in their online business and improve the remaining stores. By January 2018, Macy's had shared the locations of 81 of these closures. In September 2016, Macy's opened an Apple Store inside its main Herald Square location, a first for a department store.
By February 2019, Macy's Inc. operated 867 stores, including Macy's, Backstage, Bloomingdale's, and Bluemercury. In November 2018, Macy's began testing smaller "neighborhood" stores.
In 2019, Macy's announced it would stop selling fur products by the end of 2020. In 2020, Macy's moved its main office operations to New York City. In August 2021, Macy's partnered with Toys "R" Us to open toy shops inside Macy's stores. In November 2021, Macy's started a free education program for its employees and raised its base pay.
In February 2023, Macy's announced it would no longer sell leather goods made from exotic animal skins. In December 2023, a security guard was killed at the Macy's Flagship store in Philadelphia.
In January 2024, Macy's turned down a $5 billion offer to buy the company. In February 2024, Macy's announced plans to close up to 150 underperforming stores by the end of 2026, with 65 stores closing by December 2024. The company plans to focus on opening new Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury stores and remodeling existing ones. In January 2025, 66 stores, including landmark locations in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, were set to close.
Types of Macy's Stores
Macy's
- Macy's stores are usually found in shopping malls. Some larger malls might have more than one Macy's store, with different sections in each. For example, one store might focus on women's and children's clothing, while another has furniture or men's items.
Macy's Backstage
- Macy's Backstage are special "stores-within-stores" located inside many full-size Macy's department stores. They offer items at lower prices, like an outlet store. There are also a few standalone Backstage locations.
Main Macy's Stores
As of March 2025, Macy's has three main flagship stores. Many of these large stores used to be regional department stores that Macy's acquired.
| State | City | Name | Size | Year opened |
Year closed |
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| California | San Francisco | Macy's Union Square | 700,000 square feet (65,000 m2) | 1947 | N/A | Originally O'Connor, Moffat & Co., later I. Magnin and Liberty House |
| Illinois | Chicago | Macy's State Street | 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) | 1876 | N/A | Converted from Marshall Field's |
| New York | New York City | Macy's Herald Square | 1.25 million square feet (116,000 m2) | 1902 | N/A |
Images for kids
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An atrium with a beautiful mosaic ceiling (1910) inside the Macy's State Street store in Chicago.
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The historic Marshall Field's Building in Chicago, now home to Macy's State Street.
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A close-up of the Macy's Herald Square entrance.
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The outside of a Macy's store in Walnut Creek, California.
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This store was once Kaufmann's, and you can still see the old name behind the Macy's sign.
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The Macy's Lifestyle Store in Fairview, Texas, opened in 2009.
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Entrances to a two-story Macy's store in Sarasota, Florida, built in 2014.
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The outside of the Macy's store at The Streets of Tanasbourne in Hillsboro, Oregon. This store is closing in 2025.
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The famous "eagle" at the flagship store in Philadelphia, now Macy's Center City.
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See also
In Spanish: Macy's para niños
- List of department stores of the United States
