Miller's Department Store facts for kids

Miller's Department Store was a popular chain of large stores in East Tennessee. These stores sold many different things, like clothes, shoes, and home goods. Miller's was a big part of shopping for many families for over 100 years.

The Story of Miller's Stores

The history of Miller's began in 1889. Two brothers, Gus and Frank Miller, opened a store called the New York Racket Store. It was located in Chattanooga.

After a fire in 1897, the brothers built a new, bigger store. They called it Miller Brothers Department Store. This store stayed a family-owned business until 1973. Later, Gus Miller's son helped start another store. This one was called Miller, Inc. in Knoxville.

On August 1, 1973, the two Miller stores joined together. They became one big company called Miller's Department Store. This happened when a large retail group bought them. At that time, Miller's had 11 stores. They also had two smaller specialty shops. These stores were in East Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina.

In 1981, Miller's became part of an even bigger company. This company was called Allied Stores. Then, in 1986, another company named Hess's bought Miller's. Finally, in 1992, the Miller's stores changed again. They became part of the Dillard's department store chain.

Famous Miller's Locations

Chattanooga's Main Store

Miller Brothers Department Store
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Tennessee Show map of Tennessee Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	629 Market St., Chattanooga, Tennessee
Area	0.8 acres (0.32 ha)
Built	1898
Architect	Hunt, Reuben H.
NRHP reference No.	87001115
Added to NRHP	September 17, 1987

The main Miller Brothers store in Chattanooga was very special. It was at 629 Market Street. This store had Chattanooga's only "subway." This was an underground shopping area. It went under Broad Street to another part of the store. It also connected to a parking garage.

This four-story store had two snack bars and a Tea Room. It offered many services not found in stores today. In 1987, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list recognizes important historical buildings.

The downtown Chattanooga store closed in 1986. It was sold to BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. They used it for offices. In 2011, an engineering company bought the building.

Knoxville's Main Store

The first Miller, Inc. store in downtown Knoxville opened in 1905. It was a very important part of the city's shopping. The building at 445 Gay Street is still called the Miller's Building. It was built in the Edwardian style.

Later, Miller's moved to a different building. This was at 600 Henley Street. It was built around 1954. This building was known for its modern design. It even won an award for its architecture. Like the Chattanooga store, it also had a tunnel. This tunnel connected the store to its parking garage. Today, the University of Tennessee uses the Henley Street building. The tunnel is still there for storage.

Miller's stores often had restaurants and bakeries. Their coconut cakes were very famous. People still look for the recipe today. Famous authors like James Agee and Cormac McCarthy even mentioned Miller's in their books.

Other Miller's Stores

Miller's had many other locations. In the Chattanooga area, there were stores at Eastgate Mall and Northgate Mall. The Northgate store opened in 1972.

Miller Inc. also opened one of the first stores in Oak Ridge. This was during the Manhattan Project. The Oak Ridge store opened in 1944. Other Knoxville area stores included East Towne Mall and West Town Mall.

In the Tri-Cities area, Miller's had stores in Kingsport and Johnson City. The Kingsport store was special. It had the first escalator in Kingsport. Miller's also had a store in Rome, Georgia. It moved to the Riverbend Mall in 1975.

Miller's Advertisements

In the early 1980s, Miller's had TV commercials. Their advertising slogan was, "We know what you want...we're Miller's."