Burdines was a leading department store chain in the state of Florida. Founded in
Miami, Florida in 1898, Burdines became part of Federated Department Stores, Inc
in 1956. On January 30, 2004 it was renamed Burdines-Macy's, and only one year
later on March 6, 2005 the Burdines name was dropped altogether and the division
and its stores were renamed as Macy's Florida. Historically Burdines was known
as the carriage-trade store in Florida. Many of its stores were decorated
with pink walls, blue ceilings with streaks of clouds, and large plastic palm trees
circling the center of the store. These icons still remain throughout Macy's
stores in Florida.
William M. Burdine opened his first W.M. Burdine
& Son store in 1898 in the fledgling community of Miami, just two years after
the first passengers had stepped off the newly completed Florida East Coast Railroad
to incorporate the city. His tiny store held only a few shelves of clothing,
which he sold to construction workers, soldiers from the Spanish-American
War and the local Miccosukee and Seminole Native Americans.
By 1912,
Burdines had grown into a full-fledged department store and continued expanding.
The large land-boom of the 1920s helped the store launch its first branch in
Miami Beach. As Florida's population soared, growth of Burdines did too. Over
the next 30 years, four other branches opened across the state of Florida. |
