In 1915, 22 year old Robert M. Beall Sr. opened a dry goods store in Bradenton, Florida.
Because the store sold products for nothing more than one dollar he named
his store The Dollar Limit. Following World War I in 1918 caused prices to go
up and Robert renamed his store Five Dollar Limit. As his business grew to be
a success he moved his store to new property a few blocks away.
In
1946, Robert and his son, Egbert, renamed Five Dollar Limit to Bealls Department
Store. In 1956 the second Bealls Department store was opened in Bradenton's Westgate
Shopping Center and the third Bealls Department store followed in 1961
at the Venice Shopping Center in Venice, Florida. Robert Beall ran the original
downtown store until his death in 1979. Bealls continued to operate the downtown
store until it was demolished in 1987.
In 1987, Bealls opened Bealls
Outlet. The chain was the response of the growing of outlet malls in Florida.
In 1992, Bealls opened its first out-of-state Bealls Outlet in Arizona. Today
Bealls Outlet has grown to over 450 stores in 14 states under the names of Bealls
Outlet and Burkes Outlet. The Burkes Outlet name is generally used in areas
where Stage Stores' own "Bealls" stores operate. |
