Dillard's Heritage Brands
In 1845, Jeremiah Bacon opened Bacon's Dry Goods in Louisville, Kentucky, founding what later became known as "Kentucky's oldest department store". The stately, downtown flagship store was opened in 1901 on the corner of Fourth and Market streets. Revered by Louisville shoppers for its elaborate sales events, this hometown store expanded into suburban shopping malls in the 1960s and 1970s, enhancing service to the Louisville and Southern Indiana areas. Bacon's legendary Midnight Madness sales were very popular with Louisville locals and further established the chain as an iconic Kentucky brand. Dillard's acquired Bacon's as part of a large acquisition in 1998.
John A. Brown and his brother-in-law, John H. Dunkin, founded Brown-Dunkin in 1924 when they bought the Hunt Department Store located at Fourth and Main streets in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. The huge store operated nine floors of a fifteen-story building. Brown-Dunkin became a household name to customers in northeast Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and parts of southern Missouri and Kansas. The Brown-Dunkin tea room was a favorite downtown gathering place for Tulsa locals. Customers dined on fifty-cent daily special lunches while models, sporting the latest available in-store fashions, strolled from table to table. Our founder, William T. Dillard, acquired the Brown-Dunkin store in 1960.
"Meet me under the clock at Holmes" was a common phrase in New Orleans vernacular for over a century. Known for the famous large clock hanging above its Canal Street store entrance, D.H. Holmes was a landmark Louisiana company that forever occupies a revered place in New Orleans history. D.H. Holmes, founded by Daniel Henry Holmes in 1842, later became the largest department store in the South. Mr. Holmes was known as a retail visionary at the time, modeling his department store experience after successful New York City and Paris stores. The chain eventually grew to operate seventeen stores in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Dillard's acquired D.H. Holmes in 1989.
Gayfers was founded by native Englishman, C.J. Gayfer, in downtown Mobile, Alabama in 1879. Known for its philanthropic efforts in communities across the South, Gayfers grew to be a prominent chain of 29 stores across Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. "The Gayfer Girls" were a select group of teen girls, hand-picked by each store to serve on an advisory board. Gayfer Girls provided valuable input on popular teen fashion trends and helped produce local fashion shows. Dillard's purchased Gayfers as part of a large acquisition in 1998.