Federated also experimented with 'Home Works at Lazarus' which was somewhat similar to today's HomeGoods or Bed Bath & Beyond stores. Lazarus was the only Federated division to open full-line stores in tertiary markets such as Lima, Ohio Huntington, West Virginia and Mansfield, Ohio. Lazarus eventually opened three 'Capri' shops, but they were later converted to limited-assortment Lazarus stores. In the mid-1970s Federated opened its 'Capri' shops, off-mall Lazarus stores that budget store goods. In 1967, Federated opened its Gold Circle discount store|discount department store division in Columbus, locating stores directly across from Lazarus stores at Northland, Eastland and Westland malls. In 1989, Lazarus' sprawling downtown Columbus flagship store became one of the three anchors of Columbus City Center mall, when developer Taubman Centers constructed a pedestrian skywalk to it over South High Street.įederated experimented with several different formats in the Lazarus division. Block Company of Indianapolis, Indiana (including Wren's, Springfield, Ohio) and Herpolsheimer's of Grand Rapids, Michigan from Allied Stores and incorporated them into Lazarus. The new division adopted the Lazarus nameplate, while assuming Shillito–Rike's headquarters in Cincinnati. Eventually expanding into Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1973 and Huntington, West Virginia, in 1981 in 1986 Lazarus merged with fellow Federated division Shillito–Rike's, itself the result of 1982 merger between Shillito's (John Shillito Co.) and Dayton, Ohio-based Rike-Kumler Co.|Rike's, acquired by Federated in 1959. Primarily operating in central Ohio, Lazarus dominated its market, driving the last of its traditional rivals out of business by 1982.

(1927–2013) was the last family member with an official role at Federated, in 2002 serving as assistant to Ron Klein, then chairman and CEO of the Rich's/Lazarus/ Goldsmith's operating unit of Federated, now a portion of Macy's. Various Lazarus family members also held key positions on Federated's board and within its various divisions, namely, Foley's, Filene's, Lazarus and Shillito's. He was succeeded by his son Ralph Lazarus (1914–1988), who led Federated through the 1980s. from its founding until 1947, and thereafter served as board chairman until his death. served as president of Federated Department Stores, Inc. Those who worked at Lazarus were not called employees, but associates.įred Lazarus Jr. successfully lobbied President Franklin Roosevelt to permanently fix Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, ensuring a stable timetable for the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Lazarus developed or was an early adopter of many shopping innovations such as 'one low price' (no bargaining necessary, earlier implemented by the John Wanamaker Store, first department store escalators in the country, first air-conditioned store in the country, and Fred Lazarus Jr. Bloomingdale Brothers joined the company in 1930. The company acquired the John Shillito Company of Cincinnati in 1928 (established in 1830) and a year later, was one of the four founding members of Federated Department Stores in 1929 (along with Williams Filene's Sons Co. (1850–1917) and Ralph Lazarus (1852–1903) joined the business and added many innovative marketing techniques. By 1870, with improvements to the industry in the mass manufacture of men's uniforms for the Civil War, the family business expanded to include ready-made men's civilian clothing and eventually a complete line of merchandise. Congress eventually passed a law making it permanent.Family patriarch Simon Lazarus (1808–1877) opened a one-room men's clothing store in downtown Columbus in 1851. This would lengthen and maximize the holiday shopping season. In 1939, Fred Lazarus Jr., grandson of Simon Lazarus, launched a campaign to move the national Thanksgiving celebration to the fourth Thursday in November, rather than the final Thursday. It was one of the first department stores in the country to be air conditioned (a very cool 1934 addition). Federated later was the first to offer 'no money down' credit. In 1929, Lazarus combined with Abraham & Straus of Brooklyn, Bloomingdale's of New York and Filene's of Boston to form Federated Department Stores.

It pioneered the retail concept of a Bargain Basement with closeouts.ĭuring the influenza pandemic in 1918, the business advertised itself as 'The Good-Health Store of Columbus,' with fresh air in abundance due to a ventilating system that changed the air “every four minutes.” It was the first department store in the United States to use a moving escalator. Lazarus was one of the first stores to sell merchandise at one price, with no bargaining.

Lazarus store columbus