The Jones Store
Encyclopedia
The Jones Store Company was an American
chain of department stores located in the Kansas City
area formerly operated by Mercantile Stores Company
and the St. Louis, Missouri
-based May Co.
by J. Logan Jones.
In 1895 Jones opened a store at 6th and Main in the River Market
neighborhood. In 1902 Jones leased a massive 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) seven-story building that took up an entire block at 12th Street and Main across the street from Bernheimer Bros. & Co.
Jones declared bankruptcy in 1910 and the store was taken over by New York interests.
In 1919 the new owners acquired the merchandise from Bernheimer Brothers.
In 1989, Celebrity Entertainer, Jonathan Aldridge received his first professional modeling job with the Jones Store. Jonathan was seen regularly in Jones Store newspaper, catalog, and the Kansas City Chiefs Jones Store Yearbook ads.
The downtown flagship store remained in business until January 1998 even as other large retailers had left downtown. The building was demolished in 2005.
The Jones Store became a division of Mercantile Stores Company
in the early 1960s. It was acquired by May Department Stores
in 1998 after the Dillard's
acquisition of Mercantile, and integrated into the company's Famous-Barr
division. On August 30, 2005, it became part of Federated
with that company's acquisition of May
. On February 1, 2006, The Jones Store Co. was assumed by the new Macy's Midwest division of Federated.
On September 9, 2006, The Jones Store Co. name was phased out in favor of the Macy's
nameplate, marking the second entry for Macy's into Kansas City. The original Jones Store locations included Downtown, Bannister Mall
, Blue Ridge Mall, Metro North Mall
, Oak Park Mall
, Independence Center
, Metcalf South, Town Center Plaza, Prairie Village Shopping Center, and West Ridge Mall.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chain of department stores located in the Kansas City
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
area formerly operated by Mercantile Stores Company
Mercantile Stores
Mercantile Stores Company Inc. until 1998, was a traditional department store retailer operating 102 fashion apparel stores and 16 home fashion stores in 17 states. The stores were operated under 13 different nameplates and varied in size, with the average store approximating . Store names...
and the St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
-based May Co.
May Department Stores
The May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...
History
The Jones Store Company was founded in 1887 as an 800 feet (243.8 m) store in Stafford, KansasStafford, Kansas
Stafford is a city in Stafford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,042.-Geography:Stafford is located at...
by J. Logan Jones.
In 1895 Jones opened a store at 6th and Main in the River Market
River Market
The River Market is a riverfront neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri that comprises the first and oldest incorporated district in Kansas City.-Background:...
neighborhood. In 1902 Jones leased a massive 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) seven-story building that took up an entire block at 12th Street and Main across the street from Bernheimer Bros. & Co.
Jones declared bankruptcy in 1910 and the store was taken over by New York interests.
In 1919 the new owners acquired the merchandise from Bernheimer Brothers.
In 1989, Celebrity Entertainer, Jonathan Aldridge received his first professional modeling job with the Jones Store. Jonathan was seen regularly in Jones Store newspaper, catalog, and the Kansas City Chiefs Jones Store Yearbook ads.
The downtown flagship store remained in business until January 1998 even as other large retailers had left downtown. The building was demolished in 2005.
The Jones Store became a division of Mercantile Stores Company
Mercantile Stores
Mercantile Stores Company Inc. until 1998, was a traditional department store retailer operating 102 fashion apparel stores and 16 home fashion stores in 17 states. The stores were operated under 13 different nameplates and varied in size, with the average store approximating . Store names...
in the early 1960s. It was acquired by May Department Stores
May Department Stores
The May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...
in 1998 after the Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
acquisition of Mercantile, and integrated into the company's Famous-Barr
Famous-Barr
The Famous-Barr Co. , St. Louis, Missouri, was a division of Macy's, Inc. . It was formerly the hometown division of The May Department Stores Company, which was acquired by Federated on August 30, 2005. On February 1, 2006, it was subsumed into the newly created Macy's Midwest division.The...
division. On August 30, 2005, it became part of Federated
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelery, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
with that company's acquisition of May
May Department Stores
The May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...
. On February 1, 2006, The Jones Store Co. was assumed by the new Macy's Midwest division of Federated.
On September 9, 2006, The Jones Store Co. name was phased out in favor of the Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
nameplate, marking the second entry for Macy's into Kansas City. The original Jones Store locations included Downtown, Bannister Mall
Bannister Mall
Bannister Mall was a shopping mall on the southeast corner of Kansas City, Missouri that closed on May 31, 2007, after being open for almost 27 years. It was originally anchored by Dillard's , JCPenney, The Jones Store, and Sears.-History:...
, Blue Ridge Mall, Metro North Mall
Metro North Mall
Metro North Mall is a 1.3 million square foot regional mall located at 400 NW Barry Road, in Kansas City North, Missouri.Metro North opened its doors in 1976 and was the only enclosed mall located north of the Missouri River in the Kansas City metro area, as well as being the second largest mall...
, Oak Park Mall
Oak Park Mall
Oak Park Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Overland Park, Kansas, containing 200 stores in a covered area of . It is the largest mall in the Kansas City Metro Area as well as the entire state of Kansas, and is split into two levels and contains five department stores.It was...
, Independence Center
Independence Center
This article is about a commercial retail center in Independence, Missouri. For the arena also in Independence, see Independence Events Center. For the not-for-profit agency in St. Louis, Missouri, see Independence Center ....
, Metcalf South, Town Center Plaza, Prairie Village Shopping Center, and West Ridge Mall.