Who owns zcmi

ZCMI served as an outlet for the products produced by the Saints themselves as well as "states" goods. Opening in the "Big Boot," as the shoe factory was often called, soon manufactured 83, pairs of boots and shoes yearly. Two years after the opening of the shoe factory, ZCMI began production of its own line of work clothes in a new clothing factory, soon to be famous for its "Mountaineer" overalls. In many of the several departments were consolidated under a single roof.

In , Utah Gov. A company history said, "For some time, the escalators became a playground for children," requiring the store to station a full-time attendant nearby. On Nov.

McKay even led dignitaries on a preview walk through the garage. The store's Tiffin Room would become the grande dame of Utah's dining scene, complete with chandeliers, white tablecloths, live piano music and waitresses in uniform.

Pine pillars circled the atrium. It was known for open-face roast beef sandwiches, apple Betty, fish and chips and chicken pot pie. A soda fountain with a marble counter and green bar stools offered ice cream sundaes and sodas. In , ZCMI expanded by opening a store at Cottonwood Mall in Holladay, which the company promoted as "Utah's first complete suburban department store. But ZCMI lost money in the s. It faced more competition from big box stores in the suburbs.

The LDS Church, the majority stockholder, decided to sell. If you have a spot you'd like us to explore, email whateverhappenedto sltrib. Find past stories in the series here. Legal Notices Obituaries Jobs Homes. Whatever happened to Because of a piece of art hanging near the top of the photo, this is likely from the l Tribune file photo ZCMI is seen in this photo from March 19, Tribune file photo ZCMI is seen in this undated photo.

Because of a piece of art hanging near the top of the photo, this is likely from the late s or early s. The main downtown Salt Lake City location was consolidated into a department store in and expanded and modernized in three major phases ending in The sprawling structure , with its impressive three-story cast iron facade, welcomed customers in that location for years.

ZCMI sold everything — from clothing and carpet to wagons and machinery. In its early days , coal oil lamps lit the main Salt Lake City location and customers deposited their payments in large black kettles, which were periodically hauled away by clerks for counting.

As the institution grew, ZCMI established its own factories. The "Big Boot" shoe factory opened in and manufactured 83, pairs of shoes each year. According to Bradley, these overalls quickly grew popular and cultivated a broad consumer base from Canada to Mexico.

Fashion became a major part of ZCMI's brand, particularly in the post-WWII era, and the institution served as "an arbiter of taste and style" for many, according to Bradley. ZCMI contests. ZCMI is often referred to as the first department store in America. She explains that there are at least five other contenders for this title, including Macy's and Marshall Field, but notes that ZCMI's claim is "particularly convincing.

According to Bradley, the world's first department stores originated in Paris during the s when companies like "Au Bon Marche" sold goods as varied as an international bazaar.

This same unique structure, "where several individual merchants pooled their resources and retained management of their separate areas," defined ZCMI from its earliest days in rustic and remote Salt Lake City, Bradley writes. While ZCMI may or may not be America's first department store, it can boast a variety of other firsts. The organization was the country's first department store to establish its own clothing factory. Religion, politics, and sugar : the Mormon Church, the federal government, and the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, ISBN OCLC ZCMI, America's first department store.

Store acquisitions Macy's and predecessors. Famous-Barr L. Ayres The Jones Store.