Brody Brothers Dry Goods Company, Inc., more commonly referred to as Brody's, was an upscale fashion merchandise chain formerly headquartered in Greenville, North Carolina

Greenville, North Carolina

Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...

, with branch stores located in eastern North Carolina. The Brody family remains prominent in eastern North Carolina and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University

Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University

The Brody School of Medicine is the medical school at East Carolina University, located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the fourth-oldest medical school in North Carolina, Brody School of Medicine was first appropriated funds from the General Assembly in 1974...

 was named in their honor.

History

Brody's was founded by Hyman J. Brody in the early 1900s, with its beginnings as a shoe store in Sumter, South Carolina

Sumter, South Carolina

-Demographics:, there were 59,180 people, 34,717 households, and 4,049 families living in the city. The population density was 4,469.5 people per square mile . There were 416,032 housing units at an average density of 603.0 per square mile...

. In 1928, one of Brody's sons, Leo Brody, relocated to Kinston, North Carolina

Kinston, North Carolina

Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...

 and founded Brody Brothers Dry Goods. Leo Brody, along with six of his brothers, began to expand the retail business. Upon acquiring Cohen & Sons Mercantile and Clothing in 1973, the family owned chain eventually expanded to seven stores in seven malls in eastern North Carolina.

At the time of its acquisition by Proffitt's

Proffitt's

Proffitt's was a department store chain based in Alcoa, Tennessee. On March 8, 2006, the Proffitt's and McRae's stores were converted into Belk stores. Belk acquired the two chains in July 2005 from Saks Incorporated.-Beginnings:...

 in 1998, Brody's stores were located in The Plaza and Carolina East Mall in Greenville, North Carolina

Greenville, North Carolina

Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...

; Golden East Crossing in Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...

; Vernon Park Mall in Kinston, North Carolina

Kinston, North Carolina

Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...

; Berkeley Mall in Goldsboro, North Carolina

Goldsboro, North Carolina

Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...

; and Twin Rivers Mall in New Bern, North Carolina

New Bern, North Carolina

New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...

. Combined retail space at the time of acquisition stood at 275000 square feet (25,548.3 m²). In 2005, the Greenville, Rocky Mount, Kinston, and Goldsboro stores were sold by Proffitt's successor Saks

Saks Incorporated

Saks Incorporated , founded in Birmingham, Alabama in 1998, is headquartered in New York City, New York, and is a Fortune 1000 operator of high-end department stores in the United States under the nameplate Saks Fifth Avenue. Saks evolved from Proffitt's Inc. after Proffitt's changed its name in...

, to Belk

Belk

Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...

.