Elder-Beerman is a U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 chain of department stores founded in 1883 and owned by The Bon-Ton

The Bon-Ton

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is a regional department store company based in York, Pennsylvania, chiefly operating 275 stores, including 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states throughout the northern United States. Stores carrying its namesake nameplate serve the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of...

. The chain is based primarily in the United States' Midwest region. As of 2009, it comprises sixty-three stores in eight states.

History

In 1883, Elder-Beerman history began when Boston Dry Goods Store opened in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

, and was later incorporated under the name Elder & Johnston Company. In 1930, After a short career with Elder & Johnston, Arthur Beerman, founder of Elder-Beerman Stores Corp., branched out on his own and by 1945 Beerman Stores was incorporated. In 1953, Beerman formed a partnership with Max Gutmann and together they established the Bee Gee Shoe Corporation, which operated the El-Bee Shoe Outlets and Shoebilee! stores for many years before its recent sale. Beerman and Gutmann spent ten years opening Beerman Stores in suburban areas and expanding
their product lines.

Elder-Beerman

In 1962, Beerman Stores merged with Elder & Johnston Company to form the Elder-Beerman. For the next 20 years, the Elder-Beerman Stores Corp. grew to include furniture and home lines, and the company expanded with new stores throughout western Ohio and several surrounding states, competing with its Dayton rival, Rike Kumler. After Arthur Beerman's death in 1970, Max Gutmann was promoted to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. In 1985, Herb Glaser was named president and CEO of the department store division. With Herb Glaser as president, Gutmann and Glaser developed the Elder-Beerman franchise through the 1980s and early 1990s. When the company was forced to file for Chapter 11 reorganization in 1995, Max Gutmann and Herb Glaser returned from retirement to turn the company around. During the bankruptcy, Frederick J. Mershad asked to replace Gutmann as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Elder-Beerman has acquired three chains throughout its history: Cincinnati, Ohio based Mabley & Carew in 1978;Terre Haute, IN-based Meis in 1989, and Wheeling, WV-based Stone & Thomas

Stone & Thomas

Stone & Thomas was a United States chain of department stores. Based in Wheeling, West Virginia, the chain had stores located in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The company was bought out in 1998 by Elder-Beerman, an Ohio-based chain of department stores.-History:Stone and Thomas was...

 in 1998 .

1999 and 2003 Prototypes

In Fall 1999, Elder-Beerman saw introduction of their new concept in retailing, with the opening of two prototype stores in Warsaw, Indiana

Warsaw, Indiana

Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Cradled among Winona Lake, Pike Lake, Hidden Lake and Center Lake, Warsaw is nicknamed "Lake City," though other cities in the surrounding area are also referred to by that nickname...

, and Frankfort, Kentucky

Frankfort, Kentucky

Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...

. The prototype included centralized Service Centers that are always staffed; trained Sales Specialists who are committed to serving customers in the store; open-stock cosmetic and shoe departments that allow customers to select items without searching for assistance; courtesy telephones for free local calls; and pager buttons in the women's fitting rooms so customers may page for assistance.

In 2003, Elder-Beerman opened smaller-scale prototypes in Dekalb, Illinois

DeKalb, Illinois

DeKalb is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 at the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated German war hero Johann De Kalb, who died during the American Revolutionary War....

 (now Carson Pirie Scott

Carson Pirie Scott

Carson Pirie Scott & Co., known informally as Carson's, is an upscale chain of department stores that have been in business for over 150 years. Their product price points are targeted to the moderate-to-upscale shopper...

) and Muscatine, Iowa

Muscatine, Iowa

Muscatine is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 22,886 in the 2010 census, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Muscatine County...

, the latter being the chain's first Iowa location. These stores represented a new marketing strategy of operating smaller-format stores in mid-sized markets.

Today

Elder-Beerman was acquired by The Bon-Ton

The Bon-Ton

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is a regional department store company based in York, Pennsylvania, chiefly operating 275 stores, including 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states throughout the northern United States. Stores carrying its namesake nameplate serve the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of...

in 2003. At that point, Elder-Beerman had exited bankruptcy and was in discussions to go private when Bon-Ton stepped in offering more cash for outstanding stock. Today Elder-Beerman operates 63 department stores in 8 states.