Lion Store
Encyclopedia
The Lion Store is a defunct retailer and department store
chain in the city of Toledo, Ohio
. The stores were bought by Mercantile Stores
and were eventually sold to Dillard's
.
store in Toledo. The store made $15,000 in its first year of business, prompting the store, then known as Frederick Eaton & Company to move to a larger location in downtown Toledo. Between 1859 and 1865, Eaton purchased two life-size cast-iron lions and placed them outside the doors of his store. The store's customers began referring to the store as "The Lion Store." The store made a move to its final downtown location in 1866, where the lions followed. The Lion Store became part of the H.B. Claflin Company upon the 1890 death of Eaton. Subsequently, the store was acquired by the Mercantile Stores group. The company opened up a store in the Westgate Village Shopping Center in 1957, which would, by the 1990s, become a home store, and briefly a Dillard's Home Store before its closure. Another store was opened at Southwyck Shopping Center in 1972. A second Home Store also opened at Southwyck following the close of the Lamsons store there. Both the Southwyck stores closed in the early-to-mid first decade of the 21st century, after brief conversions to Dillard's stores. In the mid-1980s, Lion Store opened a location at North Towne Square
in North Toledo, which was closed in the late 1990s after a brief lapse as a Dillard's store. The downtown store closed in the early 1980s. In 1993, a store was opened at Franklin Park Mall
, which serves under the Dillard's name as the only functioning descendant of the Lion Store today. It is at the Franklin Park Dillard's location where one can see the lion statues, who preside in the store's main atrium
.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
chain in the city of Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. The stores were bought by Mercantile Stores
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 were eventually sold to 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,...
.
History
In the mid 19th century, New Englander Frederick Eaton opened up a dry goodsDry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
store in Toledo. The store made $15,000 in its first year of business, prompting the store, then known as Frederick Eaton & Company to move to a larger location in downtown Toledo. Between 1859 and 1865, Eaton purchased two life-size cast-iron lions and placed them outside the doors of his store. The store's customers began referring to the store as "The Lion Store." The store made a move to its final downtown location in 1866, where the lions followed. The Lion Store became part of the H.B. Claflin Company upon the 1890 death of Eaton. Subsequently, the store was acquired by the Mercantile Stores group. The company opened up a store in the Westgate Village Shopping Center in 1957, which would, by the 1990s, become a home store, and briefly a Dillard's Home Store before its closure. Another store was opened at Southwyck Shopping Center in 1972. A second Home Store also opened at Southwyck following the close of the Lamsons store there. Both the Southwyck stores closed in the early-to-mid first decade of the 21st century, after brief conversions to Dillard's stores. In the mid-1980s, Lion Store opened a location at North Towne Square
North Towne Square
North Towne Square Mall was a shopping mall in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It opened in 1980 on the north side of Toledo, adjacent to the Michigan state border. Originally, the mall featured three major anchor stores, as well as several shops and restaurants, plus a movie theater. Changes in...
in North Toledo, which was closed in the late 1990s after a brief lapse as a Dillard's store. The downtown store closed in the early 1980s. In 1993, a store was opened at Franklin Park Mall
Westfield Franklin Park
Westfield Franklin Park, formerly but still popularly known as Franklin Park Mall, is a shopping mall in Toledo, Ohio. Its anchor stores are Macy's, Dillard's, JC Penney and Dick's Sporting Goods...
, which serves under the Dillard's name as the only functioning descendant of the Lion Store today. It is at the Franklin Park Dillard's location where one can see the lion statues, who preside in the store's main atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
.