Wellan's
Encyclopedia
Wellan's is a defunct chain of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 department store
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...

 formerly headquartered in Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....

.

Beginnings

Wellan's Department Store started as a small store on Second Street in Alexandria, Louisiana and was founded by Louis Wellan. It had many items for sale such as dresses, menswear, and some toys and furniture. It coined itself as a new family-oriented store in central Louisiana, and conducted business in just that manner. In 1924, it moved to what would become its landmark location on Third Street. It served the city and region, and became known for its famous Christmas displays in December. For the month of December, the store would decorate its windows and its facade with dazzling lights.

The company then went on an outward expedition and moved into the Alexandria Mall. The company took over Palais Royal stores of Shreveport, LA, and acquired both Palais Royal Department Stores and The Depot Stores department stores. The company then established a "modern" store in Monroe, LA, before being purchased by Stage Department Stores in 1997.

The main building was demolished to make way for the current Coughlin Saunders Performing Arts Center.

Modern Name Use

Stage Dept. Stores uses the name Palais Royal itself to brand some of its own stores.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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