After a merger with Macy, Inc., Burdines disappeared and Florida lost a part of its shopping history.
William Burdine opened the first Burdines in 1898 in Miami, Florida, according to the Palm Beach Post. Originally named Burdine & Son, the store sold clothing to Native Americans and construction workers. By 1912, the store had expanded into a well-known department store where the most sophisticated women in Florida shopped.
In 2003, Federated Department Stores, Inc. announced that Macy's and Burdines would be merging. Sales at the Florida store had been dropping and layoffs were at an all time high.
The store became Burdines-Macy's. Then in 2005, Federated Department Stores, Inc. decided to drop Burdines and the store officially became Macy's. Customers in Florida can still reminesce when they enter Macy's since the store kept Burdines' trademark palm tree center pieces, like the ones seen below, in Florida-based stores.
Wikipedia provides a short but accurate biography of the Burdines Stores. Read Robert Trigaux article for the St. Petersburg Times for details on the Burdines merger and other stores that have disppeared.
