Meis, also known as Meis of Illiana, was a department store based in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. Existing from 1928 to 1989, the chain operated 11 stores at its peak. In 1989, the chain sold most of its locations to Elder-Beerman.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1928 in Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Founders | Lucien Meis and Salo Levite |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Fate | Acquired by Elder-Beerman |
| Successor | Elder-Beerman |
| Headquarters | Terre Haute, Indiana , United States |
Area served | Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky |
| Products | Clothing |
History
editLucien Meis and Salo Levite founded the Meis department store in downtown Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1928. This store remained open until the late 1970s. Meis also operated other stores in Terre Haute at Honey Creek Mall, Plaza North, and The Meadows.[1] The chain also operated a jeans store called The Bottom Half. Both of these businesses were sold to Brown Shoe Company (now Caleres) in 1972.[2][1]
Stores also operated in Anderson, Kokomo, Marion, and Elkhart, Indiana; Carbondale, Danville, and Mattoon, Illinois; and Paducah, Kentucky.[3]
Brown Group sold the Meis chain, then consisting of ten stores, to Elder-Beerman in 1989.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Greninger, Howard (October 5, 2012). "Meis name returns downtown". Tribstar.com. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ "Brown Group Inc". Missouri.org. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ Hagan, Marylee (December 18, 2011). "HISTORICAL TREASURE: Many memories of the downtown Meis store". Tribstar.com. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ "Brown Group Sells Department Stores". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 29, 1989. p. 13a.
Brown Group Inc. said Friday that as part of its restructuring effort it has sold its Meis department store unit to an Ohio retailing chain. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Meis, which is based in Terre Haute, Ind., operates 10 department stores in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. It has annual sales of about $75 million. Brown bought the chain in 1972. Meis' buyer, Elder-Beerman Stores Corp. of Dayton, Ohio, has 33 department stores, primarily in Ohio.