page_title: Century 21 (department store)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Century 21 (department store) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Century 21 Department Store
context_page_description: Century 21 Department Stores LLC is a chain of department stores with 13 locations in the northeastern United States, headquartered in New York City.
context_section_description: The company was founded in 1961, by Sonny Gindi, Ralph Gindi, and Al Gindi. The original store is located at 472 86th Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Founder Al Gindi's son, Raymond Gindi, currently serves as Century 21's chief operating officer.
  The Century 21 flagship location is at 22 Cortland St. in Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America. It occupies the base of a 34 story office tower, and it has recently added a Financier Patisserie coffee shop to its third floor. The store became an emotional flashpoint during and after the September 11 attacks. The store was evacuated after the first plane hit the World Trade Center, and the interior was significantly damaged from the collapse of the Twin Towers. Initially, it was not certain that the store would be rebuilt, but the owners opted to remain at the same site and the store was renovated and reopened in early-2002, five months after the attacks. Thousands of people waited hours on the morning of the reopening so they could have a sales receipt from that day.
  On October 28, 2014, the firm opened its first location outside of the greater New York metropolitan area, housed on two floors of the former Strawbridge's flagship on Market Street in Center City, Philadelphia.
  They also opened a location at the Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, Florida in 2016.
caption: Inside Century 21
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