Careers Vendors Contact Home About Brands Sustainability News Investors Search Our Story Begins in 1858 Overview History Store Count & Square Footage Management Team Board of Directors Policies Our Culture Colleagues From Humble Beginnings to Becoming One of the World's Largest Retailers THE BEGINNING OF AN ICONIC BRAND Rowland Hussey Macy adopted a red star as his symbol of success, dating back to his days as a sailor. SOARING SALES RESULTS First-day sales totaled $11.06 but by the end of the first full year, sales grossed approximately $85,000. THE GROWTH OF A PREMIER RETAILER By 1877, R.H. Macy & Co. had become a full-fledged department store occupying the ground space of 11 adjacent buildings in Manhattan. 1830 Shillito’s founded in Cincinnati by John Shillito. 1841 Eben Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh open Jordan Marsh in Boston. 1851 MACY'S F&R Lazarus & Company founded in Columbus, OH, by Simon Lazarus. 1858 Rowland H. Macy opened R.H. Macy & Co. as a dry goods store in New York City. First-day sales totaled $11.06. 1859 1865 1867 1867 1870 1872 1872 1877 1888 1890 1898 1902 1910 1911 1923 1924 1925 1929 1930 1934 1939 1939 1945 1946 1946 1946 1949 1951 1956 1957 1959 1959 1959 1961 1964 1976 1976 1980 1985 1985 1986 1986 1988 1989 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 1994 1994 1994 1995 1996 1996 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2001 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2007 2008 2008 2008 2009 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2012 2013 2013 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2016 2017 2017 2017 2018 2018 2018 1830 1880 1930 1980 2018 © 2021 Macy's, Inc. Privacy Policy Legal Notice Disclaimer Sitemap Search