Meier & Frank
Meier & Frank was a Portland-based American department-store chain that operated under its historic name from 1857 until its conversion to Macy's in 2006.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Meier & Frank was an American department-store chain rooted in Portland, Oregon, where Aaron Meier opened a small mercantile store in 1857. The business began in the commercial environment of the Oregon Territory, selling general merchandise brought from San Francisco by steamer and transported along the Oregon Trail. After an early partnership ended, Meier rebuilt the business and hired Emil Frank in 1870 and Emil's brother Sigmund in 1872. Emil became a partner in 1873, giving the store the Meier & Frank name; Sigmund later joined the partnership and married Meier's daughter, Fannie. The company developed from a frontier dry-goods operation into one of the Pacific Northwest's most prominent department stores. After its downtown premises were destroyed in the Portland fire of 1878, the store rebuilt immediately. It moved into larger purpose-built premises during the 1880s and opened a substantial five-story department-store building in 1898. That building introduced modern retail features, including elevators, extensive floor space, and a money-back guarantee that helped distinguish Meier & Frank's customer-service practices. Its most recognizable physical symbol was the Portland flagship on the blocks bounded by Southwest Alder, Morrison, Fifth, and Sixth avenues. An annex designed by A. E. Doyle opened in 1909, and a sixteen-story replacement building opened in 1915 after the earlier structure was demolished. Further construction eventually consolidated the site into a seventeen-story retail complex occupying an entire downtown block. The store's white terra-cotta architecture, green delivery vehicles, extensive delivery service, buying office in New York, radio station KFEC, and in-store restaurants made it a major civic and commercial institution as well as a retailer. Meier & Frank sold clothing, accessories, household goods, furniture, cosmetics, appliances, and other general merchandise. It also operated restaurants in several stores, although these were gradually removed as retail, storage, mall redevelopment, and food-court competition made the spaces more valuable for other uses. The company became particularly associated with downtown Portland, but its branch-store network expanded across Oregon and into southwestern Washington. Important locations included Salem, Lloyd Center in Portland, Eugene, Tigard, Vancouver, Clackamas, Medford, and Hillsboro. The family-owned company faced a major strategic turning point in the 1960s. After an extended dispute among Meier, Frank, and Hirsch family shareholders over competing acquisition proposals, the business was sold to The May Department Stores Company in 1966. The Meier & Frank name continued as a regional May division, and the chain expanded further. In 2001, May also used the name for former ZCMI stores in Utah. In 2002, Meier & Frank's operations were combined with the Robinsons-May division while the historic name was retained. Federated Department Stores acquired May in 2005 and pursued a broad Macy's branding program. Meier & Frank stores were converted to Macy's at the close of business on September 8, 2006, ending the chain's independent identity after almost 150 years. The Portland flagship building survived the rebranding and was subsequently redeveloped for other uses, but the Meier & Frank retail brand is no longer active.
History
Aaron Meier established the business in Portland in 1857, opening a modest mercantile store on Front Street when the city had a population of roughly 1,300. Merchandise arrived through regional shipping and overland trade routes. After an initial partnership with Mr. Mariholtz failed, Meier returned from Germany with his wife, Jeanette Hirsch, and used an inheritance to restart the store in larger premises. Emil Frank joined in 1870, his brother Sigmund in 1872, and Emil became a partner in 1873. The business thereafter traded as Meier & Frank. The store survived the Portland fire of 1878 and continued moving into larger facilities. In 1885 it built a substantial masonry store on Taylor Street, and in 1887 it promoted an early recurring sale known as the Friday Surprise. Emil Frank left the partnership in 1888. After Aaron Meier's death in 1889, Sigmund Frank became the principal operating partner, while Jeannette Meier played an important behind-the-scenes role. The store also endured the 1894 flood, maintaining access for customers by using raised walkways and boats. In 1898, Meier & Frank moved to a large five-story building farther uptown. The project represented a transition from a general country store to a modern department store, with elevators, mechanical systems, extensive floor space, and a customer-oriented money-back guarantee. An adjacent ten-story annex, designed by A. E. Doyle, opened in 1909 and became one of Portland's most prominent commercial structures. After Sigmund Frank's death, Abe Meier became president and Julius Meier managed the business. Delivery wagons and trucks became a familiar part of Portland life, and the company supplied furnishings for the Fairmount Hotel during the 1905 Lewis and Clark exposition. The five-story building was replaced beginning in 1913 by a sixteen-story structure opened in 1915. With later additions, the flagship occupied an entire downtown block and became one of the largest retail establishments in the United States. The company maintained a New York buying office, opened a large garage and stockroom in 1920, and launched radio station KFEC in 1922. Julius L. Meier later served as governor of Oregon from 1931 to 1935. During the Depression, the store publicly emphasized confidence, accepted customers' savings for safekeeping during the bank holiday, and suspended interest charges on credit accounts. Aaron Frank's son, Aaron (Bud) Meier Frank, became president after Julius Meier's death in 1937. During World War II, the company devoted its advertising space to war-bond promotion and conducted a major bond sale in its auditorium. After the war it installed an extensive escalator system and developed nearby parking facilities. A later proposal for a large downtown parking garage was rejected after public hearings; the site ultimately became Pioneer Courthouse Square in 1984. The chain began systematic branch expansion in 1955 with a Salem store managed by Gerry Frank. A Lloyd Center location followed in 1960, and additional stores opened in Eugene, Tigard, Vancouver, Clackamas, Medford, and Hillsboro between 1969 and 2004. The company remained family-controlled until a contentious 1964–1966 ownership contest ended with its sale to May Department Stores. May preserved the banner and used it for Utah's former ZCMI stores in 2001. Meier & Frank's operations were combined with Robinsons-May in 2002, although the customer-facing name remained. Federated Department Stores purchased May in 2005 and decided to concentrate its department-store portfolio under the Macy's name. The last Meier & Frank stores were converted on September 9, 2006, after the historic banner's final day of operation on September 8. The brand therefore ended not through bankruptcy but through corporate consolidation and rebranding.
- 2006
Retail banner converted to Macy's
[1]The Meier & Frank name disappears from operating stores.
- 2005
Federated acquires May
[1]The acquisition sets up the conversion of Meier & Frank stores to Macy's.
- 2001
ZCMI locations rebranded
[1]May applies the Meier & Frank banner to its Utah ZCMI stores.
- 1966
Acquired by The May Department Stores Company
[1]Family shareholders select May after a contested ownership process.
- 1955
First branch opens in Salem
[1]The chain begins its major postwar branch-store expansion.
- 1922
KFEC radio station begins broadcasting
[1]Meier & Frank launches a radio station from its flagship building.
- 1915
Sixteen-story flagship building opens
[1]The replacement building substantially expands the downtown store's retail capacity.
- 1909
A. E. Doyle-designed flagship annex opens
[1]The white terra-cotta annex becomes a defining element of downtown Portland's commercial architecture.
- 1898
Large downtown department store opens
[1]A five-story building marks the company's transition into a modern department-store operation.
- 1878
Store rebuilt after the Portland fire
[1]A major downtown fire destroys the premises, which the company promptly rebuilds.
Products and positioning
A full-line regional department-store chain combining broad merchandise selection, downtown civic prominence, customer-service traditions, delivery convenience, and a strong Pacific Northwest identity.
Fashion retail
Apparel and accessories
The chain's core department-store assortment included men's, women's, and children's clothing, shoes, hats, neckwear, and fashion accessories. Apparel helped the stores function as full-line shopping destinations rather than specialist merchants, with merchandise sold through both the Portland flagship and the later branch network.
Home retail
Home furnishings and housewares
Meier & Frank sold furniture, household goods, kitchen merchandise, appliances, and related home products. These departments were important to the chain's broad regional proposition and complemented its role in furnishing homes and institutions, including the Fairmount Hotel.
Specialty retail
Cosmetics, jewelry, and specialty merchandise
Cosmetics, jewelry, personal-care goods, and other specialty departments added higher-variety merchandise to the chain's general retail offer. Such departments were typical of the large downtown flagship and its full-service branch stores.
Food service
In-store restaurants
Meier & Frank operated restaurants attached to several stores, including the Georgian Room in Portland and regional dining rooms in Salem, Eugene, Vancouver, and Lloyd Center. Most closed over time as retail expansion, storage requirements, redevelopment, and competition from malls and food courts reduced the value of dedicated dining space.
Marketing campaigns
- 1941Wartime bond-support advertising
Oregon · United States
During World War II, Meier & Frank redirected its newspaper advertising away from merchandise and toward support for war-bond sales and the Allied war effort.
Outcome. The store was cited by federal officials for unusually extensive wartime support and conducted a large bond sale in its auditorium.
- 1933Confidence banking-holiday message
Portland
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt closed banks during the 1933 banking crisis, the company published a newspaper advertisement centered on the word 'Confidence' and offered to safeguard customers' savings.
Outcome. The action reinforced Meier & Frank's image as a trusted civic institution during the Depression.
- 1887Friday Surprise
Portland
Meier & Frank introduced a recurring promotional sale known as Friday Surprise, an early example of the event-driven retail promotions associated with the store.
Outcome. The promotion became part of the chain's longstanding merchandising and promotional identity.
Brand decisions
2005
Convert Meier & Frank stores to Macy'sStrategyBackground
Federated Department Stores acquired May and pursued a unified Macy's identity across much of the combined department-store portfolio.
Action taken
Federated announced that Meier & Frank stores would be renamed Macy's.
Aftermath
The conversion completed in September 2006 and ended the Meier & Frank retail brand.
2001
Extend the banner to former ZCMI storesStrategyBackground
May sought to rebrand its Utah-based ZCMI department stores.
Action taken
The stores adopted the Meier & Frank name.
Aftermath
The historic Portland-derived banner gained a presence in Utah before the later Macy's consolidation.
1966
Sell the company to May Department StoresM&ABackground
Family shareholders considered competing offers from Carter Hawley Hale and May during a prolonged internal ownership dispute.
Action taken
The family owners selected May's offer, ending Meier & Frank's independence while retaining its operating name.
Aftermath
Jack Meier became president and the chain continued as a regional division within May.
Recent events
- 2006
Meier & Frank name discontinued[1]
Leadership change
The chain's remaining stores operated under the Meier & Frank name through September 8 and became Macy's the following day.
- 2005
Federated announced Macy's conversion program[1]
M&A
Following its acquisition of May Department Stores, Federated announced that Meier & Frank and other May banners would be converted to Macy's.
- 2001
ZCMI stores adopted the Meier & Frank name[1]
Other
May Department Stores rebranded its Utah-based ZCMI locations as Meier & Frank, extending the historic regional name beyond the Pacific Northwest.
- 1966
May Department Stores acquired Meier & Frank[1]
M&A · Leadership change
After a prolonged dispute among family shareholders over competing acquisition proposals, Meier & Frank was sold to The May Department Stores Company.
Sources1 sources
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