The Jones Store
The Jones Store was an American department-store chain centered on Kansas City, Missouri, and later absorbed into Macy's Midwest.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Jones Store was an American department-store chain whose history was closely tied to Kansas City, Missouri, and the surrounding retail market. The business began in 1887 when J. Logan Jones opened an approximately 800-square-foot store in Stafford, Kansas. Jones expanded into Kansas City in 1895 with a location at Sixth Street and Main Street in the River Market area, establishing the urban base from which the chain would develop. The company grew substantially during the early twentieth century. In 1902, Jones leased a seven-story building occupying a full block at Twelfth Street and Main Street. The large downtown premises became the chain's principal flagship and helped position The Jones Store as a major general-merchandise retailer in the Kansas City market. The company nevertheless encountered financial difficulty and entered bankruptcy in 1910. Control subsequently passed to New York interests. In 1919, the new owners acquired merchandise from Bernheimer Brothers, another Kansas City department-store business, further consolidating the Jones operation's position in the downtown market. For much of the twentieth century, The Jones Store operated as a regional department store offering broad general merchandise rather than as a narrowly specialized retailer. Its locations eventually extended beyond downtown Kansas City into suburban shopping centers and malls, including Bannister Mall, Blue Ridge Mall, Metro North Mall, Oak Park Mall, Independence Center, Metcalf South Shopping Center, Town Center Plaza, Prairie Village Shopping Center, and West Ridge Mall. The chain also served Topeka. Its positioning was that of a conventional regional department store, with merchandise categories typical of the format, although the available reference material does not identify specific proprietary product lines or flagship brands. The downtown flagship remained open until January 1998, notably surviving after many other large retailers had departed central Kansas City. The original downtown building was later demolished in 2005. Ownership and corporate affiliation changed repeatedly in the chain's final decades. The Jones Store became a division of Mercantile Stores Company in the early 1960s. In 1998, May Department Stores acquired the business in connection with its acquisition of Mercantile and integrated it into the Famous-Barr division. When Federated Department Stores acquired May on August 30, 2005, The Jones Store became part of Federated's operations. On February 1, 2006, it was assigned to the newly organized Macy's Midwest division. The Jones Store name was retired on September 9, 2006, when the remaining locations were converted to the Macy's nameplate. This ended the independent brand's existence after nearly 120 years. The conversion also represented Macy's renewed presence in the Kansas City and Topeka markets, following an earlier history in Kansas City that had included the sale of its original local stores to Dillard's in 1985. The Jones Store is therefore best understood as a defunct regional department-store brand whose identity was ultimately replaced through successive acquisitions and a national-nameplate conversion.
History
The Jones Store Company originated in 1887 with an approximately 800-square-foot shop founded by J. Logan Jones in Stafford, Kansas. Jones expanded to Kansas City in 1895, opening at Sixth and Main in the River Market neighborhood. The move gave the company access to a larger urban trading area and established Kansas City as the center of its later identity. In 1902, Jones leased a seven-story, approximately 500,000-square-foot building occupying an entire block at Twelfth Street and Main Street. The property became the chain's downtown flagship and symbolized its growth into a substantial regional department store. The company later entered bankruptcy in 1910, after which New York interests took over the business. In 1919, the new owners acquired merchandise from Bernheimer Brothers, strengthening the Jones operation's position in the Kansas City department-store trade. The company developed as a broad-line department store serving consumers in the Kansas City area and, later, Topeka. Its store network included the downtown location as well as branches in suburban malls and shopping centers such as Bannister Mall, Blue Ridge Mall, Metro North Mall, Oak Park Mall, Independence Center, Metcalf South Shopping Center, Town Center Plaza, Prairie Village Shopping Center, and West Ridge Mall. The available reference material does not document distinctive private-label products or individual merchandise brands, so the business is best characterized by the conventional department-store assortment rather than by a particular product innovation. The downtown flagship continued operating until January 1998, despite the departure of many other major retailers from central Kansas City. The building was eventually demolished in 2005. Corporate ownership also shifted during the chain's later history. The Jones Store became a Mercantile Stores Company division in the early 1960s. May Department Stores acquired the business in 1998 as part of its acquisition of Mercantile and placed it within the Famous-Barr division. Federated Department Stores acquired May on August 30, 2005. On February 1, 2006, The Jones Store Company became part of Macy's Midwest, Federated's new Macy's regional organization. The final transition occurred on September 9, 2006, when the Jones Store name was retired and its locations were converted to Macy's. The change concluded the brand's nearly 120-year history and replaced a locally recognized regional identity with a national department-store nameplate. The episode also marked Macy's renewed entry into Kansas City and Topeka after an earlier Kansas City retail presence had been sold to Dillard's in 1985. The Jones Store's history illustrates the consolidation of American regional department stores through acquisitions, divisional integration, and eventual rebranding.
- 2006
Transferred to Macy's Midwest
[1]Federated's Macy's Midwest division assumed The Jones Store Company on February 1.
- 2006
Brand name retired
[1]On September 9, the stores were converted to the Macy's nameplate.
- 2005
Federated acquires May
[1]The Jones Store entered Federated's portfolio when Federated acquired May on August 30.
- 1998
May Department Stores acquisition
[1]May acquired The Jones Store through its acquisition of Mercantile and integrated it into Famous-Barr.
- 1998
Downtown flagship closes
[1]The Kansas City downtown flagship remained open until January before closing during the year.
- 1960
Becomes part of Mercantile Stores
[1]During the early 1960s, The Jones Store became a division of Mercantile Stores Company.
- 1919
Bernheimer Brothers merchandise acquired
[1]The new owners acquired merchandise from Bernheimer Brothers.
- 1910
Bankruptcy and change of control
[1]The Jones Store declared bankruptcy, and New York interests took over the business.
- 1902
Large downtown flagship leased
[1]The company leased a seven-story building occupying a full block at Twelfth Street and Main Street.
- 1895
Kansas City expansion
[1]Jones opened a store at Sixth and Main in Kansas City's River Market neighborhood.
Products and positioning
Regional mid-market department store
Department-store retail · 1887
General merchandise assortment
The Jones Store operated as a conventional regional department store, selling a broad assortment of merchandise rather than focusing on a single category. The available reference material identifies the business and its locations but does not provide a detailed historical catalog of individual product lines, proprietary labels, or signature products.
Brand decisions
2006
Conversion to Macy's nameplateStrategyBackground
Following Federated's acquisition of May and the creation of Macy's Midwest, the parent organization consolidated regional department-store identities.
Action taken
The Jones Store name was phased out on September 9, 2006, and the locations adopted the Macy's nameplate.
Aftermath
The Jones Store ceased to exist as an independent brand after nearly 120 years of operation.
2005
Federated's acquisition of MayM&ABackground
Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores on August 30, 2005.
Action taken
The Jones Store became part of Federated's department-store operations.
Aftermath
The brand was subsequently assigned to Macy's Midwest and later converted to Macy's.
1998
Integration into May's Famous-Barr divisionM&ABackground
May Department Stores acquired Mercantile Stores, whose portfolio included The Jones Store.
Action taken
The Jones Store was incorporated into May's Famous-Barr division rather than continuing as an independent corporate group.
Aftermath
The chain continued under the Jones Store name until later ownership changes led to its Macy's conversion.
Sources1 sources
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