The company can be traced back to Motte's, a store founded in 1874 by Jesse W. Motte, who sold boots and shoes at 714 Franklin Street. In 1876, Motte took on as business partner his store's supervisor, Joseph Specht. The two added clothing to their wares, and presently moved the store to 703–705 Franklin, where it was listed in the city directory as Famous, Motte & Specht. It was more popularly known as the Famous Clothing Company — "famous" reportedly coming from the public's referring to the store as the "famous place for bargains".[1]
Retailer David May acquired the Famous Clothing Store in 1892. Sometime later, he acquired William Barr Dry Goods Co. In 1911, he merged the two to create Famous-Barr.[2]
Famous-Barr was one of many St. Louis retail companies that owned a resort along the Meramec River between the early 1900’s to 1940’s.
In 1914, David May opened a new Famous-Barr department store in downtown St. Louis, the first air-conditioned department store in the country.[3]
On October 8, 1948, Famous-Barr opened its first branch store in Clayton, Missouri at the intersection of Forsyth and Jackson.[4]
In 1955, Famous-Barr opened another branch store, at the Northland Shopping Center in Jennings — a mall owned by Famous-Barr's corporate parent, the May Companies.[5][6] The Northland store celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1980.[7]
In 1991, it took operational control of the L.S. Ayres division in Indiana, and in 1998 took on The Jones Store in Kansas City when May acquired that chain in the aftermath of the Dillard's acquisition of Mercantile Stores Co. Both chains retained their names, but shut down their headquarters.
The Famous-Barr name was retired on September 9, 2006, when Federated converted most of Macy's regional department stores to the Macy's nameplate, with the exception of the Eastland Mall store in Evansville Indiana. The Eastland Mall store closed and became Dillard's instead due to the existing Lazarus store which already became Macy's in 2005. The downtown St. Louis store and headquarters were first shrunk and then closed in summer 2013; the remaining retail employees moved to other stores, while the headquarters staff moved to Earth City.
^"Immediate start on Famous-Barr store on north side planned". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 14, 1954. pp. 3A. Retrieved January 9, 2019. Plans for an immediate start on construction of a North Side store for Famous-Barr Co. were announced yesterday by Morton D. May, president of May Department Stores Co. and general manager of Famous-Barr. It is the first unit to be built in the Northland Shopping Center, a $12,000,000 project planned for a 62-acre tract at Lucas and Hunt road and West Florissant avenue, Jennings, with parking space for 5000 automobiles. Opening of the Famous-Barr store is scheduled for the early autumn of 1955, May said.
^"Famous-Barr shows its new Northland". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 18, 1955. pp. 3A. Retrieved January 9, 2019. Executives of St. Louis department stores and public officials toured the eight acres of Famous-Barr Co.'s new Northland branch store last night in a preview showing of the modern structure at Lucas-Hunt road and West Florissant avenue, Jennings. The store, its three upper levels faced with red brick, is the center of a $12,000,000 shopping center, which will serve the rapidly-growing population of north St. Louis county. Shelves and display cases on all floors, including the basement of the store, were filled with merchandise in readiness for the store's opening at noon tomorrow.
