Bealls (Florida)
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| Bealls, Inc. | |
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| Type | Department store |
| Founded | 1915 (Bradenton, Florida) |
| Headquarters | Bradenton, Florida |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. |
| Website | http://www.beallsflorida.com/ |
Bealls IPA: /ˈbɛlz/ is a United States chain of department stores founded in 1915 in Bradenton, Florida. The store is of no relation to Bealls Texas, although the two Bealls chains do overlap. In cases where there is overlap, Bealls Florida operates as Burkes Outlet. The current President is Stephen Knopik.
[edit] History
In 1915, 22 year old Robert M. Beall Sr. opened a dry goods store in Bradenton, Florida. Because the store sold products for nothing more than one dollar he named his store The Dollar Limit. Following World War I in 1918 caused prices to go up and Robert renamed his store Five Dollar Limit. As his business grew to be a success he moved his store to new property a few blocks away.
In 1946, Robert and his son, Egbert, renamed Five Dollar Limit to Bealls Department Store. In 1956 the second Bealls Department store was opened in Bradenton's Westgate Shopping Center and the third Bealls Department store followed in 1961 at the Venice Shopping Center in Venice, Florida. Robert Beall ran the original downtown store until his death in 1979. Bealls continued to operate the downtown store until it was demolished in 1987.
[edit] Bealls Outlet
In 1987, Bealls opened Bealls Outlet. The chain was the response of the growing of outlet malls in Florida. In 1992, Bealls opened its first out-of-state Bealls Outlet in Arizona. Today Bealls Outlet has grown to over 450 stores in 14 states under the names of Bealls Outlet and Burkes Outlet. The Burkes Outlet name is generally used in areas where Stage Stores' own "Bealls" stores operate.
