Gordmans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gordmans | |
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| Type | Department store |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Headquarters | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. |
| Website | http://www.gordmans.com/ |
Gordmans is a chain of mid-western off-price department stores founded and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Today, Gordmans operates 65 stores in 16 states in the United States.
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[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings
In 1936, Dan Gordman was on the road to success when he quit his job at a Bloomingdales in New York City and headed west to seek his fortune but only making it as far as Omaha, Nebraska. The stop an Omaha was just supposed to be a short spot for Gordman and it led him to loving relationship with Esther Richman and a business relationship with her father Sam Richman. The company's origins went back all the way to the early twentieth century when Sam Richman opened a small clothing store in Omaha in 1915. Sam Richman's Outfitters to the Family occupied a small storefront block-long building at 16th and Chicago in downtown Omaha. Dan Gordman joined Sam as a full partner in the business and married his daughter Esther. Several years passed, and eventually the business had grown to occupy the entire building at 16th and Chicago. In 1948, a second store was opened in South Omaha, Nebraska and then Dan purchased Sam's remaining interest in the Company, and the name of the stores was changed to Richman Gordman.
[edit] Richman Gordman
In the 1960s, Jerry and Nelson, Dan's sons, and his nephew Bob joined Dan in Richman Gordman and positioned the company for more aggressive expansion. In the early 1970s, the company expanded beyond Nebraska. Richman Gordman opened two stores in Des Moines, Iowa followed by another location in Topeka, Kansas. Richman Gordman's 10th store opened in Grand Island, Nebraska in 1974. Dan Gordman was the first to bring the idea of central checkouts, shopping carts and self-service shoes to Omaha. Dan was also one of the first stores to open stores on Sundays.
[edit] The 1/2 Price Store
In 1975, Dan opened a small test store in South Omaha at 25th and L Streets named the 1/2 Price Store. The concept was to sell Richman Gordman merchandise at half price. The concept was so popular six more 1/2 Price Stores were opened in the 1970s and a separate corporate infrastructure was built to meet the growing demands of the business. By the time the company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1990, it operated 16 1/2 Price Store off-price department stores and 16 Richman Gordman department stores. In 1992, however, Richman Gordman filed for bankruptcy protection, and all of its department stores had closed. The off-price department store division became the company's sole focus after it emerged from bankruptcy under the Richman Gordman 1/2 Price Stores name in 1993.
[edit] Gordmans
In 1996, the birth of Gordmans was an arduous, laser-focused three-year process, converting all 1/2 Price Stores into the Gordmans brand. The idea came from Dan's vision of providing top-quality name brands at big savings every day, the 1/2 Price Store concept was repositioned to the main brand it company. The company decided to develop a new prototype store and upgrade the store's presentation. Out the combined efforts and the hard work of hundreds of associates, the first two Gordmans stores opened in Tulsa, Oklahoma in August 1999.
