Gayfers
Type	Department store
Founded	1879
Headquarters	Mobile, Alabama
Industry	Retail
Products	Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need
Website	None

Gayfers was a regional department store chain in the Southern U. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages S. Most stores were located in the Southeast. The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region The chain became part of Dillard's in 1998. This article is about a Department store chain For The Dillards a Progressive bluegrass band see The Dillards.

Contents 1 History 2 Former Stores 2.1 Alabama 2.2 Florida 2.3 Georgia 2.4 Mississippi 3 References

History

C. J. Gayfer migrated to Mobile, Alabama from Southwold, England sometime after the Civil War. He opened a retail department store, Gayfer's, in downtown Mobile in 1879. At the time of his death in 1915, Gayfer's employed 150 people and averaged over $500,000 in annual sales. ^[1]

During the 1950s, the Mercantile Stores chain acquired Gayfer's, which then worked aggressively on the expansion of the chain. Mercantile Stores Company Inc. was a traditional Department store retailer founded in 1914 that operated 102 Fashion Apparel stores and 16 home The first branch store was opened at Town & Country Plaza in Pensacola, Florida, in 1956. This successful move was followed four years later with the opening of the Springdale Plaza store in Mobile, Alabama, becoming the company's flagship store. The Downtown Mobile store closed in 1985. ^[2]

Gayfer's went west in 1963, opening a store at Edgewater Plaza Shopping City (later Edgewater Mall) in Biloxi, Mississippi. This store was expanded in 1974 and again in 1987. In 1969 a store was opened in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

In 1970, the apostrophe in the company name was dropped. ^[2] This was clearly a banner year for the company, as it opened stores in Montgomery, Alabama; Jackson, Mississippi, and started construction of a second store in Pensacola, Florida, at Cordova Mall.

For the next twenty years, new stores would be opened or remodeled, and by 1981 there were 18 stores bearing the Gayfers name.

In 1998, Merchantile Stores was purchased by the Dillard's chain and all stores were either closed or renamed. ^[2]

Former Stores

Alabama

• Auburn: Colonial University Village - became Dillard's in 1998, now Belk as of 2005
• Daphne: Jubilee Square - became Dillard's 1998, now Hobby Lobby and other stores
• Dothan: Wiregrass Commons - became Dillard's 1998
• Mobile: Springdale Mall (now Springdale) - became Dillard's 1998, closed 2003, demolished for Sam's Club
• Montgomery:

• Eastdale Mall - became Dillard's 1998
• Montgomery Mall - former Montgomery Fair, became Dillard's 1998, now Steve & Barry's University Sportswear

• Oxford: Quintard Mall
• Tuscaloosa: McFarland Mall - became Dillard's 1998

Florida

• Altamonte Springs: Altamonte Mall - became Dillard's 1998
• Clearwater: Clearwater Mall - became Dillard's 1998, mall torn down
• Daytona Beach: Volusia Mall - former Maison Blanche, became a third Dillard's 1998
• Fort Walton Beach: Santa Rosa Mall - became Dillard's 1998
• Jacksonville:

• The Avenues - former Maison Blanche, became Belk 1998, Belk Women's 2007
• Regency Square Mall - became Belk 1998
• Roosevelt Square - former May Co. Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2007 population of 54348 Daphne is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, USA on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. Hobby Lobby is a privately held Retail chain of Arts and crafts stores based in Oklahoma City Oklahoma, and is formally called Hobby Lobby Creative Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US Springdale Mall is a shopping center located in Mobile Alabama, United States, directly across from Bel Air Mall. Sam's Club is an American chain of membership-only retail Warehouse clubs Founded in 1983 it is owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores Inc Montgomery (məntˈgəmɜriː is the Capital, second most populous city and the 4th most populous metropolitan area in the Southern U Montgomery Mall can refer to the following Montgomery Mall (Alabama in Montgomery Alabama Montgomery Mall (Pennsylvania Steve & Barry's is an American retail clothing chain featuring casual apparel Oxford is a city in Calhoun and Talladega counties in the US state of Alabama. Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. Altamonte Springs is a City in Seminole County Florida, United States. Clearwater is a City located in Pinellas County Florida, USA, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St Volusia Mall, is a super-regional Shopping mall located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Maison Blanche ( White House in french was a department store in NewOrleans and later also a chain of department stores Fort Walton Beach is a city in Okaloosa County Florida, United States. Santa Rosa Mall is a shopping mall located in Fort Walton Beach Florida. The Avenues is an indoor shopping mall located on the southside of Jacksonville, Florida. Florida, torn down 1997

• Ocoee: West Oaks Mall - became Parisian, then McRae's, then Belk, closed fall 2007, currently vacant
• Orange Park: Orange Park Mall - now Belk
• Orlando:

• The Florida Mall - became Parisian, then Lord & Taylor, closed 2006, vacant
• Orlando Fashion Square - became Dillard's 1998

• Oviedo: Oviedo Marketplace - became Dillard's 1998
• Panama City: Panama City Mall - became Dillard's 1998
• Pensacola:

• Cordova Mall - became Dillard's Women's 1998
• Town and Country Plaza

• Tallahassee: Tallahassee Mall - became Dillard's 1998, to close 2008

Georgia

• Albany: Albany Mall - became Dillard's 1998
• Columbus: Peachtree Mall - became Dillard's 1998

Mississippi

• Biloxi: Edgewater Mall - became Dillard's 1998
• Hattiesburg: Turtle Creek Mall - later a second McRae's location, now a second Belk location
• Jackson:

• Jackson Mall - closed early 1990s, mall converted to medical offices
• Metrocenter Mall - vacant, became Burlington Coat Factory in 2007. Ocoee is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. According to the 2000 census the city proper had a population of 24391 West Oaks Mall is a mall located in Ocoee Florida. It has many stores a food court and a 14-screen AMC Movie Theatre Parisian was a moderate to upscale US chain of Department stores headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. McRae's was a mid-range regional Department store chain with locations throughout the Southeastern United States, and founded and based in Jackson Mississippi Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, USA. The population was 9081 at the 2000 census Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida. The Florida Mall is a large enclosed Shopping mall in Orlando Florida. Parisian was a moderate to upscale US chain of Department stores headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Lord & Taylor, based in New York, New York, is the oldest upscale Department store chain in the United States. The Orlando Fashion Square Mall is a two-story indoor shopping mall located in Orlando Florida. Oviedo is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 26316 at the 2000 census The Oviedo Marketplace is a single-story indoor shopping mall located in Oviedo Florida, a northeastern Suburb of Orlando Florida. The City of Panama City is a city located along US Highway 98 in Bay County Florida. Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the County seat of Escambia County. Cordova Mall, located in Pensacola Florida, is the largest shopping center on the northwest Gulf Coast of Florida. Tallahassee Mall is a regional Shopping mall located at the intersection of North Monroe Street and John Knox Road in Tallahassee Florida Albany is a city in and the County seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state Columbus is a City in Muscogee County, Georgia, United States. Peachtree Mall, is a Shopping mall located in Columbus Georgia, in the United States. Hattiesburg, known as "The Hub City" is a city in Forrest and Lamar Counties in the U McRae's was a mid-range regional Department store chain with locations throughout the Southeastern United States, and founded and based in Jackson Mississippi Metrocenter is a large regional Shopping mall in northwest Phoenix Arizona. Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national Department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes with over 360 stores in 42 states (as of 2006

• Ridgeland: Northpark Mall - became a second Dillard's location 1998. Ridgeland is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. Northpark Mall (or NorthPark Mall) is the name of several Shopping malls in the United States: NorthPark Mall is in Davenport

All Mississippi stores had a prominent teen board during its years called "Gayfer Girls". Mrs. Dorothy Downing was the leader of this board for many of its years until her retirement.

References

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