Strouss

Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = Strouss
company_
fate = Merged by the May Company with Kaufmann's
successor = Kaufmann's
foundation =
defunct = 1986
location = Youngstown, Ohio
industry = Retail Department Store
key_people = C.J. Strouss
products = Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products and housewares
num_employees =
parent = May Company
subsid =

Strouss was a department store serving the U.S. states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Originally known as Strouss-Hirshberg Co., it was long the leading department store in the greater Youngstown, Ohio and the Mahoning/Shenango Valleys. Under the ownership of May Department Stores, which purchased Strouss in 1947, its name was shortened to Strouss and was expanded throughout northern Ohio and western Pennsylvania under the leadership of C.J. Strouss, then president of Strouss. In 1986, May Company made a corporate decision to consolidate the Strouss division into Kaufmann's. May promptly shut down many of its former locations in 1987 in part due to the depressed economy of the Youngstown-Warren, Ohio/Sharon, Pennsylvania regional metropolitan area and a strategic decision by May Company to focus on mall-only retail locations within the Kaufmann's division. Although over 20 years have passed since the May Company divisional merger between Strouss and Kaufmann's, many older residents within the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys still refer to the now regional Macy*s department stores as "Strouss" or "Strouss-Kaufmann's," the moniker used for the former Strouss stores for one year following the divisional consolidation. As late as 1992, Strouss credit cards were still accepted as a form of payment by Kaufmann's.

Former locations

Ohio

* Austintown - Austintown Plaza (opened in 1969, became Kaufmann's 1986, closed 1987, now JCPenney's). The architecure of the Austintown Plaza store is a scaled one-story version of the Eastwood Mall store opened in the same year.
* Boardman - Southern Park Mall (opened 1970, became Kaufmann's 1986, Macy's 2006). convert|186000|sqft|m2|abbr=on. Prior to opening of the Southern Park Mall, Strouss was located in Boardman Plaza from the early 1950s to 1970. The original Boardman Plaza store design was later adapted for the Liberty Plaza location.
* Niles - Eastwood Mall (opened 1969, became Kaufmann's 1986, Macy's 2006). convert|158000|sqft|m2|abbr=on.
* Warren - Located in downtown Warren at the corner of Market Street and Park Avenue; remained opened until 1983 even after the opening of the Eastwood Mall store. Closed in 1983, three years prior to the Kaufmann's merger, due to declining sales. Now an office building.
* Youngstown - Liberty Plaza (became Kaufmann's 1986, closed 1987, became Phar-Mor in early 1990s, site in planning and design phase for a Super Wal-Mart to open by 2010). The original design for the Liberty Plaza store was based upon the Boardman Plaza location.
* Youngstown - 20 West Federal Street, former 7 floor downtown flagship store completed in 1926, 325,000+ sq. feet. (Became Kaufmann's 1986, closed 1987, then Phar-Mor corporate headquarters until late 1990s, now an office building known as 20 West Federal Plaza). 500 car parking garage competed in 1966 and demolished in 2004.

Pennsylvania

* Hermitage - Shenango Valley Mall (opened 1976, became Kaufmann's 1986, Macy's 2006). convert|106000|sqft|m2|abbr=on.
* New Castle (became Kaufmann's 1986, closed 1987 at the same time as the downtown Youngstown flagship store. The downtown New Castle Strouss location was demolished in the early 1990s to make way for a bank parking lot.
* Sharon - Downtown Sharon location closed prior to Kaufmann's merger due to declining sales in early 1980s. Shortly after, a company by the name of "Winston's" renovated the building and opened a department store at this location which lasted less than 1 year. Now the home of "The Winner," an upscale ladies apparel store. (During the Strouss era, it was also informally known as "The Sharon Store").

References

* EXECUTIVE CHANGES. (29 April 1982). The New York Times.
* THE MAY DEPARTMENT STORES CO. ANNOUNCES ELECTIONS. (15 July 1985). PR Newswire.
* MAY STORES COMBINES TWO RETAIL DIVISIONS. (3 January 1986). THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
* MAY DEPT STORES COMBINES STROUSS, KAUFMANN'S DIVISIONS. (2 January 1986). Dow Jones News Service.
* Store Consolidation Seen at Federated. (18 January 1986). The New York Times.
* MAY DEPARTMENT STORES REPORTS RECORD FIRST QUARTER NET EARNINGS AND SALES. (20 May 1986). PR Newswire.
* MAY DEPARTMENT STORES CO reports earnings for Qtr to May 3. (21 May 1986). The New York Times.
* THE MAY DEPARTMENT STORES CO. REPORTS THIRD QUARTER AND FIRST NINE MONTHS SALES AND EARNINGS. (18 November 1986). PR Newswire.
* Old department stores see new development. (11 August 1990). The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
* Old stores get new look. (11 August 1990). The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
* May Department Stores Co. (26 September 1990). Advertising Age.
* Fred L. Gronvall Sr. (11 October 1997). The Patriot Ledger.
* Dillard's edit on database. (16 November 2001). The Youngstown Vindicator.
* Youngstown, Ohio, Department Store Keeps Kaufmann's Name despite Consolidation. (10 August 2002). The Youngstown Vindicator.
* Kaufmann's to keep name despite consolidation. (10 August 2002). The Youngstown Vindicator.
* City awards contract for razing of parking deck. (21 April 2000). The Youngstown Vindicator.