Macy’s is the American department store chain founded in New York City in 1858.
Rowland Hussey Macy opened R. H. Macy & Co. on October 28, 1858, at Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets in Manhattan. The store was one of several retail ventures Macy attempted, but this New York operation succeeded and became the foundation of the modern chain.
The company expanded by adding departments and neighboring buildings, helping popularize the broad merchandise format associated with department stores. Ownership later passed to Isidor and Nathan Straus in 1895. Macy’s flagship moved to Herald Square in 1902, where the enormous Manhattan store became one of the best-known retail landmarks in the United States.
A common source of confusion is that Rowland Macy had opened earlier stores, including one in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1851. However, the Macy’s chain identified in this question traces its enduring corporate history to the New York store established in 1858. Macy’s is also distinct from Bloomingdale’s, although both are sister brands under Macy’s, Inc.