Which retailer was founded by John Wanamaker in Philadelphia in 1861?

John Wanamaker founded Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia in 1861.

The business began as a small menswear shop called Oak Hall and eventually became a landmark department-store enterprise. Wanamaker emphasized fixed prices, customer service, money-back guarantees and broad merchandise selection, practices that helped shape modern department-store retail.

The flagship Philadelphia store became famous for its grand architecture and enormous pipe organ. Wanamaker’s also became associated with early retail advertising, including the widely quoted observation that half of advertising spending was wasted, although the exact wording and attribution are debated.

Wanamaker’s is distinct from Macy’s, Gimbels and Strawbridge’s, all major department-store names with separate histories. The Wanamaker chain was later absorbed into Hecht’s and then into the May Department Stores Company.