138:, and changed its name to Rorabaugh-Brown Dry Goods Co. when John Albert Brown bought the business from his cousin and partner, A. O. Rorabaugh in 1932 and named the store after himself. After founder and owner, John A. Brown, died in 1940, his widow, Della Dunkin Brown, took over as CEO. She died in 1967, and ownership of the company passed to a trust. By that time, retail competition had greatly intensified, and was moving from large downtown stores to smaller stores in suburban shopping malls. The John A. Brown company was acquired by the
126:
continued operating the chain under the Brown name, until 1984, when Dayton-Hudson sold the Brown chain to
Dillard's, another national chain, which combined all of the Brown stores under its own name. The flagship store on West Main Street was closed in 1974 and was subsequently razed as part of an urban renewal project. The project was supposed to result in a new shopping center known as the Galleria. However, the project was never completed, so the Brown chain never returned to downtown.
125:
department store chain. It operated under that name from 1932, when its founder bought out its predecessor and renamed the chain for himself. After Mr. Brown died in 1940, his widow took over management until her own death in 1967, forcing a change in ownership. Dayton-Hudson, another retail company,
226:
Actually, the John A. Brown chain could be said to have begun in 1901, when
Mitscher-Mitchell Dry Goods Company opened a store on the south side of West Main Street in downtown Oklahoma City. The store did so well that the company expanded to two buildings on the north side of West Main by February
205:
John A. Brown and John Dunkin bought Hunts, one of the leading mercantile stores in Tulsa, in 1924. They renamed it Brown-Dunkin. John Dunkin moved from
Oklahoma City to Tulsa to operate the store. However, B-D was an entity of its own and there was no formal connection with the Oklahoma City
153:
The store's original location was in downtown
Oklahoma City, and opened in the 1930s. Its location was bounded by Harvey and Robinson on the west and east, and Park and Main on the north and south. A book about Brown's, and the other main downtown Oklahoma City department stores, Kerr's and
209:
In 1959, a director of the First
National Bank of St. Louis, asked Willard Dillard, owner of the Dillard's department store chain, to consider buying Brown-Dunkin. Dillard raised $ 350,000 (~$ 2.76 million in 2023) and bought Brown-Dunkin in February, 1960.
154:
Halliburton's, was released in 2016 under the title "John A. Brown's, Kerr's, and
Halliburton's: Where Oklahoma City Loved to Shop." The book was written by local historians Ajax Delvecki and Larry Johnson.
157:
The company also operated many other stores throughout
Oklahoma. These include locations that are either stand alone or in outdoor shopping centers, such as one at Campus Corner in
530:
540:
364:
535:
550:
545:
146:) in 1971, and continued to operate under the John A. Brown name. The downtown store closed and was demolished in 1977. The chain was acquired by
357:
231:
newspaper that led to the conclusion that the new Brock's properties were the same ones later occupied by the John A. Brown chain.
350:
555:
162:
174:
139:
322:
499:
186:
449:
134:
The department store had its start in 1915, when the
Rorabaugh Company acquired Brock's Dry Goods in
182:
166:
143:
165:
neighborhood. The chain opened stores in enclosed shopping malls in its later years, including
291:
227:
1904. The source of this information quotes an article from the
February 3, 1904 issue of the
170:
158:
28:
342:
190:
337:
310:
258:
431:
524:
411:
401:
178:
135:
106:
470:
504:
436:
374:
147:
96:
444:
416:
278:
483:
478:
426:
396:
491:
462:
454:
122:
110:
92:
421:
406:
38:
194:
150:
in 1984. The six Brown stores were quickly renamed as
Dillard's.
388:
346:
311:"Tulsa Gal Blog/The Downtowner: Part 2." August 23, 2009.
102:
88:
70:
62:
44:
34:
24:
173:1960-1984 (still operating as Dillard's), and
358:
8:
19:
531:Defunct department stores based in Oklahoma
323:"Dillard's, Inc. History" Funding Universe.
365:
351:
343:
253:
251:
249:
247:
18:
541:Retail companies disestablished in 1984
243:
219:
7:
536:Retail companies established in 1932
279:"Della Dunkin Brown." findagrave.com
551:1984 disestablishments in Oklahoma
259:"Doug Dawgz Blog: John A. Brown's"
14:
338:Doug Dawgz Blog: John A. Brown's
292:"John A. Brown Department Store"
66:John A. Brown and John H. Dunkin
546:1932 establishments in Oklahoma
16:Oklahoma department store chain
1:
169:1980-1985 (demolished 2017),
161:and one in Oklahoma City's
76:; 40 years ago
50:; 92 years ago
572:
325:Accessed November 6, 2016.
313:Accessed November 6, 2016.
281:Accessed November 6, 2016.
381:
140:Dayton Hudson Corporation
492:Macy's (Missouri-Kansas)
500:Stix Baer & Fuller
181:1974-1985, as well as
373:Store conversions to
450:Joseph Horne Company
183:Woodland Hills Mall
21:
556:Target Corporation
201:Brown-Dunkin store
167:Quail Springs Mall
144:Target Corporation
518:
517:
187:Utica Square Mall
116:
115:
563:
367:
360:
353:
344:
326:
320:
314:
308:
302:
301:
299:
298:
288:
282:
276:
270:
269:
267:
266:
255:
232:
224:
171:Penn Square Mall
84:
82:
77:
58:
56:
51:
29:Department store
22:
571:
570:
566:
565:
564:
562:
561:
560:
521:
520:
519:
514:
377:
371:
334:
329:
321:
317:
309:
305:
296:
294:
290:
289:
285:
277:
273:
264:
262:
257:
256:
245:
241:
236:
235:
225:
221:
216:
203:
175:Crossroads Mall
132:
80:
78:
75:
54:
52:
49:
17:
12:
11:
5:
569:
567:
559:
558:
553:
548:
543:
538:
533:
523:
522:
516:
515:
513:
512:
507:
502:
497:
494:
489:
486:
481:
476:
473:
468:
465:
460:
457:
452:
447:
442:
439:
434:
432:Maison Blanche
429:
424:
419:
414:
409:
404:
399:
394:
391:
386:
382:
379:
378:
372:
370:
369:
362:
355:
347:
341:
340:
333:
332:External links
330:
328:
327:
315:
303:
283:
271:
242:
240:
237:
234:
233:
218:
217:
215:
212:
202:
199:
191:Promenade Mall
131:
128:
114:
113:
104:
100:
99:
90:
86:
85:
72:
68:
67:
64:
60:
59:
46:
42:
41:
36:
32:
31:
26:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
568:
557:
554:
552:
549:
547:
544:
542:
539:
537:
534:
532:
529:
528:
526:
511:
510:John A. Brown
508:
506:
503:
501:
498:
495:
493:
490:
487:
485:
482:
480:
477:
474:
472:
469:
466:
464:
461:
458:
456:
453:
451:
448:
446:
443:
440:
438:
435:
433:
430:
428:
425:
423:
420:
418:
415:
413:
410:
408:
405:
403:
402:Castner Knott
400:
398:
395:
392:
390:
387:
384:
383:
380:
376:
368:
363:
361:
356:
354:
349:
348:
345:
339:
336:
335:
331:
324:
319:
316:
312:
307:
304:
293:
287:
284:
280:
275:
272:
260:
254:
252:
250:
248:
244:
238:
230:
223:
220:
213:
211:
207:
200:
198:
196:
192:
188:
184:
180:
179:Oklahoma City
176:
172:
168:
164:
160:
155:
151:
149:
145:
141:
137:
136:Oklahoma City
129:
127:
124:
120:
119:John A. Brown
112:
108:
107:Oklahoma City
105:
101:
98:
94:
91:
87:
73:
69:
65:
61:
47:
43:
40:
37:
33:
30:
27:
23:
20:John A. Brown
509:
471:D. H. Holmes
318:
306:
295:. Retrieved
286:
274:
263:. Retrieved
261:. 2008-10-15
228:
222:
208:
204:
163:Capitol Hill
156:
152:
133:
118:
117:
103:Headquarters
25:Company type
417:J. B. White
525:Categories
484:Cain-Sloan
427:Lion Store
412:Hennessy's
297:2008-12-24
265:2008-12-24
239:References
505:Diamond's
437:McAlpin's
375:Dillard's
229:Oklahoman
206:company.
148:Dillard's
97:Dillard's
445:Higbee's
123:Oklahoma
111:Oklahoma
93:Acquired
35:Industry
479:Joske's
422:Joslins
407:Gayfers
397:Bacon's
130:History
121:was an
79: (
71:Defunct
63:Founder
53: (
45:Founded
463:Ivey's
455:Hess's
159:Norman
39:Retail
214:Notes
195:Tulsa
142:(now
496:1984
488:1985
475:1987
467:1989
459:1990
441:1992
393:1998
389:ZCMI
385:2001
189:and
89:Fate
81:1984
74:1984
55:1932
48:1932
193:in
177:in
95:by
527::
246:^
197:.
185:,
109:,
366:e
359:t
352:v
300:.
268:.
83:)
57:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.