It was Macy’s who set the date for celebrating Thanksgiving in America, organizing the most enchanting and fabulous holiday in history.

Macy’s is the eternal symbol of the bustling and fun New York. It is ranked in the top three main attractions of the city, along with the legendary Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. In addition to its record scale (Macy’s has long been the largest department store in the world), it also has a unique and truly exciting history.

A native of a family of Massachusetts Quakers, Rowland Hussey Macy has raved about the sea all his life - at the age of 15 he managed to fulfill his dream and start working on a whaling ship. He spent four years sailing, and after returning, he was determined to succeed, only this time, on land.



In 1843, Rowland opened his first tiny haberdashery shop, but, unfortunately, due to lack of experience in the trading business, it soon went bankrupt.

After the first failure, Macy did not give up, but on the contrary, only got excited. In 1849, he, along with his brother and friends, went to California, where he managed to earn a start-up capital of four thousand dollars. This amount was enough to open two more small shops in his hometown, but these attempts were also unsuccessful. This prompted Rowland to think that he needed to try his luck in a big city - and he went to New York.

In 1858, Macy, once again, starts his business from scratch and rents premises in Manhattan, at the intersection of 13th and 14th streets. In his new R. H. Macy & Co store, he relied on a variety of product assortments, and, admittedly, he was right. Here you could find absolutely everything: clothes, household goods, bedding, household chemicals, cosmetics, perfumes, silverware and much more.



Rowland became an innovator with such a universal approach to customers that could not help but attract people to his shop. On the very first day of trading, he earned 11 dollars - at that time it was a lot of money (for example, this amount was enough for him to pay a week's rent of premises and a rented apartment).

Things were going well - in the first year of trading, Macy managed to earn 90 thousand dollars. He immediately invested the capital he earned in the business: the entrepreneur bought 11 more stores and created a department store, which occupied almost the entire quarter. This decision helped him to become a millionaire in no time.



He still had very big plans, but, unfortunately, in 1877 Rowland Macy's life was cut short - he did not have time to witness the main triumph of his business.

After the death of the founder, the department store was taken over by his family, but the family business did not last long. In 1895, Rowland's family sold the chain of stores to brothers Isidore and Nathan Strauss. The new owners were able to expand the business they had bought and already in 1902 opened the most famous Macy's on the Herald Square on 34th Street, which occupied as many as nine floors. This department store was in many ways the first: the first escalators and an elevator appeared here in New York.



In 1912, Macy's insane success was overshadowed by personal tragedy in the family of its owners. Isidore, one of the Strauss brothers, along with his wife Ida were among the passengers on the Titanic. Their tragic story was even captured in the 1997 film of the same name. Probably, everyone who saw this picture cried on the very scene when an elderly couple lies in an embrace, bravely meeting the shipwreck.



After the tragedy, Nathan Strauss took over the full management of the business. In 1924, under his leadership, an insane breakthrough was made that forever inscribed Macy’s in world history.For the first time, the department store organized a Thanksgiving Day parade in America and set the date for its celebration - the fourth Thursday in November every year.

Until now, this parade remains one of the brightest and most colorful holidays, which attracts people from all over the United States. Millions of people come to see fantasy platforms, huge balloons and Santa Claus walking around New York and the heroes of cult movies, cartoons and comics coming to life. Due to the global pandemic, in 2020, people were not able to attend the famous parade for the first time, but it still took place, only in a television format.



This year it is not yet known whether the celebration will be alive or not, but everyone still has the hope that soon they will again witness this legendary event.

Despite its obvious achievements, Macy’s problems did not pass by. In 1992, Federated Department Stores, inc. (a chain store holding company founded in 1929 by the owners of the department store) was declared bankrupt due to unsuccessful financial transactions. Macy’s managed to cope with the difficulties that arose and stay afloat.

According to the latest data, there are more than 800 branches operating under the Macy’s brand, employing more than 17 thousand employees.



In addition to its historical significance, Macy's also plays a significant role in the fashion world, and its windows have long been considered true works of art.



Many global brands are represented here, including DKNY, BCBG Max Azria, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren and others. Macy's is also known for its friendship with designers - fashion icons such as Karl Lagerfeld, Matthew Williamson have already worked on capsule collections for the department store, Alberta Ferretti, Francisco Costa (Calvin Klein) and Giambattista Valley.



It is worth adding that from the perspective of more than a century of history, Macy’s has become not only a symbol of New York or a place to attract tourists, it has become a real proof that circumstances are nothing when a person has a goal, and, most importantly, a dream. Having created this department store, Rowland Macy, a simple sailor in the past, managed not only to realize himself and prove that he is worth something, he also gave us all this beautiful and exciting story that makes us believe no matter what.

Now Macy’s also works on the Internet, where it offers a variety of products. Macy’s delivers to Russia.