Carson Pirie Scott & Co. was an American department store that was founded in 1854, which grew to over 50 locations, primarily in the Midwestern United States. It was sold to the holding company of Bon-Ton in 2006, but still operated under the Carson name. The entire Bon-Ton collection of stores, including Carson's, went into bankruptcy and closed in 2018. Bon-Ton's intellectual property was quickly sold while in bankruptcy, and the new owners reopened shortly afterwards as a BrandX virtual retailer.
Carsons Pirie Scott & Co building by Louis Sullivan
A Carson's store at Mounds Mall in Anderson, Indiana during closing sales in 2018.
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appearance in the middle of the 19th century, and permanently reshaped shopping habits, and the definition of service and luxury. Similar developments were under way in London, in Paris and in New York City (Stewart's).
Interior of Le Bon Marché in Paris
Sokos department store building in Multimäki, Kuopio, Finland
Harrods illuminated exterior at night in Knightsbridge, London
Au Bon Marché