The Bon-Ton

Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., is a regional department store company based in York, Pennsylvania, chiefly operating 275 stores, including 11 furniture galleries, in 26 states throughout the northern United States. Stores carrying its namesake nameplate serve the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the United States, extending to upstate New York and throughout Pennsylvania. Other chains operated by The Bon-Ton include Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, and Younkers. There are three corporate office locations: York, Pennsylvania, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Dayton, Ohio. The Bon-Ton's major competitors include Macy's and Kohl's.

History

Beginnings

The Bon-Ton was started in 1898, when Max Grumbacher and his father, Samuel, opened S. Grumbacher & Son, a one-room millinery and dry goods store on Market Street in York, Pennsylvania. The store's name was drawn from a British term connoting the "elite" or "high society."

As automobiles replaced horses and the country became more industrialized, through World War I and the Roaring Twenties, the Grumbachers continued to meet their customers' needs. The store grew bigger and, in 1929, the company was incorporated as S. Grumbacher & Son, Inc. In 1931, Max's son, Max Samuel (M.S.), joined the company. When Max the elder died in 1933, his widow, Daisy, and their two sons, M.S. and Richard, continued the business, forming a partnership in 1936.