Site of Sanger Brothers Department Store
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This retail establishment traces its history to 1857, when German native Isaac Sanger opened a small dry goods store in McKinney. Sanger later was joined by his brothers Lehman, Philip, Alex, and Sam. The first store to bear the name Sanger Bros. opened in 1867 in Bryan. New stores were established as the railroad line moved north to Dallas, where the Sangers opened a store in 1872. Sanger Bros. became nationally known for its innovative marketing and merchandising techniques and played a major role in the city's commercial development. (1984)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Sanger Brothers retail empire traces to 1857, when German immigrant Isaac Sanger opened a small dry-goods store in McKinney and was later joined by his brothers Lehman, Philip, Alex, and Sam. The first store under the Sanger Bros. name opened in Bryan in 1867, and the family shrewdly planted new stores along the advancing railroad, reaching Dallas in 1872. Nationally known for innovative marketing and merchandising, the firm helped drive the city's commercial rise.
Why it matters
The Sangers show how immigrant Jewish merchant families, following the railroads across Texas, built the modern department store and helped turn frontier depots into commercial cities.
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Related people
- · Isaac Sanger
- · Alex Sanger
- · Philip Sanger
Themes & tags
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