A brief history of the Filene Automatic Bargain Basement, circa 1929

Historical/Biographical Note

Historical/Biographical Note

Filene's, originally known as William Filene & Sons Co., was an American department store chain. It was founded by William Filene in 1881 in Boston, Massachusetts. The chain was successful, a rival to department store chain Jordan Marsh, and expanded throughout New England and New York in the latter half of the twentieth century, with 47 locations in 2005. In 1912, their flagship store in Downtown Crossing opened. The building was designed by renowned Chicago architect Daniel Burnham and is considered one of the best examples of Beaux Arts architecture in Boston.

In 1929, the building was expanded, and a whole block in Downtown Crossing was converted into a singular department store. Filene's was owned by several holding companies over the years, such as Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores Company. In 2006, Filene's was again acquired by Federated Department Stores. The brand was retired and stores were renamed to Macy's, another brand owned by Federated. In 2007, Federated changed their name to Macy's Inc. The flagship Filene's location in Downtown Crossing was recognized as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 2006.

Based on the success of the original full-line store in Boston, Edward Filene, the son of William, came up with the idea to open Filene's Automatic Bargain Basement, also known as Filene's Basement and The Basement, in 1908. Filene's Automatic Bargain Basement was the first off-price retailer in the United States, selling surplus, overstock, and closeout high-end merchandise at discounted prices. The name came from the fact that it was located in the basement of Filene's department store's original location. The store opened in 1909. In 1912, when Filene's department store moved to their flagship store, Filene's Basement moved into the basement. At one point, Filene's Basement had over 30 stores. Filene's Basement also moved through various holding companies over the years, resulting in it becoming a separate company in 1988.

When Filene's was retired in 2006, the flagship location was not rebranded as a Macy's was already located nearby. As such, the building was sold for redevelopment and the flagship Filene's Basement was closed with the plan to reopen in 2009. Due to a number of factors, including the 2008 economic crisis, Filene's assets were ultimately sold off and bankrupty was declared. Attempts were made to revitalize the brand in the e-commerce marketplace with little success.