[1][failed verification] In 1883, Elder-Beerman history began when the Boston Dry Goods Store was opened on East Third Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio by Thomas Elder, William Hunter, Jr. and Russell Johnston, selling textiles, clothing and groceries.

[9] Elder-Beerman acquired three chains throughout its history: Cincinnati-based Mabley & Carew in 1978;[8] Terre Haute, Indiana-based Meis in 1989;[10][11] and Wheeling, West Virginia-based Stone & Thomas in 1998.

At that point, Elder-Beerman was the ninth largest independent department store chain, and had exited bankruptcy and was in discussions to go private when Bon-Ton stepped in, offering more cash for outstanding stock.

[18] In March 2017, Elder-Beerman opened in-store "Close to Home" shops selling locally-made and themed products, an initiative being rolled out throughout Bon-Ton's nameplates, in its Dayton Mall, The Mall at Fairfield Commons, Huber Heights and Kettering stores in the Dayton area.

[21] On April 17, 2018, The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., as a part of its own Chapter 11 bankruptcy, was purchased by a joint venture composed of the holders of the company's 8.0% Second Lien Secured Notes due 2021 and Great American Group, LLC and Tiger Capital Group, LLC.,[22] with the intention of liquidating The Bon-Ton and its subsidiaries, including Elder-Beerman, which had operated for 135 years.

In the Dayton area, the Elder-Beerman stores in Kettering and in the Miami Valley Centre Mall in Piqua closed on August 26, 2018.

[25] In the following week, it was reported on September 6 that CSC Generation agreed to purchase Bon-Ton's customer database as well as its trademarks and websites.

While the retailer would become a smaller, more agile e-commerce business that focused on its website, there were plans to reopen some physical stores in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

[30] CSC Generation was unable to open a single Elder-Beerman branded store during their short period of ownership.

BrandX quietly acquired the Elder-Beerman name and the other Bon Ton intellectual property from CSC Generation for an undisclosed price in early 2021.