It was formed by Federated Department Stores in 1961 from two Dallas chains, Sanger Brothers and A. Harris and Co., that dated from the 19th century.

In 1965 the company built a new downtown Dallas store to replace the flagship stores of the two companies and, so the business legend goes, turned down the opportunity to move into a new shopping center called NorthPark Center.

During the late 1970s, the chain dropped the hyphen between 'Sanger' and 'Harris' (rumored as a way to differentiate from hometown rival Neiman-Marcus), and continued as an upper-moderate shopping destination.

[2] The first building to feature the white columns and mosaic is the Downtown Dallas store.

(Foley's until 2001) This was the last location to feature Sanger–Harris mosaics, which are still visible on the north facade.