Founded in 1896 by English-born Arthur Letts Sr., and named after what was once the city's main shopping street,[1] the Broadway became a dominant retailer in Southern California and the Southwest.

Other tenants included Pearson Draperies, the La Veta restaurant, medical offices, apartments,[2][3] and later on the Hotel Savoy.

[1][4][5] The previous owners had a good location in a recently constructed building at the southwest corner of Broadway and Fourth Streets,[6] but had all of its assets seized by their creditors for failure to pay its bills after just four short months of operations.

It was 9 stories high and covered 11 acres (4.5 ha), stretching from Broadway all the way west to Hill Street, which also had an entrance.

[20] In 1940, The Broadway built a landmark three-story store in Pasadena, at the corner of Colorado and Los Robles on the site of the old famous Maryland Hotel.

Dyas, Milliron's, and Coulter's), and expanded into new markets through acquisitions of small local chains: Marston's in San Diego and Korricks in Phoenix.

The Broadway's parent Carter Hawley Hale Stores ran into financial difficulties which resulted from poor management decisions and hostile takeover attempts.

Several stores in affluent areas where Macy's already had locations, South Coast Plaza,[citation needed] Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, Century City Shopping Center, Beverly Center, and Fashion Island Newport Beach,[24] were closed, refurbished and reopened as Bloomingdale's.