Meis (department store)


Meis, also known as Meis of Illiana, was a department store based in Terre Haute, Indiana. Existing from 1928 to 1989, the chain operated ten stores at its peak. It was sold to Elder-Beerman.

History

Lucien Meis and Salo Levite founded the Meis department store in downtown Terre Haute, Indiana in 1928. This store remained open until the late 1970s. Meis also operated other stores in Terre Haute at Honey Creek Mall, Plaza North, and The Meadows. The chain also operated a jeans store called The Bottom Half. Both of these businesses were sold to Brown Shoe Company.
Stores also operated in Anderson, Kokomo, Marion, and Elkhart, Indiana; Carbondale, Danville, and Mattoon, Illinois; and Paducah, Kentucky.
Brown Group sold the Meis chain, then consisting of ten stores, to Elder-Beerman in 1989.