IN THE FUR BUSINESS SINCE 1927
McElroy Furs has a rich history that spans generations, beginning in 1927 when Thomas E. McElroy founded his first store at 17 North State Street in Chicago's fashionable retail district. From the very beginning McElroy Furs offered Chicago the very finest in furs, service and craftsmanship presented by knowledgeablefriendly salespeople, the essence of the McElroy Fur business.
Tom McElroy and his wife traveled the globe while attending the top fashion houses and fur auctions because of his passion for quality and craftsmanship. This made it possible for them to provide their customers the newest in fashion as well as the most beautiful furs. The McElroy Fur Tradition has always placed a strong emphasis on quality.
After Merle McElroy's husband passed away in 1958, Jerome C. McCarthy, a buyer and manager at the Marshall Fields Fur Department and before that the 28 Shop, bought Thomas E. McElroy Furs from her. McCarthy and McElroy's established carriage trade business were an ideal combination thanks to their shared appreciation of style, quality, service, and craftsmanship.
High-end retail establishments started moving to Michigan Avenue addresses as the 1960s progressed, and Thomas E. McElroy Furs opened its doors at 645 North Michigan Avenue in the John Blair Building in 1961. The salon was a gorgeous room with huge floor to ceiling windows that let in natural, soft northern light. Being a merchant JC McCarthy knew he needed something special to celebrate the opening, so he flew to Paris and acquired an arraignment to be the exclusive Christian Dior Furrier in the United States. The move to North Michigan Avenue was a huge success and the business flourished.
In the mid-seventies the need to expand the business was apparent as McElroy had developed a large customer base on the North Shore and western suburbs. The traffic made it less convenient for these customers to come to the city and as one would expect it McElroy Furs opened in Northbrook Court in 1976 and it was an instantaneous success. The company maintained a strict adherence to its basic values, which called for only the best furs, craftsmanship, and service to be offered. In 1980 McElroy Furs constructed a freestanding retail store, service center and storage vault for the Chicago market in Oakbrook Terrace on Twenty-Second Street just west of Oakbrook Center. The centralization of all of the fur storage and alterations truly helped the control of quality and service during the growth we embarked on going into the eighties. McElroy opened additional retail locations in Pogue's in Cincinnati, Ayres in Indianapolis, and Stewarts in Louisville between the openings of Northbrook and Oakbrook. All of the out-of-the-Chicago-metro region locations were leased businesses operating under the umbrella of Associated Dry Goods.
Furs are one of those special products that warm the hearts of people. Purchasing a fur should be a unique memory in anyone’s life, the nature of the purchase sets the occasion apart from all other celebrations. When a customer finds the right fur something magical occurs that you can see in her or his eyes. There are many reasons why a consumer will decide to buy a fur: “I’ve worked hard” I deserve something wonderful” I’m cold” gifts of love, birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas. Regardless of whether a customer will experience only one or a few fur purchases in their lifetime we at McElroy always want that experience to be memorable.
This is a great business to be in because of the love and warmth generated in the celebration … the purchasing of a fur.