Along with the Dodgers and Prospect Park, Abraham & Straus was a legendary piece of Brooklyn’s history and identity. From Abraham Abraham’s modest store of 1865, A&S developed into one of America’s largest department stores. It eventually became a charter member of the powerful Federated Department Stores Corporation in 1929. Known for unparalleled customer and employee loyalty, the stores rode a wave of demographic and economic changes. Today, the former Fulton Street Abraham & Straus operates as a Macy’s and remains one of America’s last downtown department stores. Author, historian and lecturer Michael J. Lisicky chronicles the rise and fall of Brooklyn’s iconic store.
