Brody Brothers Dry Goods Company, Inc., more commonly referred to as Brody's, was an upscale fashion merchandise chain formerly headquartered in

Greenville, North Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is the county seat of and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. It is the principal city of the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the List of municipalities in North Carolina, 12t ...

, with branch stores located in eastern North Carolina. The Brody family remains prominent in eastern North Carolina and the

Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (BSOM) is a Public university, public medical school located in Greenville, North Carolina, Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It offers a Doctor of Medicine program, combined Doctor ...

was named in their honor.

History

Brody's was founded by Hyman J. Brody in the early 20th century, with its beginnings as a shoe store in

Sumter, South Carolina Sumter ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The city makes up the Sumter, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sumter County, along with Clarendon and Lee counties, form the core of Sumter–Lee ...

. In 1928, one of Brody's sons, Leo Brody, relocated to

Kinston, North Carolina Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 19,900 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the ...

and founded Brody Brothers Dry Goods. Leo Brody, along with six of his brothers, began to expand the retail business. Upon acquiring Cohen & Sons Clothing in 1973, the family owned chain eventually expanded to six stores in six malls in eastern North Carolina. At the time of its acquisition by

Proffitt's Proffitt's was a department store chain based in Alcoa, Tennessee. The chain was founded in 1919 by David W. Proffitt and James Ellis. In 2006, the Proffitt's and McRae's stores were converted into Belk after Belk had acquired the two chains in ...

in 1998, Brody's stores were located in The Plaza and Carolina East Mall in

;

Golden East Crossing Golden East Crossing is a shopping mall in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States. Opened in 1986, the mall features Belk, Books-A-Million, Conn's, Dunham's Sports, J. C. Penney, and Ross Dress for Less. It is managed by Hendon Properties. H ...

Rocky Mount, North Carolina Rocky Mount is a city in Nash and Edgecombe counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 census, making it the 20th-most populous city in North Carolina. The city is east of Raleigh, the st ...

; Vernon Park Mall in

; Berkeley Mall in

Goldsboro, North Carolina Goldsboro, originally Goldsborough, is a city in and the county seat of Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 33,657 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Me ...

; and Twin Rivers Mall in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

. Combined retail space at the time of acquisition stood at . In 2005,

Belk Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, a ...

acquired the Greenville, Rocky Mount, Kinston, and Goldsboro stores when Saks sold

to Belk."Saks Incorporated to Sell Four North Carolina Proffitt's Stores to Belk," BNET Business Network: Business Wire, Jan 6, 2005 (retrieved Aug 31, 2008)
Due to Golden East already having a Belk store, that store instead became

Bed Bath & Beyond Bed Bath & Beyond was an American big-box retail chain specializing in housewares, furniture, and specialty items. Headquartered in Union, New Jersey, the chain operated stores in the United States and Canada, and was once counted among the ...

and

Ross Dress for Less Ross Stores, Inc., operating under the brand name Ross Dress for Less, is an American chain of discount department stores headquartered in Dublin, California. It is the largest off-price retailer in the U.S.; as of July 2024, Ross operates 1,795 ...

References

"Proffitt's, Inc. Announces Acquisition of North Carolina Based Brody's," BNET Business Network: Business Wire, Mar 6, 1998 (retrieved Aug 31, 2008)
Defunct retail companies of the United States Companies based in North Carolina {{US-retail-company-stub