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20 Timeline William Dillard created the chain of stores called Dillard’s. These stores sell clothing for men, women, and children. They also sell home furnishings, such as sofas, beds, and dining room sets.Dillard opened his first store in Nashville, Arkansas, in 1938.There are now 330 Dillard’s stores in 29 states in the country. Dillard was born in Mineral Springs, Arkansas, not far from Nashville, in 1914. His father, Thomas Dillard, was a farmer who also ran a store in Mineral Springs. Dillard worked in his father’s store while he was growing up and knew that he wanted to spend his life in that business . He went to college at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, earning a degree in accounting. He then went to a college in New York, earning a master’s degree in business. The next year, he opened his Nashville store, using the same name as his father’s store, T. J. Dillard’s. He married Alexa Latimer in 1940. In 1948, Dillard sold his store in Nashville and opened a new store in Texarkana. He then opened another store in Magnolia in 1955, beginning the Dillard’s chain of stores. At that time, Dillard liked to buy stores that were struggling to stay open. Rather than paying to put up new buildings, he would remodel the building to fit what he wanted to sell. Over the next few years, he added stores inTexas and Oklahoma to his growing chain of Arkansas stores. In 1963, Dillard moved to Little WILLIAM DILLARD (1914–2002) Courtesy of Dillard’s, Inc. William Dillard; circa 1980s. Born: September 2, 1914 Opened first store: February 12, 1938 Established Little Rock as   21 William Dillard as a young man. “Business without integrity is not good business—and in the long run will not be successful.” Rock, Arkansas. He bought two downtown buildings that had been other stores, called Pfeifer’s and Blass. In 1965, he opened a Dillard ’s store in Little Rock’s Park Plaza Mall. Dillard realized that many Americans preferred to shop in malls rather than in downtown stores. As his chain continued to grow, Dillard’s stores opened in shopping malls in many cities. The company usually opened a new store with attention-grabbing ceremonies .They worked closely with local newspapers to promote their stores and draw in business. Dillard’s also stayed ahead of its competition by using computers to keep track of the company’s buying and selling. Other chains of stores began to imitate Dillard’s in its use of computers and in its development of the suburban shopping mall. In 1999, Dillard was one of the first four business leaders to be inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame. homebase for Dillard’s: 1964 Opened first Dillard’s mall stores: 1965 Died: February 8, 2002    Mineral Springs Magnolia Nashville Fayetteville Little Rock Courtesy of Dillard’s Inc. ...

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