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{{Short description|American department store chain}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Zion's Co-operative<br>Mercantile Institution
| logo = ZCMI Department Store Final Logo.png
| logo_size = 200px
| type = [[Department store]]
| fate = Converted to [[Meier & Frank]]<br>or sold to [[Dillard's]]
| successor = Meier & Frank (2001–2006)<br>Dillard's (2001–present)<br>[[Macy's]] (2006–present)
| foundation = October 9, 1868
| location = [[Salt Lake City, Utah]]
| industry = [[Retail]]
| products = Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares.
| parent = [[The May Department Stores Company]] (1999–2001)
}}
[[Image:Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution 1910.jpg|thumb|Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI), 1910]]
'''Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution''' ('''ZCMI''') was an American [[department store]] chain. It was founded in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], on October 9, 1868, by [[Brigham Young]]. For many years it used the slogan, "America's First Department Store."

==History==
Even though [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) had been headquartered in [[Salt Lake City]] for some twenty years by that time, they were despised by the surrounding community, as Young had disparaged non-Mormon merchants who had engaged in [[price gouging]] on necessities, and encouraged boycotting these businesses in 1866.<ref name="godfrey">{{cite book |last=Godfrey |first=Matthew C. |title=Religion, politics, and sugar : the Mormon Church, the federal government, and the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, 1907-1921 |publisher=Utah State University Press |location=Lehi, Utah |year=2007 |page=28 |isbn=978-0-87421-658-5 |oclc=74988178}}</ref> Business owners who were LDS Church members were routinely charged higher prices by wholesalers who discovered they were dealing with church members.

Partly because of the impending completion of the railroad, and partly to create a more fair business atmosphere, it was Young's idea to encourage businesses owned by LDS Church members to band together under one roof. By pooling their resources, they were able to make larger orders to sell materials and goods exclusively (at the time) to fellow LDS Church members.<ref name="Bradley1991">{{cite book|title=ZCMI, America's First Department Store|date=1991|publisher=ZCMI|isbn=978-0875794822|last1=Bradley|first1=Martha Sonntag}}</ref>{{rp|8–9}}

ZCMI was formally organized in 1868 and incorporated for a 25-year renewable contract in 1870.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|last1=Bradley|first1=Martha Sonntag|title=ZCMI, America's first department store|date=1991|publisher=ZCMI|isbn=978-0875794822}}</ref>{{rp|19}} The central component of this was the LDS Church's purchase of the Eagle Emporium, a conglomerate of mercantile companies owned by [[William Jennings (mayor)|William Jennings]].<ref name="Bradley1991" />{{rp|23}}

ZCMI became a formidable business force, eventually manufacturing its own line of boots and shoes, and a line of work clothes. It also sold everything from housing needs, lumber, nails, and the like, to household needs such as fabric, needles, thread, [[food preservation]] products, furniture, and draperies, even some beauty products; nearly everything the pioneers needed to survive and thrive.<ref>{{Citation | last = Bradley | first = Martha Sontag | title = Utah History Encyclopedia | publisher = University of Utah Press | year = 1994 | chapter = Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) | chapter-url = https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/z/ZCMI.shtml | url = https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221103120045/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/z/ZCMI.shtml | archive-date = November 3, 2022 | isbn =9780874804256 | access-date = March 27, 2024}}</ref>

[[Image:ZCMI Center from Church Plaza.jpg|thumb|<!--Photograph of an entrance to the-->The former [[ZCMI Center Mall]] in [[Downtown Salt Lake City|downtown]] [[Salt Lake City]], 2004<!--prior to 2009-->]]
Based in Salt Lake City, it quickly became a household name in the community. The LDS Church was a significant influence in the company, retaining a majority interest in ZCMI until its eventual sale in December 1999.<ref name=magtb >{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8u8jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=n-wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5421%2C8053667 |work=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |last=Knudson |first=Max B. |title=May agrees to buy ZCMI |date=October 15, 1999 |page=A1}}</ref> The store was established by a vote from the [[Council of Fifty]], an early organization in the LDS Church. The store president would often also be LDS Church [[President of the Church (LDS Church)|president]], with [[Harold Harper Bennett]] being the first store president to not also hold the church office.

In 1990, ZCMI opened its first concept store called ZCMI II. Featuring a smaller floor plan than its usual stores, this concept sold solely men's and women's clothing and shoes, while lacking other departments such as housewares, linens, and children's clothing. The first of these opened at [[Tri City Mall]] in [[Mesa, Arizona]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/117130719/ | title=Utah chain to open 1st ZCMI II store in Valley mall today | work=Arizona Republic | date=February 28, 1990 | access-date=August 28, 2020 | author=Jean Novotny | pages=C2}}</ref>
[[File:ZCMIlogo1997.png|thumb|Classic logo]]
In October 1999, as a result of losses for two consecutive years, along with mounting economic and social pressures, ZCMI was sold to [[May Department Stores Company]] of [[St. Louis]],<ref name=magtb/> ZCMI operated under its original name as a part of May's [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]-based [[Meier & Frank]] division until April 2001, when the stores adopted the Meier & Frank name. In addition to the name change, the Utah stores in [[Logan, Utah|Logan]] and [[St. George, Utah|St. George]], along with the Idaho stores in [[Idaho Falls, Idaho|Idaho Falls]] and [[Pocatello, Idaho|Pocatello]], were sold to [[Dillard's]] in March 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hjnews.com/dillards-to-buy-logan-zcmi-store/article_70ccd32b-7bb7-5182-aa73-ba5382b796de.html|title=Dillard's to buy Logan ZCMI store|work=HJ News|date=March 29, 2001}}</ref> May Co. was sold to [[Macy's, Inc|Federated Department Stores]] (now [[Macy's, Inc.]]) in 2005.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB110954537749165299|title=Federated Agrees To Acquire May In $11 Billion Deal|last=Byron|first=Ellen|newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=28 February 2005|access-date=22 August 2018}}</ref> In September 2006, all Meier & Frank stores were converted to [[Macy's]].<ref name="nytimes2006aug">{{cite news| last=Barbaro| first=Michael| title=After Smooth Sales Talk, Stores Take Macy's Name |date=August 26, 2006| work=[[The New York Times]]| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/business/26macy.html| access-date=2010-09-08}}</ref>

[[File:ZCMI_Cast_Iron_Front,_Salt_Lake_City_2023-09-25_01.jpg|thumb|right|The ZCMI façade at City Creek Center, 2023]]
The [[ZCMI Cast Iron Front|façade of ZCMI]] was used in the [[City Creek Center]], retaining the original ZCMI nameplate as a front for [[Macy's]].

==See also==
* [[ZCMI Center Mall]] – former LDS Church shopping center near Temple Square, Salt Lake City
* [[Zion's Central Board of Trade]]
* [[Zions Securities]] – LDS Church property portfolio
* [[List of department stores converted to Macy's]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{citation |last= Zobell |first= Albert L. Jr. |date= October 1968 |title= ZCMI: America's First Department Store |url= https://archive.org/stream/improvementera7110unse#page/n33/mode/2up |journal= [[Improvement Era]] |volume= 71 |issue= 10 |page= 32 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|ZCMI}}
*[https://historytogo.utah.gov/zcmi/ Utah state history: ZCMI]
*[http://www.utahheritagefoundation.com/pdf/downtown/MS.Tour.pdf  Utah Heritage Foundation] details on the ZCMI building façade in downtown Salt Lake City

{{Macy's history}}
{{Dillard's history}}

[[Category:1868 establishments in Utah Territory]]
[[Category:Clothing retailers of the United States]]
[[Category:Companies based in Salt Lake City]]
[[Category:Retail companies disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Retail companies established in 1868]]
[[Category:Defunct department stores based in Utah]]
[[Category:Defunct organizational subdivisions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
[[Category:Economic history of Utah]]
[[Category:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in Utah]]
[[Category:May Department Stores]]