Private company

Read's Department Stores

Logo: Read's Department Store, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons³

Now-defunct department store chain

Read's Department Stores was a Bridgeport, Connecticut-based retail chain founded in 1857 by D. M. Read. Known for its classy, upscale merchandise, the flagship store was once hailed as New England's largest department store.² Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1856Founded¹

Industryretail chain¹
HeadquartersBridgeport¹

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Former Read’s department store in Bridgeport — Photo: Lima16, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons⁴

Read's Department Stores was a Bridgeport, Connecticut-based retail chain founded in 1857 by D. M. Read. Known for its classy, upscale merchandise, the flagship store was once hailed as New England's largest department store.²

Timeline

1993Dissolved Dissolved¹
1856Founded Founded¹

Links

WikipediaRead's Department Stores
WikidataQ7300335

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataRead's Department Stores on Wikidata
2
WikipediaRead's Department Stores on Wikipedia
3
Wikimedia CommonsRead's Department Stores logo by Read's Department Store, Public domain
4
Wikimedia CommonsRead's Department Stores photo by Lima16, CC BY-SA 4.0