Dillard's

'''Dillard's, Inc.''' is an American department store chain founded in 1938 by William T. Dillard. It is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, and operates approximately 271 stores in 30 states. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 54 and Florida with 40.

==History== ===20th century=== thumb|Interior of a now-relocated Dillard's store, at Four Seasons Town Centre in [[Greensboro, North Carolina|alt=]] thumb|Dillard's Headquarters Building in Little Rock, Arkansas thumb|Dillard's during the Christmas shopping season at [[Ingram Park Mall in San Antonio, Texas]] Dillard's is the outgrowth of a department store founded in 1938 by William T. Dillard; its corporate headquarters remain located at the eastern edge of Little Rock's Riverdale area and many of its executives and directors are members of the Dillard family. The family retains control of the company through its ownership of Class B Common Stock; the Class A common stock is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Dillard began his first store in Mineral Springs, Arkansas, in what was locally known as "the tater house". It was located across the street from the community's Methodist church. The building that housed the original store was torn down in the early 2000s. Dillard sold the original five and dime store in Nashville, Arkansas, to develop a department store in Texarkana, Arkansas, initially as the minority partner in Wooten & Dillard. In 1956, Dillard led an investment group that acquired the Mayer & Schmidt store in Tyler, Texas. This store eventually took on the name "Dillard's Mayer & Schmidt" until 1974, when it was replaced with a mall-based location south of downtown Tyler.