Bealls celebrates 100th anniversary with Florida customers

BRADENTON -- Bealls gained a spot on the statewide stage Tuesday for its centennial celebration.

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet recognized the Bradenton-based department store's 100th anniversary with a resolution congratulating them on "a century of outstanding success in the retail business."

"Bealls was founded in Florida and has continued to create opportunities for our families for a century, including the 8,000 Floridians they employ today," Gov. Scott said.

Florida Retail Federation President and CEO Rick McAllister also commended the chain, which pulls in more than $1 billion annually in sales, for keeping its roots in Bradenton.

"I want to congratulate the Beall family and team members for reaching such an incredible milestone and for being such a valuable asset to retail in Florida," McAllister said. "With their corporate office headquartered in Bradenton, Bealls has been one of the industry leaders in Florida and nationwide for more than a century, and shows no signs of

slowing down."

At home, Bradenton customers lined up before 8 a.m. Tuesday at the Bealls on Manatee Avenue West to take advantage of Bealls' 100th anniversary discounts and promotions.

"Bathing suits are expensive, and it's worth a coupon to get here early," said Jane Murphy, a Bradenton winter resident since 2003. "And we love a sale."

Murphy already had one friend accompanying her and said a few more were on the way. Murphy will return to Boston in a couple of weeks -- the type of customer Bealls likes to keep by offering discounts from a distance, area manager Pete Ciolino said.

"We still have customers that go up north and are loyal to us through the website," Ciolino said.

On Tuesday morning in Bradenton, customers were also purchasing 100th anniversary items exclusive to Bealls.

Merchandise manager Johanna Reilly said Guy Harvey designed a T-shirt especially for the 100th anniversary and Tervis designed a tumbler to mark the event.

Reilly enjoys working for Bealls because of the family atmosphere and growth potential.

"I like that it's still family-owned," Reilly said. "And I went from an area manager to a merchandise manager within a year. They really promote from within."

In her three years of working for the company, Reilly said she's seen plenty of regular customers return multiple times each week.

Jack Gjeldum has lived in Bradenton for almost seven years and said he's been a loyal Bealls shopper "pretty much the whole time."

"They have name brands at very reasonable prices," Gjeldum said, adding that Jack Nicklaus golf shirts are one of his favorite items to shop for at Bealls.

Alan Mixer, a three-year Bradenton resident, echoed Gjeldum's sentiments and said the quality of apparel and good prices keep him coming back.

"I like the equipment, shirts and pants; Columbia in particular," Mixer said. "So whenever there's a good sale I try to get here, and they have sales every day."

Linda Allen, a longtime Florida resident and Bealls employee who handles online orders, said she's happily worked for the company for three of the 10 years she's lived in Bradenton. After working for a Chicago-based company for 15 years, Allen has enjoyed working for a locally based company.

"It's a friendly company," Allen said. "Every day we have someone from corporate in here. I love it."

"We are proud to be a family-operated, Florida-based business and we look forward to another century of success," said Bealls CEO Steve Knopik in a statement.

Janelle O'Dea, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095. Follow her on Twitter@jayohday.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bealls celebrates 100th anniversary with Florida customers ."