Abraham & Straus was originally a dry goods dealer under the name Wechsler & Abraham located at 285 Fulton Street.

The Weschler's proved to be successful and were bought out by the Straus family, partners of Macy's department stores. The store moved to this location at Hoyt and Fulton and was renamed "Abraham & Straus."

A New York Times article from 1893 reported on the business change. According to the article, the new store was an estimated 1,500,000 cubic feet, five stories, and roughly 40,000 daily shoppers.

Also mentioned in the article was the list of goods sold in the new store, including “silks and dress goods, cloths, laces, embroideries, cloaks, shawls, linens, gloves, china and glass, sterling silver, bronzes, ribbons, house furnishings, upholsteries, art embroideries, books, furniture, carpets, and stationary.”

By 1965, Abraham & Straus became the third-largest department store in the United States.

In 1995, the store became part of Macy’s department stores which eliminated the Abraham & Straus branding. The original location at Fulton and Hoyt Streets continues to be operated as a Macy’s Department Store today.