Wanamaker's was an American department store chain founded in 1861 by John Wanamaker. It was one of the first department stores in the United States, and peaked at 16 locations along the Delaware Valley in the 20th century. Wanamaker's was purchased by A. Alfred Taubman, who previously purchased the Washington, D.C. department store Woodward & Lothrop, in 1986. The store was acquired from bankruptcy by The May Department Stores Company in 1994, and converted all remaining Wanamaker's stores to Hecht's in 1995.