T. A. Chapman Co.

T. A. Chapman Co., commonly known as Chapman's was a department store based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The chain was founded by Timothy Appleton Chapman in 1857. He opened the chain's flagship store on Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee in 1872. The original Wisconsin Avenue location was destroyed by fire 1884, and rebuilt. In 1978, the company acquired Manchester's Department Stores in Madison, Wisconsin. The Chapman family retained ownership of the company until 1983, and eventually it had seven locations. The company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 1987. At the time of bankruptcy, there were six locations: three in Milwaukee, two in Madison and one in Appleton.

Former Chapman's locations

*Milwaukee – Wisconsin Avenue location ("former flagship, now demolished")
*Milwaukee – Capitol Court Mall
*Milwaukee – Bayshore Mall
*Brookfield – Brookfield Square location opened in metro Milwaukee's first enclosed shopping mall in the late sixties. I don't recall a Chapman's location on Mitchell St. The anchors on Mitchell St. were Schusters (later Gimbels-Schusters, The Grand, and Goldmann's).
*Madison – The original Manchester's flagship at the corner of E. Miflin St. and N. Wisconsin Ave.
*Madison – West Towne Mall, former Manchester's branch
*Appleton – I question this location. There was a Gimbels branch in downtown Appleton that was later converted to Marshall Field's and then closed when a suburban Dayton's branch was opened by Field's new owner Dayton-Hudson Department Stores.

As a former T A Chapman Co., employee - I can tell you the stores:Milwaukee east side at Wisconsin Ave and Milwaukee St (S E Corner)Bayshore -1967 -Closed 1981 approx - replaced by a Chapmans II Womens apparel only.Capitol Court -1956 - closed approx 1980Brookfield Square - 1967 - closed 1981We bought Manchesters in about 1979 and closed all but West Towne and State Street StoresAppleton WI had a Chapmans II in the Fox Valley Mall...

References

*cite web
url=http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Business/alumni/gallery/chapman.html
title=T.A. Chapman - Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business - UWM
accessdate=2007-02-16
author=University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
*cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-4982161.html|title= T.A. Chapman Co. files Chapter 11 to reorganize|date=June 15, 1987|publisher=Daily News Record
*cite web
url=http://content.mpl.org/u?/RememberWhe,176
title=Remember When...Chapman's had an eagle on top?
accessdate=2007-02-16
author=Milwaukee Public Library
*cite web
url=http://danenet.wicip.org/hmi/capitalidea/photos/065.html
title=Madison: A Capital Idea
accessdate=2007-02-16