Rowland Hussey Macy - the man who changed retail forever

 

Rowland Hussey Macy (1822–1877) is remembered as the man who changed retail forever. Fewer people know that he was also a Freemason.

Macy was a member of Merrimack Lodge in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he opened his first dry goods store in 1851. Those early years were rough—between 1843 and 1855 he opened four stores in Massachusetts and one in California during the Gold Rush. All of them failed. But instead of quitting, he studied what went wrong and kept going.

Born on Nantucket into a Quaker family, Macy went to sea at 15 on a whaling ship called the Emily Morgan. 

During that voyage he got a red star tattoo on his forearm—a symbol that later became the famous Macy’s star logo.

In 1858, he moved to New York City and opened “R. H. Macy Dry Goods” at Sixth Avenue and 14th Street. 

His first day made only $11.08. By the end of that first year, the store had done over $85,000 in sales. That shop became the foundation of the modern department store.

Macy introduced ideas that were radical at the time:

• Fixed pricing—no haggling.

• Clearly marked prices.

• Money-back guarantees.

• Heavy newspaper advertising.

• Organized departments under one roof.

• Eye-catching window displays.

• The first in-store Santa Claus in America.

He also promoted women into leadership. In 1866, he made his cousin Margaret Getchell the store superintendent—one of the first female executives in American retail.

Macy died in Paris in 1877 from Bright’s disease (now known as kidney inflammation - nephritis). 

The business later passed to the Straus family, who grew it into the global brand we know today.

Freemasonry also connects to the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The giant balloons were created by Tony Sarg, a master puppeteer and active Freemason from Glittering Star Lodge No. 322. 

While Freemasons don’t march as a formal body in the NYC parade, Masons have long been part of its creative and community roots.

Rowland Hussey Macy’s life is a reminder: failure isn’t the end—it’s the forge. And like Masonry itself, success is built through patience, discipline, and the courage to keep building.

Freemasons NZ - Published in Masonica. 21 February 2026