Federal's

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Federal’s was a Detroit-based discount department-store chain founded in 1929. Operating as Federal Department Stores, Inc., it sold the useful stuff of mid-century everyday life: clothing, household goods, and the minor miracles that made a shopping bag feel like a victory lap. The chain’s familiar name appeared across Michigan and Ohio.

By the mid-1950s, Federal’s had grown to 18 stores; by the 1970s, it had reached 54 locations. Its expansion included the 1961 merger with Columbus, Ohio-based Kobacker’s and the 1969 purchase of Shifrin-Willens Jewelers. A Federal’s box in the Detroit Historical Society collection—complete with a 1962 formal-gown receipt—preserves a compact souvenir of the chain’s retail heyday.

The good times did not stay politely in the fitting room. Federal’s filed for bankruptcy in 1972 and began closing stores, including locations in Lansing and Kalamazoo. Steven Watstein, known as Steven West, took control in 1978; many remaining stores were renamed Deral’s. The original chain was liquidated in 1980, leaving behind vacant signs, vivid memories, and plenty of former storefronts.

Our Federal's collection celebrates Detroit retail bravado, discount-store optimism, and the splendidly stubborn glow of a department-store logo that once promised a deal on nearly everything.