The stores are now called Macy's, but many long-time residents still refer to them as Burdines. For over 100 years, Burdines Department Stores were a fixture in South Florida. The business got its start in Miami as a result of the Spanish-American War:

William Burdine was operating a department store in Bartow, a small community in central-west Florida, when the Spanish-America War erupted. Upon learning that Miami would be hosting troops, William Burdine sent John Burdine, his oldest son and an assistant in the firm, over military roads built earlier in the century to Miami. Burdine brought with him with a wagon load of clothing and other apparel for men. He quickly sold out his inventory, prompting his father to decide on the Magic City as the new home of William Burdine and Son. In October 1898, the Burdine family moved to Miami, at which time the store began to operate in its new home on South Miami Avenue near Flagler Street.

(excerpt from "Miami and the Spanish-American War", by Paul S. George. South Florida History Magazine, volume 26, no. 2 (Spring 1998))