In 1895, when Henry Flagler’s railroad pushed farther down Florida’s east coast, a family from Georgia followed the tracks to opportunity. More than a century later, that decision still echoes through Anthony’s Ladies Apparel, a multigenerational retailer rooted in West Palm Beach and shaped by an enduring philosophy: follow the customer, treat people well and adapt without losing your identity.
That balance between evolution and consistency has defined the company across five generations and continues to guide it today under the leadership of third-generation President M. Pope Anthony Jr. and his daughter, Director of E-Commerce & Digital Kristin Anthony.
From Men’s Shop to ‘Super Boutique’
Anthony’s traces its roots to October 1895, when A.P. “Gus” Anthony opened a small counter inside the post office at The Palms Hotel on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach before quickly expanding into a nearby shoe and clothing store. Just a year later, Henry Flagler’s railroad extension to Miami reshaped the region’s economy, but the Anthony brothers maintained their headquarters in West Palm Beach while opening a second location in Miami during what was described as a particularly difficult period for the young city. By 1900, the business had moved to a prominent corner at Clematis Street and Olive Avenue, while also thriving in Palm Beach’s Royal Poinciana Hotel shops.
The decade from 1904 to 1914 marked a period of significant growth, with leadership gradually shifting to younger brother Emile Anthony. That momentum culminated in 1920 with the opening of a three-story flagship on Clematis Street, anchoring a broader expansion into resort markets across Florida and beyond.
Anthony’s didn’t begin as the colorful, resort-focused women’s retailer it is today. It started as a men’s store. And, for a time, functioned as a broader department store serving West Palm Beach. The shift to women’s apparel was a direct response to customer feedback.
Beginning in the 1950s, the business steadily leaned into women’s apparel, first through acquisitions and then through new store openings. By 1976, the company made a defining move, spurred by Emilie’s son — and Pope’s father — Marvin Pope “Ham” Anthony Sr.: it eliminated its menswear departments altogether. Ham began at the company as a buyer for women’s apparel, eventually working his way up to president. Ultimately, the transition from menswear to ladies’ apparel, Pope says, was driven by both performance and behavior. “The ladies’ business was growing immensely and women shop a lot more than men also.”
The lesson was simple and foundational: go where the customer is going.
Retail Disruption and Reinvention
Like many retailers, Anthony’s faced existential challenges as malls reshaped shopping patterns and later as e-commerce upended the industry. Downtown West Palm Beach declined in the 1980s, forcing the company to relocate. Decades later, big-box competition squeezed margins.
Again, the answer came from the same place: the customer. Rather than competing on price with national chains, Anthony’s repositioned itself. “We became the big fish in a small pond instead of the small fish in a big pond,” Pope says. The company moved upmarket, gradually shedding lower-priced items and embracing higher-quality, boutique-style brands. Larger store footprints allowed Anthony’s to maintain pricing advantages through volume while still offering a curated, personal experience. Just as important, the company defined and stayed committed to its core customer.
Today, Anthony’s has four family owners (five family members work in the business) and caters primarily to women 55 and older, many of whom are living active, travel-oriented lifestyles. The brand doesn’t chase youth trends. Instead, it studies how its specific customer evolves over time. “We’re not looking at what’s happening for the 20-year-olds, we’re paying attention to what’s happening with the 50-, 55-year-olds,” Kristin says. That focus has built remarkable loyalty, including customers who have shopped at the store for decades, even generations.
‘You Won’t Last Six Months’
For Pope, joining the family business was less a carefully charted career path than a challenge issued across a dinner table. He had excelled in high school but admits he became “a little distracted” in college. His father made the rules clear: no job at Anthony’s without a college degree. After finally graduating from Appalachian State University, Anthony returned home expecting to join the business. Instead, his father offered a blunt warning over dinner one evening. “I’ll hire you,” he told his son, “but you won’t last six months.”
Rather than discouraging him, the comment lit a fire. Pope took it as a personal challenge and became determined to prove he belonged in the business. Nearly five decades later, he can laugh about surviving those first six months, though he admits they were difficult. After telling his father he planned to start work the following Monday, his father responded simply: “You’ll be at the office tomorrow.” Pope started the very next day, thrown directly into the middle of the retail business that would ultimately define his career.
‘It’s Nice to Be Nice’
As evidenced by that initial conversation with his son about joining the business, Ham could certainly be direct, but he was also beloved across the company and community for how he treated people. “My dad had a motto: ‘It’s nice to be nice,’” Pope says, recalling tagging along with his father as a child and noticing that his demeanor never changed, whether he was speaking to friends, sales associates or strangers. “He was always very nice and polite and interested in other people. So, I kind of modeled my personality after his because I liked what I saw.”
While Pope says he ultimately learned many of the technical aspects of retailing from mentors outside the family, he believes the core values that shaped his leadership style came directly from his father. “It was his core self that made me the kind of person that people like to be around.”
A Digital Bet That Paid Off
If Anthony’s long-term success has been rooted in listening, its most significant recent evolution came from acting on a different kind of signal: the rise of e-commerce. That responsibility fell to Kristin, who joined the business nearly 12 years ago after building a career outside the family company. Her entry point was both an opportunity and a test. “They bring down a notebook and they’re like, ‘Here’s how we tried e-comm last time. And it failed, so good luck,’” she says.
With no prior retail or digital experience, Kristin rebuilt the effort from scratch, scrapping the original website and constructing a new platform aligned with how customers actually shop. The timing proved critical. When COVID-19 forced store closures, e-commerce sustained the business. “That was kind of the first moment where we were like, ‘Alright, this is working,” she recalls.
More than just a sales channel, digital became a source of insight. Data from online behavior now informs buying decisions, helping the merchandising team identify trends within their specific customer base. Still, despite embracing digital tools, Anthony’s continues taking a careful approach to innovation. The company actively explores technologies like artificial intelligence, but draws a clear line when it comes to the customer experience. Instead of replacing human interaction, Anthony’s uses technology behind the scenes by streamlining operations, improving efficiency and freeing up staff to spend more time with customers. After all, those human interactions always have been the secret to Anthony’s success. “I am the most cautious with the customer experience,” Kristin says. “Our customer wants to come in. She wants to talk.”