Women Shopping for Perfumes and Jewelry at Illum Department Store in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1904

The Illum department store opened in 1891, initially selling sewing supplies. It was founded by a young man named Carl Illum, and its target audience was the wealthy women of Copenhagen, Denmark. Thanks to excellent customer service and a wide product selection, the store did exceptionally well. Seven years later, it was able to move to a much larger location, transforming the small shop into a full-fledged department store. Carl Illum was soon able to purchase a neighboring property, an old Renaissance building. There was a significant amount of protest when Illum demolished the historic building to expand his store.

Carl Illum died in 1938, and his family took over the department store. The company continued to expand throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, becoming an even larger department store. In 1972, the family sold the business. Today, Illum department store still exists in central Copenhagen.