Federal's was founded in 1929.[1] In 1961, Federal's merged with Kobacker's of Columbus, Ohio and in 1969,[2] it bought Shifrin-Willens Jewelers.[3] The chain filed for bankruptcy in 1972.[4] That same year, the Federal's stores in Lansing and Kalamazoo were closed.[5] Steven Watstein, also known as Steven West, purchased Federal's in 1978.[6] The chain was liquidated in 1980.[7][8]
One of Federal's holdings at the time of the bankruptcy was the Hoffritz for Cutlery chain, which was sold off in 1975 in a leveraged buyout.[9]
