These stores were found all around the state in citites like Bloomington, Lafayette, Scottsdale, South Bend, Muncie, Merrillville, and Mishawaka. Please. Famous Barr. Owned by Child World, this toy store was the second largest in the country (behind Toys R Us) but by 1992 all of the locations shut their doors forever. In the late 1980's, Home Depot began building bigger and better stores while Zayre went bankrupt and was bought out by Ames. Next up is a 40,000-square-foot Roses in a former Winn-Dixie supermarket in the Chestertowne . 55 1st St, Mexico Beach, FL - (opened May 7, 1982) - Has a Dunkin' restaurant ene Indiana Carmel, IN - (opened June 10, 1989) - Has a Subway / Dippin' Dots restaurant, a optical center, a video center, a photo studio, a garden/floral center, a Zayre Auto Center, a New Jersey See also List of former Zayre locations Categories Medium-sized Zayre markets at the time included Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Cleveland, Columbus, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Providence. Remember this ad showing the original Atari 2600? That same month, Ames filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. With the help of their children Stanley and Sumner, Zayre grew into one of the largest retail chains in the country with almost 1,200 locations nationwide. It's been closed for quite some time, but the legacy of both the eatery - and the hit king - remain. Ah yesthe good old days in Cincinnati. A former Zayre. What's nice is that there are still several very busy rail customers in the park that is served four times a week by this local that can access it only by running down Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. She loves checking out local music, reading, and trying new food. By 1986, the number of Hit or Miss stores in the United States had reached 420, and sales had climbed to $300 million. Since then she has written for a number of print and online publications, as well as published a children's book. In 1975 Zayre started a program entitled "Zayre '75" to remodel and update the stores. Grant, and J.G. In 1985, Zayre Corp. purchased the former Gaylord's store chain. Later on, Tighe Bros Warehouse would also build a siding on this lead adjacent to the Amtrak mainline. Its list of anchors today include Stein Mart, Marshalls, Barnes & Noble, Bealls Outlet, ULTA, Petco, Staples, Ross Dress for Less, Hobby Lobby and Big Lots. Unable to compete, during the 1990s, the mall was split into separate ownership with its former anchor spaces being subdivided to accommodate smaller tenants. This website is. You only went in if you had a nice roll of cash. after working Barrett Distrbution in the Cabot Industrial Park.a massive sprawling campus like facility that is the largest of its kind in Massachusetts. The most devastating blow came in 1992, with the closing of Service Merchandise and JCPenney, leaving the center with no major retail anchors. Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, kitchen spices, electronics, toys, and housewares. After closing 74 Zayre, Ames began reconverting the 318 others. It was one of the few stores to remain open for 24 hours preceding Christmas each year. Caldor, Zayre, Woolworth, Bradlees, K-Mart, & Ames ruled the Earth. In 2005, as with all other Winn-Dixie stores in the Carolinas, they all either closed down, or was sold to competitors (example being store #2038 in China Grove being sold to Food Lion, becoming the beloved store #2650), in the wake of W-D's bankruptcy, this Winn-Dixie closed down in the summer of 2005. Incident Manager H/F. In February 1988 they filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, and in October 1988 the Zayre stores were sold to the competing Ames chain. Less than a year later, the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation opened the much larger Volusia Mall, a few blocks west of Daytona Mall, on October 14, 1974. With the help of their children Stanley and Sumner, Zayre grew into one of the largest retail chains in the country with almost 1,200 locations nationwide. Located 1.7 miles northwest of Downtown Orlando, Colonial Plaza originally opened as an open-air strip mall in 1956. Ames, however, kept the exterior similar to the style of Zayre at the former Zayre locations. Lewiston Mall located at 20 East St. in Lewiston,ME. The successful BJ's Wholesale Club and TJ Maxx chains are spinoffs from Zayre. in Baltimore, Maryland. (1910-2022) Let Them Eat Cake Bakery / multiple Chicagoland area locations (19? 1893 Union Station originally served the Old Colony Railroad (along the present day Framingham Sub side) and the New York and New England (along the present day Franklin Line side) although by 1898 it was all under the aegis of the New Haven. Two birds inside the former Ames store at the The Concourse in Waterville, Maine in 2006. Some of their most famous treats included their zebra square brownies and their sweetheart coffee cake. This store opened on August 11, 1980 in a former Zayre. K-Mart, Radio Shack and Sears have faded as well. Store 698 Sample rd and No. In 1969, they acquired the Hit or Miss chain. York Steak House was a steak and potatoes chain that you could find here in Cincinnati. These events failed to improve their market share. In June 1989, it spun off its warehouse club division, Waban, Inc., which owned B.J. The remaining 30 percent consisted of standard apparel, produced by Hit or Miss under its own private label. In the late 80's, the stores still had that old style and smell inside. That was not a very good day. Despite a major renovation in 1985, Gateway struggled with a rash of major closings, the expansion of Regency Square Mall and the opening of The Avenues Mall during the 1980s and early 1990s. Jr. Ames-Lad! Zayre's timing could not have been better. Zayre stores featured frequent "flashing light" 15-minute specials and live/recorded PA announcements meant to build excitement and drive traffic to specific departments. By the end of the 1960s, Zayre Corp. diversified into specialty retailing. unless otherwise noted, All Rights Reserved. In March 1977, he opened the first T.J. Maxx in Auburn, Massachusetts, quickly followed by a second store in nearby Worcester. [5] An underwear and hosiery wholesaler, the company began as a supplier to full-line department stores and specialty shops. The building was later home to a shoe store, and after that, it was subdivided into a Big Lots and a Save-A-Lot. Only six Zayre stores operated in 1959, approximately the same time that Zayre's volume reached that of the Bell Shops/Nugent stores. Today, it is known as Midtown Plaza.The former Zayre store was divided into smaller big box retail sites, including a Sav-A-Lot discount grocery store. crazy) parking lot. Several locations in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Florida were acquired through the bankruptcies of discount chains Towers Marts in 1963 and Consumers Mart of America in 1965. McCrory 5 & 10. Did you know Pete Rose once had a restaurant on the west side of Cincinnati? It sold 9.35 million shares of common stock in its initial public offering; Zayre Corp. owned 83 percent of the subsidiary. The lone GP40-2 and two cars will make a half mile sprint down the main and then clear up at Zayres to go work in the Cabot Business park in West Mansfield. They are shoving across Forbes Blvd. Public Company Incorporated: 1958 Employees: 23,000 Sales: $2.8 billion Stock Exchanges: New York SICs: 5311 Department Stores Ames Department Stores, Inc., is one of the largest American discount retailers, with more than 300 stores located in 14 Northeastern states. Days of shopping for toys in a large store may be over. By the end of 1966, Zayre had 92 stores with major concentrations in the Chicago metropolitan area, Miami, and its home turf of Boston. Zayre was one of only a few stores to remain open 24 hours a day during the weeks preceding Christmas each year. The former location on Buford Highway is now a flea market. & the Attleboro/Hebronville area, including the East Jct. In the early 1980s Zayre moved into the electronic era but in a seemingly unified way. With the help of their children Stanley and Sumner, Zayre grew into one of the largest retail chains in the country with almost 1,200 locations nationwide. Inside the former Ames store in Dover NH back in 2007. 284 N Nova Rd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, Daytona Beach 2595 N Atlantic Ave, Daytona Beach, FL 32118, DeLand 2617 S Woodland Blvd, DeLand, FL 32720, Orlando 2300 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32806, Plant City. While we miss those that have been lost to time, its fun to reminisce about the places from our past that will always hold special memories. It was the largest grocery store chain in the United States from 1915 through 1975, with almost 16,000 locations in the USA and Canada at its peak in 1930. Pompano Beach Fla Sarasota. Schmucks like us had to shop at Goldblatt's or Zayre for dress clothes. Part time. Former Ames at the Lewiston Mall in Lewiston, Maine. Named after the country comedian Minnie Pearl, all of these chicken joints vanished in the late 1960s. Zayre opened this 81,220 square foot store on November 14th 1963. How many of these spots do you remember? David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his new book "Hello Chattanooga" is available on his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. Note the check-stand lights are holdovers from Zayre. According to a LinkedIn profile, Ames will be returning in the spring of 2023. Zayre, which means "very good" in Yiddish, started in Hyannis, Massachusetts, in 1956 as a discount department store. Marcq-en-Barul. After earning an education degree and working in that field for a number of years, Andrea began to pursue her passion for writing over 6 years ago. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida. zayre bradlees crazy eddie two guys ames . (Mr. Conrail's WARE-29 is eastbound on trk. The department store chain was then sold to Ames and by 1990 the Zayre name was no longer. Zayre began to feature appearances from celebrities such as Sherman Hemsley and Robert Guillaume in "Grand Re-openings" of their major stores, but even these events failed to improve their market share. 4 at Attleboro tower (still manned with an operator then!) 160 38K views 12 years ago This is a 1980's TV Ad for Zayre, a discount department store that operated in the Northeastern, Southern and Midwestern United States from 1956 to 1990. The stores to be closed Feb. 3 are in Norwich, Conn.; Panama City, Fla.; Brunswick, Maine; Rockland, Maine; Ellsworth, Maine; Presque Isle, Maine; Plaistow, N.H.; and Somersworth, N.H. At Mansfield they will sneak out on to Amtrak northeast corridor main 1 for a half mile sprint down to "Zayres" where they will clear up to go work West Mansfield in the Cabot Industrial Park. Courtesy of Google Streetview. Totally mid-west. For more nostalgia in the Hoosier state, check out these incredible retro burger joints. in the Cabot Industrial Park.a massive sprawling campus like facility the larges of its kind in Massachusetts. The department store needed a name however. Pompano Beach Fla, Sarasota. Afterwards, they would pipe back (with a real caboose!) Reply. Some of the former Zayre stores operated under the Ames name until Ames ceased operations in 2002. (1944-2009), Gladstone Park Bakery / 5744 N Milwaukee Ave. Jefferson Park, & later at 490 Bennett Rd. In the mid 1980s profits began to decline which eventually led to Zayre filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1988. Today, this former (approximately 50,000 square foot) Zayre store is split between Planet Fitness and Tractor Supply Company. Sales Associate, and Dept Manager. Nothing has happened to the present by becoming past except that fresh slices of existence have been added to the total history of the world. For a time in the late 80's, a repurposed warehouse located there also received flatcars w/ MBTA subway cars (Red Line, I think) for pre-delivery work. K-Mart, Radio Shack, and Sears have faded as well. Ames closed the store following the chain's bankruptcy in 2003 leaving the building vacant until 2007 when Marden's opened. Eating at Shakey's was a blast and the pizza was great. If this was one of your favorite pizza parlors from the past, good news! Old neon lighting, the big ceiling air conditioner vents, orange and brown colors on walls and carpet. Kroger left Pennsylvania in 1984 and still hasn't returned. Take a look back at these 12 places from Cincinnatis past and see how many you remember from the good old days in our city. It became a Zayre in later years. Zayre was a chain of discount retail stores that operated in the Northeastern, Southern and Midwestern United States from 1956 to 1990. The department store chain was then sold to Ames and by 1990 the Zayre name was no longer. TJX increased into an extra keep company division in 1990 and at the identical time went international, getting into the Canadian market via obtaining the five-store Winners chain. Today, Home Depot and Lowe's are popular in Cincinnati, but Builders Square paved the way for the current home improvement superstores. But as more and more retail moves online and we can order everything from a Big Mac to a four-course meal and have it delivered to our door, there is definitely a longing for a simpler time. La Grange, IL. Note this Zayre store opened in 1985, three years later the chain would be acquired by Ames. Zayre began to feature appearances from celebrities such as Sherman Hemsley and Robert Guillaume in "Grand-Reopenings" of their major stores. A lot of detailed information about Zayre is missing because it closed over 30 years ago. By the end of 1966, Zayre had 92 stores with major concentrations in the Chicago metropolitan area, Miami, and its home turf of Boston. Within six years of that opening, Zayre Corp. found another avenue to the off-price fashion market. High Point, NC 27262. Since then it was a shoe store for a brief period in the mid-2000s, and currently (as of March 9, 2022), only Big Lots occupies the left half of the former Winn-Dixie. Ben Franklin was a classic five and dime shop that was scattered across the country, including in Cincinnati. In October 1988, TJX completed the sale of its Zayre Stores division to Ames Department Stores. From 1996 to 2000, Ames resumed opening new stores. Zayre was founded in 1956 in Hyannis Massachusetts. This beloved Indiana bakery operated from the 1940s until 1999. A number of these departments were leased out to concessionaires during Zayre's first decade, including linens, greeting cards, candy, and health and beauty items, totaling nearly a third of Zayre's store revenues. In October 1988, Zayre's parent company, Zayre Corp., sold the stores to the competing Ames Department Stores, Inc. chain, and in June 1989, Zayre Corp. merged with one of its subsidiaries, The TJX Companies, parent company of T.J. Maxx, which still exists today. Luckily, you can still find many across the Hoosier state, so make the most of this classic Indiana chain. Branch (Condon-Carpenter Steel in Seekonk). The building has been vacant since October 2002. By the mid-1990s they, too, were gone. Early growth was aided by the Providence, Rhode Island, based advertising agency, Bo Bernstein, fueling the growth of both companies. Note Zayre opened this 43,750 square foot store on August 20th 1973. Zayre / Multiple Chicagoland area locations (1956-1990) Mrs. Snyder's Home Made Candies / multiple Chicagoland area locations (1910-1967) Edwards Florist / 917 Willow Rd. Then they added the Tjmaxx stores in the 70's and Bj's Wholesale club. Developed by Sam Morris Spevak, Gateway Shopping Center originally opened as an open air strip shopping center in 1959. Former Zayre discount store - Alameda Plaza - New Castle Road - Butler, PA. opened 1973 as Walgreens; closed 1990, opened as Florida Carpet & Vinyl in 1990, closed 1992, Habitat Humanity stayed until late 1997. IL. The page states that the re-opening will be spear headed by Molyneux Group, the owners of Bradlees Department Stores PLC. That same year, Zayre Corp. became a public company and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. It's nice to see a bit of freight still plying old New Haven rails in the Commonwealth! Here's the former Zayre in Marcus Plaza in Norwich. 's Wholesale Club and Home Club. ---------------------------------------------------------------------. Zayre's management corps was cut in half, and the company's 23 regional offices were reduced to seven. This website is not affiliated with the former Zayre chain or the Tjx Companies. [10] However, many of the new Zayre stores opened during the 1980s suffered from cluttered aisles and messy appearances. In August 1997, BJs was spun off from Waban on a tax-free (one-for-one) exchange and began trading in the $26 to $32 range. Some were downtown, others were on busy highways, and the rest were in malls. The original Ayres department store in downtown Indianapolis opened in the late 1800s and was well known for its women's fashions, Christmas events and displays, and beloved Tea Room. Your email address will not be published. East Lakes days of prominence went down the tubes with the 1998 opening of the Brandon Town Center in nearby Brandon. 1987 2501 Belair Rd. This Kroger store was built in 1971 in Alameda Plaza. Russian immigrant brothers Max and Morris Feldberg began a hosiery business in 1919 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. In October 1989, 11 New Hampshire Zayre stores were renamed Ames. Some of this growth came through acquisition. Many former Zayre stores as Ames actually kept the 60's "wing" looking store look, though boarding off the large frontal window panes like Kmart did as they moved into the 1990s. Here Are The 6 Most-Recommended Pizza Places In Indiana, According To Our Readers, Hunt For Ghosts On A Guided Night-Time Tour Of Anderson, Indiana, The One State Park In Indiana With 9 Connected Lakes Truly Has It All, The Water Is A Brilliant Blue At Geist Reservoir, A Refreshing Stop In Indiana, This Tiny Dime Store In Indiana Is Famous For This Unbelievable Candy Item, These 5 Crimes Committed By Hoosiers From Indiana Will Completely Terrify You, The Indiana Donut Shop Chain That Puts All The Rest To Shame, 8 Images People From Indiana Will Immediately Recognize. Former zayre in Ohio - Zayre department store | Facebook Log In Create new account Personal blog Personal blog Society & culture website Hills Stores Retail Company McPherson Local Gift Shop The Auction Professor Shopping & Retail Venture Stores Retail Archaeology Video Creator Retail of the Past Personal blog Recent Post by Page and sold tires and other car accessories. This former Kroger is now a Big Lots. Does any one remember the Zayres located in the MLK mall in Roxbury, Mass in the late 80s? By 1962, there were 27 Zayre stores open, with ten to twenty new ones added annually for many years afterward. Winn-Dixie changed out some of their exterior signage in the late 2003/early 2004 timeframe, prior to their chapter 11 bankruptcy announcement in early 2005. With the family's second generation, Stanley H. Feldberg (son of Max) and Sumner A. Feldberg (son of Morris) now in positions of responsibility, the company began to explore options, putting considerable effort into studying the hugely successful mill stores. Less than a year later, the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation opened the much larger Volusia Mall, a few blocks west of Daytona Mall, on October 14, 1974. Zayre (/zr/) was a chain of discount stores that operated in the eastern half of the United States from 1956 to 1990. The branch's other customer, Teknor Apex (along with Pascale Brick in S. Attleboro on the NEC), was serviced by WAMI-1 out of Middleboro yard. The first Zayre location opened in Hyannis in 1956. to trk. built 1971; closed 1990, opened as Big Lots a few years after. Thank you! Did you love Zayre Department Stores? Zayre also acquired a few locations in Ohio in 1986 from Meijer; these locations were part of Meijer's failed "Meijer Square" concept. The company expanded to the South and Midwest before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1988. This store has been closed since the chain's demise in 2002. opened 1973, closed 1989, demolished in the mid-90s to make way for a 417 loop. In 1946, the company doubled its number of stores with its buyout of New York City-based Nugents, another women's specialty store chain. Store 673 South Tuttle Dr. Sarasota, St Augustine. . This photo of store #2048 was taken in April of 2006, just a few months after Winn-Dixie closed the store in the fall of 2005, as part of their bankruptcy plan. Former Zayre Discount Store located at 831 Central Ave. in Dover,NH. This popular pizza joint opened in the 1950s and was all the rage for decades. Some were downtown, others were on busy highways, and the rest were in malls. Their first chain of stores was the Bell Shoppes, which sold womens apparel. In the mid 1980s profits began to decline which eventually led to Zayre filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1988. Not only was Zayre one of the oldest names in cut-rate retailing, dating from the. She's also a little too addicted to coffee and has a Maine Coon cat she answers to. Many locations serve your drinks by train, adding an element of magic to your meal. Zayre has competed with such discounters as Fisher's Big Wheel, Kmart, Walmart and Hills Department Stores. . In 1969, Zayre Corp. bought the Hit or Miss chain and began its exploration of the off-price fashion market. opened 1973; remodeled 1981, closed 1989, demolished 1998. Graville's, once a busy lunch counter and meeting place and a store that offered a variety of items, is currently occupied by folks working with a local cable provider. Zayre's other brands were reorganized under the corporate umbrella of the renamed TJX Companies. In April 1990, TJX established a $185 million reserve against its Ames preferred stock and contingent lease liabilities on former Zayre stores as a result of Ames' announcement of continued poor performance. It was initially focused on the Northeast but soon expanded to other areas including a considerable midwestern presence. Kroger has been gone from Pennsylvania for over 30 years yet, there are still many recognizable former Kroger stores and cube signs left in Western PA! Before there was Wal-Mart. Elk Grove Village IL. John Geisse, formerly of Target Stores, and May Department Stores' executive vice president, Dave Babcock, founded the chain in 1968.Venture Stores expanded to operate over 70 stores with major market share in St. Louis, Chicago, and Kansas City, and expanded across various areas in the United . Observers blamed technological inferiority, poor maintenance, inappropriate pricing, and inventory pileups, and Zayre appeared ripe for takeover. While several other discount chains were using a mix of point of sale systems (for example, Kmart used a mix of NCR, IBM, and Data Terminal Systems at the time), Zayre moved to NCR 2552 cash registers up front with a pair of NCR 726 minicomputers in the back. Older Zayre logo from the early days of the company. At that point, the Zayre locations were closed and Home Depot, now becoming a national chain, abandoned the original smaller stores. Early tenants included Belk-Lindsey, Publix, Walgreen Drug, W.T. Interior view of Colonial Plaza in 1966. Within a few years, Zayre stores would average 70,000 to 90,000 square feet.[6]. Anyone who grew up in the Hoosier state a few decades ago can proudly recall stores of yesteryear that younger Hoosiers have likely never heard of. My first bike was bought in a southern Maine Zayre store. The value of Ames preferred stock was dubious, however, as Ames was closing stores and experiencing losses. Having settled on discounting as the logical direction in which to take their company, the Feldbergs decided to forego the mill building route and launch with a newly constructed store when the opportunity presented itself. Zayre stores featured frequent flashing light 15-minute specials with live/recorded public address announcements meant to build excitement and drive traffic to specific departments, similar to Kmarts Blue Light Specials. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. The first store, which opened in Natick, Massachusetts, in 1965, flourished and grew into a chain so quickly that within four years it attracted the attention of the much larger Zayre Corp. And to go even further back in Cincinnatis history, check out some of the oldest photos from our city in our previous article here. I would work from 6:00 to 10:00 on a typical night. Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont locations: MAINE 13 STORES Augusta Saco. Among Zayre's early acquisitions was the Hit or Miss chain, an off-price chain specializing in upscale women's clothing. Zayre Corp.'s off-price retailing chains had become so successful that by 1987 Zayre thought it prudent to organize them under one name and grant them autonomy from the decreasingly prosperous parent company.[4]. The former Ames/Zayre has been setting vacant ever since the closing of Ames in 2002. Winnetka, IL. A Cincinnati native who has lived in Kentucky for over 10 years, Andrea's heart belongs both in the Queen City and the Bluegrass State. Store 673 South Tuttle Dr. Sarasota St Augustine. Been closed for quite some time, but Builders square paved the for... From celebrities such as Sherman Hemsley and Robert Guillaume former zayre locations `` Grand-Reopenings '' their! That old style and smell inside Brandon Town Center in nearby Worcester ) was blast... York Steak House was a chain of discount retail stores that operated in early... Ames name until Ames ceased operations in 2002 1981, closed 1989, demolished 1998 1981, 1989. The Concourse in Waterville, Maine in 2006 on November 14th 1963 creditors under 11... Oldest names in cut-rate retailing, dating from the past, good news on lead! 90,000 square feet. [ 6 ] Maine Zayre store 1969, Zayre Corp. found another avenue to Amtrak! Located at 20 East St. in Lewiston, ME ; closed 1990, opened as an open air strip Center. 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