Stores That Are No More: Price Tags

Here is a selection of price tags found on some of my Matchbox and Hot Wheels car blister packs.  All are from stores that are now defunct.  I personally find this depressing... Once, we had a selection of stores to go to for everything we needed.  If one store didn't have it, you went next door or down the street.  You got to SEE an item before buying it.  You got to TRY ON clothes before buying them.  You didn't have to wait for items to arrive in an Amazon truck.

If you understand what I mean, read on...

AMES:  Ames took over the Zayer stores here in Massachusetts 

ANN & HOPE:  Our local Ann & Hope was located at the Watertown (MA) Arsenal Mall.  I remember they had people at the entrances who would put a bright sticker on any bags you brought into the store from elsewhere.  That way they would know if you were trying to shoplift!

KB / KAY-BEE TOYS:  I actually don't remember much about KayBee.  There was one in the Burlington (MA) Mall, and I think also right at the Waltham/Lexington line.

TOYS R US:  Another sad one... As a casual collector of diecast cars and various other things that could be found there, I SERIOUSLY miss my childhood heaven.  Our store was in Winchester Massachusetts.  I can still remember the smell of the bicycle section, the huge wall of board games, the ever-moving video game section, and YES, the TOY CAR isle.  It all started to fall apart when they stopped selling model car kits.

I miss them all... 

Blanchard's Liquors Neon Sign - Allston MA

Blanchard's Liquors Neon Sign

103 Harvard Ave

Allston, MA

The Blanchard's Sign 8/24/17

The Blanchard's Parking Sign 8/7/17

I'm a Specialist Sung by Frank Crumit (1931)

The 2020 Corona Virus has caused a simple thing like TOILET PAPER to become worth it's weight in gold. This little song from 1931 reminds us how lucky we are to even have indoor plumbing!

A Store That Is No More: Ames Department Stores

A Store That Is No More:  Ames Department Stores

Empty Ames store in Seabrook, NH (3/27/11)

Founded: 1958
Bankrupt: 2001
Stores Closed: 2002

From the Ames website in 1996:  "It all began in 1958 when two Connecticut brothers, Milton and Irving Gilman, opened their first store in the closed Ames Worsted Textile Co. mill in Southbridge, MA. Since then, Ames has grown into the nation's fifth-largest discount retailer with annual net sales of $2.1 billion. "

From the Ames website in 1998:  "Ames' original business strategy was radical: bring discounting to the underserved smaller towns and rural areas of the Northeast. Ames’ broad product mix, discount pricing and convenient shopping hours were enormously popular with customers.

Ames’ success spurred an aggressive growth period from 1978-1988. Combining a new store building program with acquisitions of other discount chains such as Neisner Brothers, Kings and G.C. Murphy, Ames grew to 450 stores by 1985.

The 1988 acquisition of the 392-store Zayre discount division, however, brought a sharp reduction in profitability, and Ames filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in April 1990.

After successfully emerging from bankruptcy on December 30, 1992, the company returned to profitability in fiscal 1993 and operating performance has continued to improve.

Under the leadership of President and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph R. Ettore, a 36-year retailing veteran, management is focusing on targeted expansion (Ames acquired 155 Hills stores in December 1998); maintaining a customer-friendly environment with appealing merchandise presentations, customer service, and strict chainwide operational and financial controls."

From the Ames website in 2001:  "Ames is a regional, full-line discount retailer with an associate base of 21,500 and annual sales of approximately $2.7 billion. Ames operates 327 stores in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West"

An AMES price tag on a Matchbox car