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Straight outta Des Moines Iowa! Old school Younkers Department store logo

Bradlees Department Store, more commonly known as Bradlees, was a discount department store chain based in Braintree, Massachusetts, which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. Bradlees sold various retail items in its stores, including clothing, jewelry, health care, beauty products, footwear, furniture, electronics, housewares, and bedding. At its peak in 2000, Bradlees operated over 105 stores in seven states across the Northeast, with close to 10,000 employees. The chain went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000, with all of its stores eventually closed by March 15, 2001.

Ames Department Store Employee of the Month

Bradlees Department Store Red

Woolworth Department Store

Remembering Pogue's Department Store in Cincinnati, Ohio. A Cincinnati tradition was born when a bridge across the second level of the arcade was constructed to connect two Pogue buildings, with the Ice Cream Bridge featuring local favorite Graeter's Ice Creams. "The Bridge" was an instant hit.

The Grand Court Holiday Spectacle of Lights and Music

Remembering the wonderful Hudson's Department Store. The J. L. Hudson Company (commonly known simply as Hudson's) was a retail department store chain based in Detroit, Michigan. Hudson's flagship store, on Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit was the tallest department store in the world in 1961, and, at one time, claimed to be the second-largest department store, after Macy's, in the United States, by square footage. Hudson's was known for customer satisfaction and its liberal return policy. Hudson's was involved in the community. In 1924, two years prior to rival Macy's, it staged its first Thanksgiving Parade, which continues today. In 1923, it unveiled the world's largest flag, which covered 3,700 sq ft (340 m2) of the Woodward facade.

Bradlees Department Store Vintage Retro

Where shopping is always a pleasure. Caldor Inc., launched in 1951, was a leading retailer of upscale discount goods in the northeastern US. Caldor expanded rapidly beginning in the early 1980s to become the fifth largest discount chain in the nation by the early 1990s. The company sold nearly $2.5 billion worth of goods and employed a work force of more than 20,000 in 1994. A discount industry pioneer, Caldor predates the start of both Kmart and Wal-Mart by more than a decade. Despite its successes, Caldor suffered from financial issues in its later years and the company was liquidated in 1999.

Another defunct store from our childhoods

Remembering Burdine’s Department Store. Miami, Florida. Over its nearly 110-year history, Burdines grew into a popular chain of department stores, known as 'The Florida Store,' decorated with palm trees in the center of the store, painted in pink and blue, and other subtropical colors and motifs.

Remembering the Bon-Ton Department Store. Bon-Ton was started in 1898, when Max Grumbacher and his father, Samuel, opened S. Grumbacher & Son, a one-room millinery and dry goods store on Market Street in York, Pennsylvania. Bon-Ton eventually bought other department stores including, Hess's, Elder-Beerman, Carson Pirie Scott (later branded as Carson's), Bergner's, Boston Store, Herberger's, and Younkers.

Retro 80s style Gold Circle defunct discount department store

Bradlees Department Store Red

Remembering the great Marshall Field’s Department Store. Marshall Field's was a department store in Chicago, Illinois, founded in the 19th century that grew to become a large chain before being acquired by Macy's, Inc in 2005. Marshall Field's great six-story merchandising emporium catered to urban women with leisure time. Rather than "buyer beware," Field's motto was "Give the lady what she wants." He had that motto displayed on a sign above his desk.

Ames Department Store

Remembering Foley’s Department Store with their great fun 70s style logo. If you're from the South, especially Houston, Texas, chances are you're familiar with the former department store giant. In 1947 Foley's opened at 1110 Main Street in downtown Houston. They spent $13 million to build this new store, which was heralded by the press as the nation's "most modern department store." There are no windows because the owners wanted to emphasize the fact that it was fully climate controlled. The state-of-the-art department store was a local hit for decades before succumbing to the wrecking ball in 2013.  Foley's operated stores in Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Strawbridge & Clothier was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. In its day a gracious urban emporium, the Center City Philadelphia flagship store added branch stores starting in the 1930s, and together they enjoyed annual sales of over a billion dollars by their zenith in the 1980s

Jamesway was a chain of discount department stores based in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was founded in 1961 with a store in Jamestown, New York, and at its peak operated 138 stores in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions.

Remembering E. J. Korvette, also known as Korvettes. Korvettes was an American chain of discount department stores, founded in 1948 in New York City. It was one of the first department stores to challenge the suggested retail price provisions of anti-discounting statutes. Founded by World War II veteran Eugene Ferkauf and his friend, Joe Zwillenberg, E. J. Korvette did much to define the idea of a discount department store. It displaced earlier five and dime retailers and preceded later discount stores, like Walmart, and warehouse clubs such as Costco.

Remembering the much-loved Wanamaker’s Department Store, in Philadelphia. John Wanamaker Department Store was one of the first department stores in the United States. Founded by John Wanamaker, it was influential in the development of the retail industry including offering the first restaurant to be located inside a department store as well as being the first department store with electrical illumination (1878) and the first to use price tags. And in pop culture much of the 1987 movie Mannequin was filmed at Wanamaker's as was the 1991 sequel, Mannequin Two: On the Move. The Wanamaker's flagship store in Center City, with its famous organ and eagle from the St. Louis World's Fair, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978.

An ode to your favorite bygone department store. Bradlees, we'll miss you. Or maybe we won't.

Remembering the wonderful Rich’s Department Store in Atlanta, Georgia.  Rich’s began in Atlanta in 1867. In 1924 Rich's moved into its flagship store at 45 Broad St. SE, which it would occupy until closing in 1991. Rich’s had 2 beloved holiday traditions, the Great Tree and the Pink Pig Flyer. Starting in 1948, the Great Tree was set on top of the multi-level glass "Crystal Bridge" connecting the main downtown Atlanta store across Forsyth Street. The Pink Pig (installed in 1956, and known originally as The Snowball Express) was a child-scaled monorail. The original Pink Pig Flyers monorail cars are now at the Atlanta History Center.

Bradlees Department Store - There's always a reason to shop Bradlees

Retro logo for the northeast's old CALDOR department stores

Remembering the well-loved Lazarus Department Store in Columbus Ohio. Lazarus was a regional department store retail chain operating primarily in the Midwest. Lazarus developed or was an early adopter of many shopping innovations such as "one low price" (no bargaining necessary, earlier implemented by the John Wanamaker Store), first department store escalators in the country, first air-conditioned store in the country, and Fred Lazarus Jr. successfully lobbied President Franklin Roosevelt to permanently fix Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, ensuring a stable timetable for the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

Remembering the great Dayton’s Department Store in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dayton's was an American department store chain founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902 by George Draper Dayton. He built the 6-story department store on the corner of 7th and Nicollet. Built in Renaissance Revival style, its decorative details are borrowed from ancient Greece and Rome, and its overall form is reminiscent of 15th-century Italian palazzos. It was a twin cities institution.  

Remembering Bamberger’s Department Store. Newark, New Jersey. Bamberger's was a department store chain with locations primarily in New Jersey, also with locations in the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania. The downtown Newark building was not only a department store but also a radio station. WOR was established by Bamberger Broadcasting Service in 1922. The broadcast studio was located on the sixth floor. On October 11, 1949, WOR-TV (channel 9) signed on the air, becoming the last of the New York metropolitan area VHF television stations to begin operations.

Remembering the great Kaufmann’s Department Store. If you lived in Pittsburgh PA this was the place. Kaufmann's flagship store was built in 1887 at 400 Fifth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh. It was known as The Big Store. And no wonder, at one point, the building was the largest department store in Pittsburgh with twelve retail floors, spanning an entire downtown city block. Kaufmann's Big Store had a landmark outdoor clock at Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street. It was popular downtown meeting place, with the oft-used phrase "Meet me under Kaufmann's clock."  The clock is still a Pittsburgh icon.

Venture Discount Department Stores

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Caldor Department Store

Remembering the beloved Higbee Department Store in Cleveland Ohio. The official company name was The Higbee Company, but we all called it Higbee's. Eventually they did too, changing their logo. It is also the department store featured in the movie A Christmas Story, where Ralphie Parker first sees the Red Rider BB Gun.

Higbee's Department Store