What closed store would you bring back to RI? Vote in round 1 of our bracket

Katie Landeck, Providence Journal

If there's one thing Rhode Islanders are nostalgic for it's closed retail stores.

This holiday season we thought it would be fun to put together a bracket of brick-and-mortar retailers that are no longer with us and let Lil' Rhody vote on which one they would bring back.

Below we've compiled 16 closed retailers, with a little bio on each of them. We paired them off, and now are eagerly awaiting to see how the Ocean State votes. And to be very clear, voting in this poll is only for fun. The Providence Journal has no power to bring any of these brick-and-mortar locations back.

Voting will take place over the next four weeks, with each round opening on Thursdays for one week until a winner is declared. May the best store win.

Almacs vs. Ames

Almacs

Almacs at Butler Avenue and Waterman Street in Providence.
Almacs at Butler Avenue and Waterman Street in Providence.

The childhood grocery store of many, S&H Green Stamps kept customers coming back for years. Founded in 1942, it was the largest supermarket chain in Rhode Island before closing in 1995.

Ames

The former Ames department store in Middletown is shown before it closed. It has since been torn down and replaced with a Home Depot.
The former Ames department store in Middletown is shown before it closed. It has since been torn down and replaced with a Home Depot.

The Ames strategy was to bring discount stores to smaller towns and more rural areas, moving shopping away from the downtowns of big cities. For decades it worked, with shoppers coming to them for clothing, housewares, and electronics. In 1998, they were the fourth largest discount chain in the country behind Walmart, Kmart and Target. But that was a short-lived high with the chain going out of business in 2002.

Ann & Hope vs Brooks Pharmacy

Ann & Hope

The former Ann & Hope building in Cumberland.
The former Ann & Hope building in Cumberland.

Founded in 1953 by Ukrainian immigrant Martin Chase, Ann & Hope was one of the first self-service department stores in the country and one of the first to have shopping carts, a central checkout area, and a more liberal return policy. Founders of both Walmart and Kmart visited the store as research when starting their own enterprises. The department stores closed in 2001.

Brooks Pharmacy

Headquartered in Warwick, Brooks Pharmacy was once the second-largest drugstore chain in New England. But in the early 2000s, the pharmacy struggled to integrate over 1,000 Eckerd stores it bought from J.C. Penney. In 2007, Rite-Aid bought Brooks Pharmacy.

Cherry & Webb vs The Shepard Company

Cherry & Webb

Cherry & Webb first erected its landmark, four-story, gold and silver tree in 1951, then abandoned the effort in 1960 when traffic on Westminster Street made the work difficult. In 1965, with Westminster Street a pedestrian mall, the tradition was revived.
Cherry & Webb first erected its landmark, four-story, gold and silver tree in 1951, then abandoned the effort in 1960 when traffic on Westminster Street made the work difficult. In 1965, with Westminster Street a pedestrian mall, the tradition was revived.

Originally owned by the Outlet Company, a Providence retailer that went into operating television stations, Cherry & Webb was a classic regional department store. The one in downtown Providence was right in the middle of the city’s retail landscape, linked to Gladdings and Shepard department stores by the Tri-Store Bridge. It closed in 2000.

The Shephard Company

View of Shepard's building sign and the old clock that was a landmark.
View of Shepard's building sign and the old clock that was a landmark.

Bankrupt after shopping centers started moving into the suburbs in the 1960s, The Shepard Company closed in 1974. The building spans the entire block between Westminster, Clemence, Washington and Union streets, and is currently owned by the state. The McKee administration has sought proposals for turning the Shepard Building, currently home to the Providence branch of the University of Rhode Island, into something new, possibly housing.

Bradlees vs Caldor

Bradlees Department Store

Bradlees closed all stores in 2001.
Bradlees closed all stores in 2001.

Named after Bradley International Airport in Hartford Connecticut because that’s where the original planning meetings were held, Bradlees was a discount department store in the Northeast. At its peak in the 1990s, Bradlees had over 100 stores before filing for bankruptcy in 2000 and closing all stores in 2001.

Caldor

The Caldor store in the Lincoln Mall.
The Caldor store in the Lincoln Mall.

Once called the “Bloomingdale’s of discounting,” in a New York Times headline, this store carried name brands at discount prices. The store was located mostly in the Northeast including one at the Lincoln Mall, before closing in 1999.

Filene's vs Jordan Marsh

Filene's

Shoppers check out the new Filene's store in Providence Place mall.
Shoppers check out the new Filene's store in Providence Place mall.

One of the original anchor stores at the Providence Place mall, the Boston-based department store Filene’s was found in malls throughout the Northeast. But perhaps people are even more nostalgic for its sister store Filene’s Basement, where shoppers could go through bins of discount clothing. Filene’s was acquired by the owner of Macy’s in the mid-2000s.

Jordan Marsh

July 1970: Rhode Island Governor Frank Licht and Mrs. Licht, along with Mrs. Colwell and Mr. Lawrence Colwell, store manager, insoect displays at the new Jordan Marsh store in the Warwick Mall.
July 1970: Rhode Island Governor Frank Licht and Mrs. Licht, along with Mrs. Colwell and Mr. Lawrence Colwell, store manager, insoect displays at the new Jordan Marsh store in the Warwick Mall.

A rival of Filene’s, Jordan Marsh was also a Boston-based department store. It was renowned for its blueberry muffins, but it was also one of the early adopters of the “the customer is always right” adage and easy credit. In the 1970s, it was one of the largest department store chains in the country, but in the mid-90s it was acquired by Macy’s.

The Christmas Tree Shop vs. Bed, Bath and Beyond

The Christmas Tree Shop

The Christmas Tree Shop closed all stores in 2023.
The Christmas Tree Shop closed all stores in 2023.

The Christmas Tree Shop started a seasonal store on Cape Cod, until Charles and Boreen Bilezikian bought and expanded the store in 1970 and started expanding it throughout New England and New York. In 2003, Bed, Bath and Beyond bought and expanded the franchise. This year, the company declared bankruptcy and closed all of its stores.

Bed, Bath and Beyond

A sign on the Bed, Bath & Beyond store at Providence Place mall informs customers of its closing. [The Providence Journal / Paul Edward Parker]
A sign on the Bed, Bath & Beyond store at Providence Place mall informs customers of its closing. [The Providence Journal / Paul Edward Parker]

Technically, Bed, Bath and Beyond is still alive online, after the online retailer Overstock bought it and took over the trade name. But, the brick-and-mortar stores, including the two Rhode Island stores that closed this year in Middletown and Warwick, aren’t coming back as part of that arrangement.

Benny’s vs. Lechmere

Benny's

Benny's a Rhode Island icon closed its doors in 2017
Benny's a Rhode Island icon closed its doors in 2017

Founded in Providence in 1924, Benny’s grew to be nothing short of a Rhode Island icon. A musical was even written in honor of the store after it closed. At the store, shoppers could purchase everything from tires to candy bars, lawn chairs to school supplies, and more. The chain grew to 31 stores and closed in 2017.

P.S. Did you know The Providence Journal office is located where the first Benny’s store was?

Lechmere

Shoppers on the last day at Lechmere in Warwick
Shoppers on the last day at Lechmere in Warwick

This Massachusetts-based retail store closed in 1997 after 84 years in business. It started as a harness shop, then a tire store when traveling by horses went out of style, and then in the 50s they started selling household goods, electronics and more.

Circuit City vs. Tweeter

Circuit City

The former Circuit City storefront, located in the southern portion of Garden City, that went out of business months ago, is still empty.
The former Circuit City storefront, located in the southern portion of Garden City, that went out of business months ago, is still empty.

Technically, Circuit City is still alive as an online-only store. But, when Circuit City closed its retail locations in 2009, it left a huge gap in the southern portion of Garden City Center and in the consumer electronics market.

Tweeter

Tweeter went out of business and closed their store on Bald Hill Road in Warwick.
Tweeter went out of business and closed their store on Bald Hill Road in Warwick.

Tweeter started in Boston in 1972, selling mid to high-end electronics. The chain grew to more than 100 stores in 18 states, but in 2007 they filed for bankruptcy, and in 2008 all of the stores were shuttered, including the one in Warwick.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What closed store would you bring back to RI? Vote in bracket round 1.

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