what did your ames look like ws it a Zayre Jamesway Kings Bradlees Caldor Or A Hills?
Hears what my ames looked like it was a kings at one time they r gonna tear it down for a hannaford super market that makes me MAD:flaming::mad:
Mine was supposedly a Gems Food Store? I'm not sure. My dad said his mother used to shop for food there in the 50s and 60s. That's why they tore down the existing Ames to build Price Chopper. The reason was due to the old deteriorating structure and plumbing, it would of costed more to fix up the building than re-build. I thought the store was in good shape. It looked very nice. The inside fixtures were just old. I really didn't understand that though.
Mine was a caldor, it was in Warminster, PA and was only open a little over a year. its now a Burlington Coat Factory.
The Ames here in Kingston, was on the other side of town, in a plaza, away from the retail area. It was a Sears first, but, then the Hudson Valley Mall opened in 1981, and they moved the Sears store in the mall in 1986. Then, it became a Jamesway, and finally Ames. Now, it is vacant
A lot of the Ames stores in Albany are still vacant. But, the one in Rotterdam is now a boat showroom, and a Best Fitness, the one in Troy is a Big Lots. The one in Latham is now a Bon Ton, and the Saratoga one is now a Dollar Tree. All of the other Albany stores are still vacant.
I have a question. There's a plaza sign (attached) at the top of the Ames (Price Chopper) plaza. Do you think that Price Chopper will use that sign and put their sign in place of the Ames sign or replace the whole plaza sign and put their own up and include Dick's and Laser Quest on their sign. Just wondering because Vernon still has the original sign post up. I think they're going to put one on the other side of the plaza. Again this is the Newington store which is getting a Price Chopper in a few months.
I'd say they would use the current sign. Most stores, unless your Wal-Mart or someone keep the sign.
AmesmanBBTB here once again
SO FAR Ames in my area are up for lease or are being renovated
two locations closest:
Winsted Road, Torington up for lease
Winsted,CT being renovated to Tractor Supply CO.
My Ames was never built. Currently it's a ~50K grassy field in a plaza, behind Glen's Supermarket. Don't know why it was never built. There is also another portion of this plaza that was never built -- on the opposite side, facing Glen's.
Could you take pictures? That would be cool to see!
QuoteOriginally posted by C. Fontaine
Could you take pictures? That would be cool to see!
I'll try to once I get a new battery for my camera!
There's about 5 or 6 different Ames within a 40 minute drive from me... the only one that has been torn down is the one I used to frequent the most. It was just torn down last summer to make way for a Tops International (a grocery store).
Most of the Ames in my area used to be Hills, but one I know for sure was a Zayre's and one was always just an Ames.
Not really MY Ames but here is a new pic of the lighted up Ames in Lewiston ME !
i know of a Ames up in paling ny i only saw it once back in 1999 i dont know if its still there im gonna cheack it out sometime i wanna add something to the store locator
here is a pic of the ames warehouse in leesport pa:rolleyes::rolleyes:
here is another pic of warehouse:o
and another:saint:
I FINALLY GOT A PIC OF OUR FORMER LOCAL AMES!!!!!
Here it is. Former Hills, built in 1966. Located in clarence mall (It's NOT a mall, it's a strip mall)
At large
You all can see my Ames' by going to the photo gallery page. THey include, Huntington, Wv (2 locations), Gallipolis & Ironton Ohio, and last but certainly not least... Ashland Ky.
PS: What has become of these warehouses?? Does anyone know?
QuoteOriginally posted by tokensafari
You all can see my Ames' by going to the photo gallery page. THey include, Huntington, Wv (2 locations), Gallipolis & Ironton Ohio, and last but certainly not least... Ashland Ky.
PS: What has become of these warehouses?? Does anyone know?
yea i saw your pictures i liek them and about the were house qustion i cant reallawswer but im sure omost of them will stay vacant i have a old Grand Union werehouse in my town that has been closed since 1995
hey Caldor...can you get a pic of the Grand Union? that would be awesome to see.
Take your pic... i have 6 or 7 Ames stores around here. All former hills locations of course!
QuoteOriginally posted by Jag67
hey Caldor...can you get a pic of the Grand Union? that would be awesome to see.
acutley its all chained off i'll try sometiem that place is not going anywere and i dont think theres anything left from it theres a water tower there that had the logo on it buts its faded
Was Lewistown ME Ames Store high ceiling a result of being like that from a past store? What does the rest of the store look like? Is the store in a shopping center or standalone?
My Ames was a former Zayre. The one on Route 44 in East Providence. As Zayre it originally had the individual red letters spelling out the name and then later the white lettering with the asterix. This one also had the Auto Center in the parking lot. This was a very good size store and I always made out no matter what I needed. Ames took it over, cleaned it up but took out the snack bar. I miss the Zayre hamburgers and hot dogs. There was an ancient Galaxian machine in there as well. This was one of the last Ames stores to close and is still vacant. My mother cried when this happened. The auto center is now a Hollywood Video store
My Ames (Store #501, Painted Post, NY) was built as a Murphy's Mart. Ours was one of the stores that started off with the infamous red signage. When the store was converted the original entrance (with high facade) was walled in with a foot or so of the mats that once operated Murphy's automatic doors peeking out from under.
Although I was too young to remember the first business that occupied the building, I have many fond memories of school and Christmas shopping at Ames.
Our little area of upstate New York is a tribute in itself to the hey days of the great department stores. We had it all.. the Nichols (in Gang Mills) became a Pharmhouse, then a Big KMart.. and is now vacant, the King's (in Bath) became a Jamesway, and is now a True Value, the Zayre's (in Horseheads) was closed and became a Pharmhouse, and of course our Hills (in Horesheads) became an Ames. I'm not sure of the fate of the last two. Oh, and we had a Bradlees at the local Arnot Mall.
On a separate note.. in 1965 the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P Supermarkets) opened one of the largest food processing plants of it's time in Big Flats, NY. The facility ran until 1982 and in the 23 years since the realty company has had two or three fleeting tennants. Now the building is being demolished and there're already rumors that a new Walmart Supercenter will become THE anchor store of a future plaza. And there's already an original Walmart just down the road! I'm secretly hoping that Target will beat Wally World to the punch. We don't have any of their stores in that area of New York.
My claim to fame is that the photo of the Hills store on Zayre88's tribute site is from my old backyard.. Horseheads, New York.
QuoteOriginally posted by Crawford
My Ames was a former Zayre. The one on Route 44 in East Providence. As Zayre it originally had the individual red letters spelling out the name and then later the white lettering with the asterix. This one also had the Auto Center in the parking lot. This was a very good size store and I always made out no matter what I needed. Ames took it over, cleaned it up but took out the snack bar. I miss the Zayre hamburgers and hot dogs. There was an ancient Galaxian machine in there as well. This was one of the last Ames stores to close and is still vacant. My mother cried when this happened. The auto center is now a Hollywood Video store
Have any pics of East Providence store? I saw the outside of it last year when driving down Route 44. It looked like it was in a bad end of town. But all the lights were on and they had a high roof in the front. Even the Ames sign was lit up. Is it still like that?
QuoteOriginally posted by dayville81
QuoteOriginally posted by Crawford
My Ames was a former Zayre. The one on Route 44 in East Providence. As Zayre it originally had the individual red letters spelling out the name and then later the white lettering with the asterix. This one also had the Auto Center in the parking lot. This was a very good size store and I always made out no matter what I needed. Ames took it over, cleaned it up but took out the snack bar. I miss the Zayre hamburgers and hot dogs. There was an ancient Galaxian machine in there as well. This was one of the last Ames stores to close and is still vacant. My mother cried when this happened. The auto center is now a Hollywood Video store
Have any pics of East Providence store? I saw the outside of it last year when driving down Route 44. It looked like it was in a bad end of town. But all the lights were on and they had a high roof in the front. Even the Ames sign was lit up. Is it still like that?
The www.amesfanclub.com images has a picture of the one in east providence.
I remember when the Zayre in Concord NH in the CApitol Plaza had a snack bar and an arcade. In the last few years of the Ames in Concord, it opened a snack bar when the inside was remodeled.
QuoteOriginally posted by amesman
A lot of the Ames stores in Albany are still vacant. But, the one in Rotterdam is now a boat showroom, and a Best Fitness, the one in Troy is a Big Lots. The one in Latham is now a Bon Ton, and the Saratoga one is now a Dollar Tree. All of the other Albany stores are still vacant.
I went to Albany and east greenbush last summer and I saw the ames in East greenbush vacant and it had the lettering off.
QuoteOriginally posted by 76BraldorZayKamesfanBBTB
My Ames in Torrington was one of the most updated stores
also I believe Ames moved the store enterance when they leased the store, when it was Caldor, also when it was a Caldor it had the "hovering columns" look to it at the enterance I believe, and it was colored white.
Ames repainted the store to the brick color it is now
BTW thank you whoever it was for finally taking pics of my local Ames
what does everybody think of my local Ames?
only vacant Ames left in my vicinity
BTW I hope someone takes the recieving sign before someone throws it out!
YAHOO!
SOMEONE SAVED THE AMES RECIEVING SIGN FROM MY STORE YEEPEE!!
UPDATE: There is a plan to demolish my Ames for a Lowes GRR
I DON'T WANT ANOTHER HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE!!!!
Why doesn't Dollar Tree just move in to the Ames store sheesh Dollar Tree's front looks terrible after the fire destroyed its sign!
It'll be perfect for them then Lowes would have NO chance at all at demolition.
and then everyone will be happy
and the Ames store and the rest of the plaza would be saved from monotony!
yay!
lol
A dollar tree can be put anywhere and having a lowe's there is better than a store sitting vacant for years. I looked up the Home depot store locator and it says no Home depot is in Torrington and torrington has no home improvement chain and every major town or city has either lowes or home depot.
But what was that Ames like. Did the caldor not get remodeled. An Ames in Winstead was nearby I hear. what was that like?
I wonder if any ames will stay vacant till 2010.
i doubt that ames will stay vacant till 2010 but im sure teh middletown caldor will still be there that year lol
QuoteOriginally posted by dayville81
QuoteOriginally posted by Crawford
My Ames was a former Zayre. The one on Route 44 in East Providence. As Zayre it originally had the individual red letters spelling out the name and then later the white lettering with the asterix. This one also had the Auto Center in the parking lot. This was a very good size store and I always made out no matter what I needed. Ames took it over, cleaned it up but took out the snack bar. I miss the Zayre hamburgers and hot dogs. There was an ancient Galaxian machine in there as well. This was one of the last Ames stores to close and is still vacant. My mother cried when this happened. The auto center is now a Hollywood Video store
Have any pics of East Providence store? I saw the outside of it last year when driving down Route 44. It looked like it was in a bad end of town. But all the lights were on and they had a high roof in the front. Even the Ames sign was lit up. Is it still like that?
That area isn't really bad, it is just more commercial businesses than residential, although there are plenty of homes in back. The lights are off now. That plaza used to have a Stop & Shop and a Columbus Bank. Both were demolished when Shaw's moved in. The CVS is still in the same place although the vacant storefront in between was a Newport Creamery. The shopping center across the street has a much more interesting history, at some point I will post about it.
QuoteOriginally posted by Chris
Mine was supposedly a Gems Food Store? I'm not sure. My dad said his mother used to shop for food there in the 50s and 60s. That's why they tore down the existing Ames to build Price Chopper. The reason was due to the old deteriorating structure and plumbing, it would of costed more to fix up the building than re-build. I thought the store was in good shape. It looked very nice. The inside fixtures were just old. I really didn't understand that though.
Chris:
If it was the Ames in Newington (next to Dicks), it needed to be torn down. It was a GEM back in the 60s, and then it was a skaking rink, then it was Zayre's and then Ames. I think Price Chopper will do good in Newington.
Lansdale Pa.
circa 1970-2003.
Today: Big Lots
Original to building.
Warminster PA.
2000-2002
Today: Closed down Burlington Coat Factory
Formerly a Caldor.
QuoteOriginally posted by JimSawhill
QuoteOriginally posted by Chris
Mine was supposedly a Gems Food Store? I'm not sure. My dad said his mother used to shop for food there in the 50s and 60s. That's why they tore down the existing Ames to build Price Chopper. The reason was due to the old deteriorating structure and plumbing, it would of costed more to fix up the building than re-build. I thought the store was in good shape. It looked very nice. The inside fixtures were just old. I really didn't understand that though.
Chris:
If it was the Ames in Newington (next to Dicks), it needed to be torn down. It was a GEM back in the 60s, and then it was a skaking rink, then it was Zayre's and then Ames. I think Price Chopper will do good in Newington.
stuff said the 79,500 square foot zayre opened in 1987.
The Ames I shopped at the most was located in Coal Township Pa. It was a small store that never seemed to have more than ten people working at it at any time. Didn't seem to do great business and never had more than 1 or 2 registers open at one time. It still stands vacant today, along with a vacant Kmart which is about a 1/4 mile down the road.
QuoteOriginally posted by d_fife
I went to Albany and east greenbush last summer and I saw the ames in East greenbush vacant and it had the lettering off.
The East Greenbush store is now in use as office/storage space for a company called CSC (Comupter Services Corp I think??). They have not put any sign up on the building itself (they have, however, put curtains over the front windows) but have put up a sign on the roadside sign (has spaces for all the stores in the plaza). This is recent (since holiday time).
QuoteOriginally posted by BillyGr
QuoteOriginally posted by d_fife
I went to Albany and east greenbush last summer and I saw the ames in East greenbush vacant and it had the lettering off.
The East Greenbush store is now in use as office/storage space for a company called CSC (Comupter Services Corp I think??). They have not put any sign up on the building itself (they have, however, put curtains over the front windows) but have put up a sign on the roadside sign (has spaces for all the stores in the plaza). This is recent (since holiday time).
When did they start work, when I was in east greenbush last august, the lettering was off Ames.
QuoteOriginally posted by d_fife
When did they start work, when I was in east greenbush last august, the lettering was off Ames.
Don't know for sure - I'm not in there often (and you wouldn't see much from the road) - just went in once (probably Nov or so) to get something at the Auto store and noticed a lot of cars in the Ames part of the lot - then saw the sign by the road a few weeks back .
What happen to the wharehouse in Leesport PA
QuoteOriginally posted by dayville81
Was Lewiston ME Ames Store high ceiling a result of being like that from a past store? What does the rest of the store look like? Is the store in a shopping center or standalone?
These kinds of former Zayre stores were mostly like that. The front section of the stores had a higher ceiling at an angle and it ended outside the building to form the rooftop over the entrance and sidewalk. The stores looked like it was high but inside, it was not.
QuoteOriginally posted by eagle1960
What happen to the wharehouse in Leesport PA
It's now used as a warehouse for Ashley Furniture...
hearsb teh carmel one at night and im gussing hannaford decisied now to move in hear after all
hears anouther pic
unfortaley they dont keep the lights on and such u can add these when ya updated the sight again
the auto cenetr still loighst up at night
QuoteOriginally posted by Caldor1999
unfortaley they dont keep the lights on and such u can add these when ya updated the sight again
Will do!
I wish that I still lived in FL and could send before/after pics of the Ames that we always went to. It started out as a Zayre and became an Ames sometime in the mid 1980's and was still there when we moved a few years later.
Has anyone else lived in the Orlando area and remember any of the other stores before they closed?
QuoteOriginally posted by C. Fontaine
QuoteOriginally posted by eagle1960
What happen to the wharehouse in Leesport PA
It's now used as a warehouse for Ashley Furniture...
How about the other wharehouse Mansfield and Westfield MA . I worked in both of them and also I worked in Clinton MA before we got closed down.
Really? Do you have any pictures or anything else you could share? I am actually not sure about either of them...
QuoteOriginally posted by beachgal26
I wish that I still lived in FL and could send before/after pics of the Ames that we always went to. It started out as a Zayre and became an Ames sometime in the mid 1980's and was still there when we moved a few years later.
Has anyone else lived in the Orlando area and remember any of the other stores before they closed?
I have seen a closed Ames in Florida in 1992. Zayre had stores down there so when Ames acquired the chain, they entered the Florida market too. The store i remember was located along a highway but i really don't remember where exactly. Bac then, we visited the area around Orlando, Ormond, Daytona and Cape Kennedy.
QuoteOriginally posted by Zayre88
QuoteOriginally posted by beachgal26
I wish that I still lived in FL and could send before/after pics of the Ames that we always went to. It started out as a Zayre and became an Ames sometime in the mid 1980's and was still there when we moved a few years later.
Has anyone else lived in the Orlando area and remember any of the other stores before they closed?
I have seen a closed Ames in Florida in 1992. Zayre had stores down there so when Ames acquired the chain, they entered the Florida market too. The store i remember was located along a highway but i really don't remember where exactly. Bac then, we visited the area around Orlando, Ormond, Daytona and Cape Kennedy.
there wer 82 stores and they closed all the florida stores when they closed the 221 stores in teh first wave of closings; Which happened in Spring-Summer 1990; of when Ames went bankrupt when buying Zayre out in 1989.
My Store (Oneonta, NY) was formerly a Big N... Goes back quite a way
QuoteOriginally posted by d_fife
QuoteOriginally posted by Zayre88
QuoteOriginally posted by beachgal26
I wish that I still lived in FL and could send before/after pics of the Ames that we always went to. It started out as a Zayre and became an Ames sometime in the mid 1980's and was still there when we moved a few years later.
Has anyone else lived in the Orlando area and remember any of the other stores before they closed?
I have seen a closed Ames in Florida in 1992. Zayre had stores down there so when Ames acquired the chain, they entered the Florida market too. The store i remember was located along a highway but i really don't remember where exactly. Bac then, we visited the area around Orlando, Ormond, Daytona and Cape Kennedy.
there wer 82 stores and they closed all the florida stores when they closed the 221 stores in teh first wave of closings; Which happened in Spring-Summer 1990; of when Ames went bankrupt when buying Zayre out in 1989.
my ames in plymouth nh was a giant department store that opened in the early 1970s and clsoed 1973 and was immediatly replaced by ames. most ames were not built from the ground up.
The Ames I consider "mine" or the one I shopped most at was the Ames on Queen St. in Southington, CT. I actually remember when it was a Zayre (I must've been 3 or 4 but nonetheless I remember it). The store was alright, we always preferred to go down the road to Caldor. Ames was never that great and quality vs. price was always considered a step down from Caldor. I have memories of it like when the electronics department was hidden in the very back of the store.
Hi! If you remember a store around Cape Kennedy, it was probably in the Orlando, Titusville or Cocoa areas. Since I used to work as a rep for Golden Book and came across alot of reconfigured stores, there was a supermarket right along the main route in Cocoa Beach that could have been an Ames in the 80's or before. There were also some small shopping centers in the Titusville area that could have had Ames as early as the 1970's. (It was kind of a retro area that seemed to spring up in the late 1960's along with the space program-think "I Dream of Jeannie.")
about the zayre ames stores in florida there was one in sanford florida and apopka that i remember.one of the stores makes a brief apperance in an old cops eppisode...lok carefully and you will se the zayre in sanford fl twice....I will be moving back to florida soon and according to the map i have the zayre is still there:boring::boring:
Which part of Florida will you be moving to? If you will be anywhere in the Kissimmee (Orlando) area, I would love to know what happened to the Ames that was located along the main drag of Irlo Bronson Highway.
You PA guys can correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember the following Ames stores:
- Roosevelt Boulevard and Haldeman Avenue in Philadelphia - previously a Caldor, now demolished with some of the strip stores for a Target Greatland.
- 700 East Hunting Park Avenue in Philadelphia - also a former Caldor, now I believe there's an AJ Wright over there somewhere.
- US 13 and PA 413 in Bristol - former Caldor, then I THINK this was an Ames, now a Wal-Mart.
- US 130 in Cinnaminson, NJ - I have pics of this on my website with its Ames signage, a former Clover that is now an Outlet Marketplace.
Now here are two that I'm a little fuzzy on, and they're not in the Philadelphia area:
- US 209 in Brodheadsville, PA - I know it WAS a Jamesway, I THINK it became an Ames, and the last time I checked, it's a bowling alley.
- US 322 near State College, PA - I drove past quickly in February, and I thought it still had its signage, or at least a good label scar.
Like I said, correct me if I'm wrong on any of these.
Man that brings back memories. I grew up in East Providence and shopped at Ames and Zayres. I also worked at the Burger King across the street so I spent a lot of time there on breaks and before and after work. I can also remember shopping there with my mom and brother and sister so many times. However, towards the end of the store being open it got really crappy with a lot of merchandise no longer being stocked.
QuoteOriginally posted by Crawford
My Ames was a former Zayre. The one on Route 44 in East Providence. As Zayre it originally had the individual red letters spelling out the name and then later the white lettering with the asterix. This one also had the Auto Center in the parking lot. This was a very good size store and I always made out no matter what I needed. Ames took it over, cleaned it up but took out the snack bar. I miss the Zayre hamburgers and hot dogs. There was an ancient Galaxian machine in there as well. This was one of the last Ames stores to close and is still vacant. My mother cried when this happened. The auto center is now a Hollywood Video store
If I recall correctly, there was an Ames in Kendallville, Indiana. This was during the 80's and early 1990's. I think it later turned into a Wal-Mart, which moved to a new supercenter location. Now it's a Rural King, an agricultural supply store.
I think before it was an Ames it was a Murphy's Mart. I don't know, but I'll have to ask my parents.
I would like to see my former Ames store in Ogdensburg, New York listed in the store locator. It was located in the Park Plaza from 1971 until about 1993 (not sure of the date.) I could take pictures of the building as it stands now and submit newspaper clippings from the store's opening in 1971 and when it closed. I also have a clipping from the original store (#4 in the chain) when it was at 1857 Ford St. (the old silk mill). This store closed when Ames moved to the plaza but I can still get photos. If anyone is interested, please let me know.:huh:
I would be glad to add it! I sent you a reply to your email about pictures, thanks!
HERE IS MY AMES IN LOWELL MASS
QuoteOriginally posted by beachgal26
Which part of Florida will you be moving to? If you will be anywhere in the Kissimmee (Orlando) area, I would love to know what happened to the Ames that was located along the main drag of Irlo Bronson Highway.
i was down there back in oct and did not see 1 :huh:
wats the Addres #!
I also went to the one in derry nh
My Ames store was in Milford, NH.
Here's the link to Bing maps for a bird's eye view.
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=r45vdp90ty5h&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=14011639&encType=1
My AMES stores:
#291, Wauseon, Ohio - Have not been there in many years, but from Google Earth it appears
that the location is now a Chief Supermarket (Chief is a small local chain in NW Ohio). The
building looks new, not a retrofit. So I believe the Ames where I worked has been torn down.
#580, Hillsdale, Michigan - We shared the plaza with a Kroger store when I was there. It appears
that Kroger has expanded and taken over most of the plaza, including the former Ames location.
Store numbers that began with a "5" indicated a former G.C. Murphy location.
#414, Imlay City, MI - The location is now a Tractor Supply store. One of their biggest and
nicest, I have seen it in television ads for TSC. Ironically the store number was also the
date of the grand opening.....4/14/1989.
I'm still not entirely sure where all the Ames locations were in Cincinnati...there is one listed in the store locator, but I have heard that there are two more as well.
Upon doing a little searching, there was one at 3872 Paxton Avenue in Hyde Park, once a Bigg's and now a Remke, as well as a former Zayre in Western Woods Mall - this location became a HomeGoods, which moved down the road, and was eventually torn down with the rest of the mall.