Jamesway

[BillyGr]

Was that store a Grant City before Jamesway?

No, it was originally a J.W. May's department store. It was attached to a mall; which was demolished several years ago and replaced with a Home Depot.

They finally made it back (they had the flea market in the other end of the mall - a former Service Merchandise - before it was demolished).  If you go to the dutchessmarketplace.com link (check the about us tab) it gives more details about both the former market and the former occupants of the store in question.

from what i know the old Service Merchandise is still standing they didn't tear it down along with the rest of the mall.
Im also amazed at how well kept the jamesway looks after being closed for almost 20 years

Sorry - should have said when the mall was to be demolished they moved out (not sure if it was that it wouldn't have been safe to demolish part while the rest was being used or what).  Also - I seem to remember hearing that some part of the Jamesway/Mays sapce was used for a time after Jamesway closed by the Post Office as a sorting facility or similar?  That might explain it being better maintained.

[Caldor1999]

Was that store a Grant City before Jamesway?

No, it was originally a J.W. May's department store. It was attached to a mall; which was demolished several years ago and replaced with a Home Depot.

They finally made it back (they had the flea market in the other end of the mall - a former Service Merchandise - before it was demolished).  If you go to the dutchessmarketplace.com link (check the about us tab) it gives more details about both the former market and the former occupants of the store in question.

from what i know the old Service Merchandise is still standing they didn't tear it down along with the rest of the mall.
Im also amazed at how well kept the jamesway looks after being closed for almost 20 years

Sorry - should have said when the mall was to be demolished they moved out (not sure if it was that it wouldn't have been safe to demolish part while the rest was being used or what).  Also - I seem to remember hearing that some part of the Jamesway/Mays sapce was used for a time after Jamesway closed by the Post Office as a sorting facility or similar?  That might explain it being better maintained.

i think it was used as that. I do remember the jamesway logo still being on the building they also use to have a large sign that you were able to see off of I84

also after mays another store called Gaynes moved in back in 1985 according to this
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1982&dat=19851110&id=E5FGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=njMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3136,947795

also here are pics of the jamesway when it opened. Im assuming this was sometime in the late 80's maybe 1990 at the latest. seeing the pics from the flea market there it looks like the store was renovated a bit before closing 

[Stork of The Weak]

Other than the Jamesway decor, those photos of the flea market look like they could have been taken at a Kmart in the 80's.

[retailfan]

There is a flea market in indianapolis in a old Zarye store  it still had all the decor from zayre complete with burnt orange booths from the snack bar and fire ext with zayre tags

[store215]

Here are more pics of the Dutchess store: https://www.facebook.com/dutchessmarketplace/photos_stream
Funny how they left the 'brand names' border all around, some parts with the 'J' logo still on it.

[Stork of The Weak]

The former Jamesway in Lakewood, NJ (famously covered on the site Lost Destinations) is still empty in Bing Maps birdseye view, even though it became a warehouse for the state liquor control board over 10 years ago!

[jamesway_95]

Here are some real clear shots of the logo from snappyjack1 on Flickr (known here as amesman).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/snappyjack1/13929474095/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/snappyjack1/13906355051/

You can also see in some of his other photos that the neon department signs are still up and working.

[scottw73]

Check this out...a flea market has opened up in the former Jamesway in Fishkill, New York...and they left Jamesway decor, including the logo, on the walls!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ1GXZIG1xg
http://dutchessmarketplace.com/our-vendors/ (you can see the decor and logo clearer in the photos on this site)

They used to be located in the old Service Merchandise building before they tore down the mall.

[Stork of The Weak]

When did the Jamesway in Willingboro NJ (near Trenton) close? It now is some sort of industrial building and looks a lot like the former Jamesway in Lakewood, near Asbury Park.

[JoshAustin610]

I've never seen any evidence that there was a Jamesway in Willingboro; the closest one would have been in Mount Holly.  Do you have any links to articles or anything citing it?

[Stork of The Weak]

I've never seen any evidence that there was a Jamesway in Willingboro; the closest one would have been in Mount Holly.  Do you have any links to articles or anything citing it?

No official sources, but given its similarity to the former Jamesway in Lakewood, I'm thinking a certain building on Route 130 in Willingboro not far from the current Acme (just a little bit north of it) just must have been a Jamesway. If you compare this building with the former Jamesway in Lakewood, both have a pattern of eight ventilation units on top and a similar facade. It's hard to tell who now is using the Willingboro site but it looks like an industrial company of some sort going by Google Maps. But I must say it seems mysterious that I never have read anything about this Jamesway anywhere.

[tomasher]

Are you thinking of the building on the southbound side of 130 that used to be Costume Gallery, leaving Burlington on the way into Willingboro?  I found out recently that it used to be a Dale's supermarket in the 60's.  JoshAustin610's page on Flickr helped solve this for me, as it was bugging me for years.

[jamesway_95]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLx2s0cOGUw

[TheFugitive]

"Jamesway, We Care!"

Ha!  Talk about your hyperbolic pap that would likely make the average employee want to wretch!

Sort of how like WTAE-TV for many years ran with the tag line "Channel 4 Loves You!"

Local wags like to drop the punchline "Hate to break it to yinz, but Channel 4 really doesn't love you!"

[danfifepsu]

what was Jamesway like?

[shore72]

From the ones I was in, I'd say the overall character of the store was closest to Kmart but they were smaller, similar in size to an average Ames. Not real "high-end". When they opened around here my circle of friends made fun of them, only because one of the guys was named James and we liked to pick on him! I still use the Christmas tree I bought there. They weren't around here long before the company went belly-up.

[jamesway_95]

If am I not mistaken, I have recently discovered not one, but TWO fascinating former Jamesways - both located on Allegany Blvd. in Venango County, Pennsylvania.

The first is located at 1351 Allegheny Boulevard in Reno, PA. On Google Street View, the address claims it is in Sugarcreek. Loopnet and the website of the realty company that owns the property claim that the building is an ex-Kmart, but I'm convinced that there was originally a Jamesway here. According to old articles I found on Newspapers.com, a Jamesway opened in Reno in 1966; and one article shows a picture of the store - which looks just like the building in question. In addition, the former Jamesway in Lewistown, PA looks almost exactly alike. That Jamesway, which is now home to a Tractor Supply Co. store, also opened in the 1960s.

Picture of the Reno Jamesway:

http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/68670661/

The building looks like it is abandoned, and is in a state of disrepair. On Google Street View, there is what appears to be a wide-open garage door built into the facade, and a dumpster out front. I don't know if that means there was something operating in there or what. I suppose it is possible that a Kmart operated in this building at some point, but all the evidence I've come across suggests that it was originally a Jamesway.

Here's a photo of the store from 2002:

http://www.cityfeet.com/cont/forlease/ln17897773/1351-allegheny-boulevard-reno-pa-16343

The second former Jamesway is located down the road in Franklin, PA. It is split between a Dollar General, a Chinese buffet, a vacant space that last held a Quality Farm & Fleet store (which still has the sign up, over a decade after the chain went out!) and, all the way on the left, some sort of warehouse. I don't know when this store opened or if it made it until the chain's final days. Venango County's online property records do not show when the building was built. If I had to guess, I would guess that it was built in the 1980s.

I hope we have some Western Pennsylvanians here who can shed some light on these stores!

[TheFugitive]

Sorry, this Western PA guy just never spent much time up in Venango County.

The former Jamesway location I'm familiar with is a plaza on PA Route 31 just east of
Somerset, PA.  I'll try and snap some pix next time I'm up that way.

[scottw73]

Other than the Jamesway decor, those photos of the flea market look like they could have been taken at a Kmart in the 80's.

I believe you can still see the old mall entrance and labelscar of the neon "Jamesway" sign on the side of the building

[DefunctStoreKing]

i'd like to see a commercial for the we gotta a lot of ooh for you of jamesway

[DefunctStoreKing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLx2s0cOGUw

it's not there

[DefunctStoreKing]

I finally transfered a Jamesway GOB Commerical to my PC! Here it is to download: (You need Windows Media Player)

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=JameswayGOB

Alt. Link: http://home.comcast.net/~compwiz32190/JameswayGOB.wmv

it's not there

[DefunctStoreKing]

anyone have any clue were this jamesway was i wanna say it became a ames because of the style of the store i found the picture from

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JameswayStores

I am the host of that yahoogroup

[DefunctStoreKing]

what does the in and out sings look like at jamesway or what did they look lke?

[Amesdepartmentstores]

any pics

[Retail_247]

Did anybody save any of the photos that were on this form?
Most of the photos and photo links don't work anymore and the photos are now lost :/

By any chance does anybody have any of the lost photos that they could re-upload?