Boston Stores (California)

Boston Stores, originally and later still often called The Boston Store was a chain of department stores based in Inglewood, California, just southwest of Central Los Angeles, operating from 1934 through 1996. The chain grew to 20 stores by 1990, 14 in California and 6 in Arizona, with around 1,000 employees. By 1990 the headquarters had been relocated to Carson, around 13 miles south of Inglewood.[1]

Boston Stores logo during the 1970s–1980s

There have been dozens of stores called "Boston Store" in the U.S., including J. W. Robinson's which went by that name in the late 19th and early 20th century in its downtown Los Angeles locations, and two unrelated "Boston Stores"- on operating in 1925 at 320 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles in the old Blackstone's Department Store building[2] and another in 1939 with branches at 331 S. Broadway in the old Jacoby Bros. store and at 4755 Whittier Blvd. in East Los Angeles.[3] Neither of them are related to the Inglewood-based Boston Stores.

Ira Kaufman started the chain with a single store in downtown Inglewood in 1934.[4][5]

Other department stores acquired

Myers Whittier

Boston Stores acquired the Myers department store in Whittier in 1972, a company dating back to about 1905 when it started as the Myers Dry Goods Company. The Myers building had been opened in 1955.[6] Initially Boston Stores kept the Myers name and branding, and opened a new store in Whittwood Center on May 2, 1974, under the Myers name.[7] Branding of the two Whittier stores was changed to "Boston Stores" in 1976.[4]

Wineman's
Main article: Wineman's

In 1984, Boston Stores acquired Wineman's department stores, with origins in Ventura and Oxnard but since 1924 a legendary anchor of the busy Pacific Boulevard shopping district in Huntington Park, the busiest in the southeastern Los Angeles suburbs from the 1930s through the 1950s. The company had had ambitious expansion plans in the early 1920s, but wound up retreating to a single location in Huntington Park by the late 1920s. In 1969, it embarked on expansion plans again, and in this era (1969-1983) expanded across Southern California.[8][9][10] Boston Stores converted several Wineman's branches to Boston Stores.

  • Placentia, 110 E. Yorba Linda Blvd., 26,400 square feet (2,450 m2), opened October 19, 1973[11]
  • Garden Grove at Garden Grove Mall, opened September 1, 1979.[12]) Advertising for this location stopped shortly thereafter in 1980.
  • Mission Viejo

There is no record of the Huntington Park flagship ever having operated as a Boston Store.

Decline and liquidation

The chain had long promoted moderately-priced national brands such as Hart, Schaffner and Marx, as it promoted them: "quality leadership brands", with a philosophy of operating intimate, smaller stores of 10,000 to 20,000 square feet (though some were larger, like Rossmore), in neighborhood shopping centers and areas that were relatively far from from, or otherwise underserved by malls and mainline department stores.[1]

In 1984, Chairman Donald Kaufman led management in a leveraged buyout of his father, Ira. This, in addition to acquiring chains like Wineman's and Malcolms, and a new $1 million computerized inventory and cash register system, added greatly to the company's debt in the 1980s. In an interview with the Torrance Daily Breeze, Donald Kaufman admitted that the company lost a lot of money in 1985, though it was doing better in 1986.[13] The chain closed some stores around this time, such as Orangefair in Fullerton and Crenshaw-Imperial Plaza in Inglewood.

In addition, by the mid-1980s, times were tough for the local junior department stores as larger malls had reached most areas of Greater Los Angeles. They had fewer nice markets, areas where they could do well.[13][14]

In 1992, Boston Stores sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[15] Some stores closed.

Remaining stores were liquidated in 1996.[16]

Stores

California
City Location Opened Notes
Inglewood (1st downtown store) 100 S. Market St. 1934[4] closed 1962[17]
Inglewood (2nd downtown store) 315 S. Market St. 1976[18]
Inglewood (Crenshaw/Imperial) Crenshaw–Imperial Plaza October 20, 1961[19] 30,000 sq. ft.[19]
Liquidated end of 1985.[20]
Anaheim East Anaheim Shopping Center November 14, 1968[21][22] 40,000 sq. ft.
Camarillo new branch[1]
Corona Plaza on 6th St. (1210 W. 6th St.) acquired Wineman's 1984
liquidated 1992[23]
Diamond Bar Diamond Bar Town Center, Diamond Bar Blvd. at Grand
Fullerton Orangefair Mall October 10, 1968[24] 42,000 sq. ft., two floors, former J. C. Penney building,[22] cost $800,000 to adapt, architects Burke, Kober, Nicolais & Archuleta[25] featured glass "vista elevators"
Closed 1984, became Toy City
Fullerton (Campus/Suburban Shop) Cal State Fullerton
Hawthorne Hawthorne Blvd. at 131st 1956 approx. closed 1987 approx.
Hemet
Lancaster 43989 N. 15th St. W. liquidated 1992[23]
Lompoc 118 W. Ocean Acquired Moore's (founded 1879) in 1990[1]
liquidated 1992[23]
Mission Viejo 25282 Marguerite Pkwy. at La Paz acquired Wineman's 1984. Now a Steinmart as of 2020.
Oceanside 449 College Blvd. liquidated 1992[23]
Pomona Stater Bros. Center, 2255 N. Garey Ave. at Arrow Hwy. acquired Brands dept. store 1979
liquidated 1992[23]
Placentia Yorba Linda Blvd. at Bradford acquired Wineman's 1984
Poway Poway Plaza, 13375 Poway Rd. new branch[1]
liquidated 1992[23]
Ridgecrest new branch[1]
San Bernardino Stater Bros. Center, Baseline at Waterman Ave. acquired Brands dept. store 1979
San Jose There were three locations at various times in San Jose, all of which failed.[13]
Seal Beach Rossmoor Center 1963[26] orig. 30,000 sq. ft. expanded to 45,000[27]
Victorville Hi-Desert Plaza, Victor Valley at Hesperia March 26, 1983[28] new branch in new shopping center[1]
Whittier Whittwood Center May 2, 1974[7] branded Myers until 1975
Whittier Uptown, Greenleaf at Bailey November 18, 1955 (as Myers)[6] Acquired by Boston Stores 1972. Branded Myers until 1976.

Arizona
City Location Opened Notes
Flagstaff[29] Cedar Pines Shopping Center, N. 4th St.[29] 1973 (as Malcolm's)[30] acquired Malcolm's Dept. Store 1983[29]
Glendale[31] Valley West Mall, 5701 W. Northern Ave.[31] August 30, 1973 Closed September 29, 1995[32]
Maryville[31] Maryvale Mall, 51st Av. & Indian School Rd.[31]
Mesa ("East Mesa")[33] Cooper Village, Power Rd. & Broadway[33]
Sun City[1] new branch[1]
Tempe[31] Southern Palm Center, 3122 S. McClintock Dr.[31] closed by or before 1989[33]

References
  1. "Local Store Ownership to Change: Moore's Sold to Boston Store". Lompoc Record. July 10, 1990. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  2. "Advertisement for Boston Store Downtown Los Angeles". Los Angeles Daily Express. October 8, 1925.
  3. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56348763/boston-store-los-angeles-1939-331-s/
  4. "Myers' Sign Changed to Boston". La Mirada Review. January 18, 1976.
  5. "Obituary advertisement". Los Angeles Times. October 18, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  6. "New Myers Whittier Opens Friday". East Review (Whittier, CA). November 17, 1955.
  7. "Advertisement for Myers". La Mirada Review. May 2, 1974.
  8. Thompson, Sheila (October 22, 1969). "From This Corner". Arcadia Tribune.
  9. "Advertisement for Wineman's". Los Angeles Times. February 12, 1980.
  10. "Wineman's Department Store celebrates 50th anniversary". Daily News-Post (Monrovia CA). March 12, 1974. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  11. "Interest in Monrovia Continues: Wineman's Department Store Expands Again". Daily News-Post (Monrovia, CA). October 5, 1973. p. 9. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  12. "Wineman's to Open". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 1979.
  13. Lev, Michael (November 30, 1986). "Boston Stores Chain Seeks Port of Call". Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA).
  14. Lev, Michael (November 30, 1986). "Boston Stores Chain Seeks Port of Call (p 2/2)". Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA).
  15. "Boston Stores seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections in court". Lompoc Record. November 1, 1992. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  16. "Advertisement for Boston Stores". Los Angeles Times. January 19, 1996.
  17. "Downtown Inglewood Street to Remain Open". Los Angeles Times. January 11, 1976.
  18. "Boston Returns after 15 Years". Los Angeles Times. December 12, 1976.
  19. "Ground Broken for New Store". November 10, 1960.
  20. "Advertisement for Boston Stores". Los Angeles Times. November 21, 1985.
  21. "Advertisement for Boston Store Anaheim". Los Angeles Times. November 13, 1968.
  22. "Boston Store to open two new Orange County units". Los Angeles Times. April 28, 1968.
  23. "Advertisement". North County Times. December 11, 1992. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  24. "Advertisement for Boston Stores". Los Angeles Times. October 9, 1968. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  25. "New Boston Store to Open in Fullerton". Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1968.
  26. "Break Ground Today for New Boston Store". Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram. February 10, 1963.
  27. "Remodeling complete at RC Boston Store". Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram. March 10, 1973.
  28. Martin, Mary (January 21, 1983). "Job seekers galore as work continues on desert mall". San Bernardino County Sun.
  29. "Boston Stores may be new owners of Malcolm's Stores". Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff). February 2, 1983. p. 2.
  30. "New Department Store to Open This Thursday". Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff). May 29, 1973. p. 1.
  31. "Advertisement for Boston Stores". Arizona Republic. October 19, 1983.
  32. Cone Sexton, Connie (September 1, 1995). "Farewell to a friend: Boston Store set to close at Valley West". The Arizona Republic. p. Northwest Community 1, 4. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  33. "Advertisement for Boston Stores". Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff). September 8, 1989.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.