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Boston Stores (California-based department store)

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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, that operated from 1934 through 1996.

Ira Kaufman started the chain with a single store in downtown Inglewood in 1934.[1][2] It grew to 20 stores by 1990, 14 in California and 6 in Arizona, with around 1,000 employees. In 1990 its headquarters was moved to Carson, about 13 miles south of Inglewood.[3]

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"—one operating in 1925 at 320 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles in the old Blackstone's Department Store building;[4] 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.[5] Neither were related to the Inglewood-based Boston Stores.

Other department stores acquired

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Myers Whittier

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Boston Stores acquired the Myers Whittier department storr in Whittier in 1972. Myers dated back to about 1905 when brothers Lemuel A. and Wilbert S. Myers founded the Myers Dry Goods Company in a 25-foot-wide (8-meter) storefront at 109 S. Greenleaf Ave., with a staff of five.[6]

Four years later around 1911, Myers expanded its space to a 50-foot-wide (15-meter) space at 110-2 S. Greenleaf. In 1920, they moved again to new 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) space at 141 N. Greenfield, and in 1922 expanded there, doubling in size to 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2).[6]

Myers moved to its fourth, final and largest-ever location in Uptown Whittier in 1955, spanning 42,000 sq ft (3,900 m2) with parking for 90 cars.[6][7] Myers rebranded the store "Myers Whittier".[8]

Initially, after it acquired Myers Whittier in 1972, Boston Stores kept the existing name and branding. It even opened a new store in the Whittwood Center mall on May 2, 1974, as "Myers Whittwood".[9] However, it changed the names of the two Whittier stores to "Boston Stores" in 1976.[1]

Wineman's

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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.[10][11] 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.[12][13][14] Boston Stores converted several Wineman's branches to Boston Stores:

  • Huntington Park flagship, 6351 Pacific Bl., location opened in 1935 with 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m2). Pacific Boulevard was the busiest shopping district in the southeastern Los Angeles suburbs from the 1930s through the 1950s. The store had expanded in 1940, 1957 and 1966 — from a 25-foot storefront in 1924 to one of 150 feet by 1966.[15]
  • Placentia, 110 E. Yorba Linda Bl., 26,400 square feet (2,450 m2), opened October 19, 1973[16]
  • Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo Village Center, opened c. September 1975[17][18]
  • Corona


Moore's (Lompoc)

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Boston Stores bought Moore's Department Store in Lompoc in 1990.[19]

Historic expansion

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The Boston Stores underwent the following historic expansion across Southern California and Arizona:

California stores opened prior to 1986

Opened Closed City Location Sq ft Sq m Notes Sources
1934 Feb 1962 Inglewood Downtown: 100 S. Market St. Chaix and Johnson were to design a new interior but the store closed c. February 1962 [20][21][1][2]
1955 Hawthorne 345 S. Hawthorne Bl. at 131st St. Renovation led by architects Burke, Kober and Nicolais; reopened in March 1965 with new façade, air conditioning. [22]
Oct 20, 1961 Inglewood Crenshaw-Imperial Plaza 30,000 2,787 Expanded November 1967. Chaix and Johnson, architects [23][24]
1963 Seal Beach Rossmoor Center 45,000 4,181 Largest store [25]
Oct 10, 1968 Fullerton Orangefair Mall 42,000 3,902 2 stories, 5th to open in chain [26][27][28]
Nov 14, 1968 Anaheim East Anaheim Shopping Center 40,000 3,716 6th in chain to open [29][30]
1972 (acquired)
1955 as Myers 		Dec 1980 Whittier Uptown: 6557 Greenleaf at Bailey Building opened as the new single location of Myers Whittier department store on November 17, 1955. Acquired by Boston Stores 1972. Rebranded as Boston Stores 1976. Building houses medical offices as of 2024. 33°58′52″N 118°02′16″W / 33.9811355°N 118.0377288°W / 33.9811355; -118.0377288[31] [32][28][6][7]
May 2, 1974 Whittier Whittwood Center Opened as a Boston Stores branch but branded Myers Whittwood.[9] Branding changed to Boston Stores in 1976.[1]
Dec 1976 Inglewood Downtown: 315 S. Market St. opened December 1976 after 15 year absence from Downtown Inglewood [21]
Sep 18, 1981 Diamond Bar Diamond Bar Towne Center [33]
Hemet Diamond Valley Shopping Center [34]
Mar 26, 1983 Victorville Hi Desert Plaza (Bear Valley at Hesperia) 15th store upon opening [35]

Converted from Wineman's in 1984

See also: Wineman's
  • Huntington Park, location opened 1935, closed 1986
  • Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo Village Center, opened c. September 1975[36][37]
  • Placentia, Placentia Town Center, opened 1973

The Corona, Garden Grove, Monrovia Wineman's stores were no longer listed in advertisements in 1986.[39]

Decline and liquidation

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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, or otherwise underserved by malls and mainline department stores.[3]

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.[47] 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.[47][48]

In 1992, Boston Stores sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[49] Some stores closed.

Remaining stores were liquidated in 1996.[50]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Myers' Sign Changed to Boston". La Mirada Review. January 18, 1976.
  2. ^ a b "Obituary advertisement". Los Angeles Times. October 18, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Local Store Ownership to Change: Moore's Sold to Boston Store". Lompoc Record. July 10, 1990. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "Advertisement for Boston Store Downtown Los Angeles". Los Angeles Daily Express. October 8, 1925.
  5. ^ "Boston Store Los Angeles 1939 - 331 S. Broadway (Old Jacoby Bros.) and 4755 Whittier BLVD". The Los Angeles Times. 6 November 1939. p. 10.
  6. ^ a b c d "New Building 4th for Whittier Store". The Whittier News. 17 November 1955. p. 34. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b "New Myers Whittier Opens Friday". East Review (Whittier, CA). November 17, 1955.
  8. ^ "Store Name Also Changed". The Whittier News. 17 November 1955. p. 34. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b "First Branch Store to Open in Whittwood". Los Angeles Times. March 17, 1974.
  10. ^ "6351 Pacific Boulevard, Huntington Park". LoopNet.
  11. ^ Burns, Melinda (September 4, 1983). "Street Rebounds as Shoppers Return: Pacific Blvd in Huntington Park Recovers From Decade of Decline". Los Angeles Times. p. Southeast Edition p.1.
  12. ^ Thompson, Sheila (October 22, 1969). "From This Corner". Arcadia Tribune.
  13. ^ "Advertisement for Wineman's". Los Angeles Times. February 12, 1980.
  14. ^ "Wineman's Department Store celebrates 50th anniversary". Daily News-Post (Monrovia CA). March 12, 1974. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  15. ^ "Wineman's have a success story". Daily News-Post (Monrovia, CA). October 21, 1969.
  16. ^ "Interest in Monrovia Continues: Wineman's Department Store Expands Again". Daily News-Post (Monrovia, CA). October 5, 1973. p. 9. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  17. ^ "Wineman's Will Open in Mission Viejo". The Los Angeles Times. 3 November 1974. p. 110. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  18. ^ "The New Wineman's Dept. Store Mission Viejo Open in September (classified ad)". The Los Angeles Times. 21 August 1975. p. 178. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Boston Store buys Moore's Lompoc". The Lompoc Record. 10 July 1990. p. 7. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Boston Store Will Redesign Interior". The Los Angeles Times. 3 December 1961. p. 200. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Boston Returns after 15 Years". The Los Angeles Times. 12 December 1976. p. 82. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Boston Store-Hawthorne in ad for Boston Stores". The Los Angeles Times. 21 February 1965. p. 165. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Charity Day event opens new store". Southwest Topics-Wave. 26 October 1961. p. 11. Retrieved 27 March 2024. Chaix and Johnson, arch., 30,000 sqft
  24. ^ "New Shop Added at Plaza Store". The Los Angeles Times. 19 November 1967. p. 145. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Break Ground Today for New Boston Store". Independent. 10 February 1963. p. 54. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Boston Stores Grand Opening Fullerton #5". The Register. 8 October 1968. p. 32. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Boston Store Fullerton Grand Opening". The Los Angeles Times. 9 October 1968. p. 7. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Boston Store to open two new Orange County units". The Los Angeles Times. 28 April 1968. p. 406. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Boston Stores Grand Opening Anaheim". The Register. 11 November 1968. p. 32. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Boston Stores Anaheim opening". The Los Angeles Times. 13 November 1968. p. 9. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  31. ^ "6557 Greenleaf, Whittier CA". Google Maps. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  32. ^ "Vacant Stores: Biggest Problem in Village Today". East Review. 15 February 1981. p. 4. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Boston Stores Diamond Bar Grand Opening". The Los Angeles Times. 16 September 1981. p. 61. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  34. ^ Directory of Shopping Centers in the United States, vol. 4, National Research Bureau, 1992, p. 263, Diamond Valley Shopping Center Hemet CA 92343…Boston Dept. Store, GLA: 16,000
  35. ^ Pilcher, Helen R. (20 March 1983). "Boston Store opens next Saturday". Daily Press. p. 13. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  36. ^ "The New Wineman's Dept. Store Mission Viejo Open in September (classified ad)". The Los Angeles Times. 21 August 1975. p. 178. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  37. ^ "Wineman's Will Open in Mission Viejo". The Los Angeles Times. 3 November 1974. p. 110. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  38. ^ "Shoppers will have to rush after Thanksgiving (Boston stores 19 locations 11/24/85)". The Daily Breeze. 24 November 1985. p. 113. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Boston Stores Seeks Port of Call (p. 2 of 2)". The Daily Breeze. 30 November 1986. p. 56. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Poway tries on its first upscale department store". Times-Advocate. 16 September 1988. p. 15. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  41. ^ "Boston Stores Camarillo Grand Opening ad". Camarillo Star. 23 November 1988. p. 8.
  42. ^ "Boston Stores Lompoc Grand Opening". Santa Ynez Valley News. 1 November 1990. p. 22. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Boston Stores seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections in court". The Lompoc Record. 1 November 1992. p. 1. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Boston Stores Grand Opening Oceanside, Mission Marketplace 9/12/91". North County Times. 11 September 1991. p. 7. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  45. ^ "Boston Stores Flagstaff ad". Arizona Daily Sun. 13 February 1985. p. 12.
  46. ^ a b "Boston Stores Glendale Maryvale Arizona ad". Arizona Republic. 7 August 1985. p. 121. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  47. ^ a b Lev, Michael (November 30, 1986). "Boston Stores Chain Seeks Port of Call". Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA).
  48. ^ Lev, Michael (November 30, 1986). "Boston Stores Chain Seeks Port of Call (p 2/2)". Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA).
  49. ^ "Boston Stores seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections in court". Lompoc Record. November 1, 1992. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  50. ^ "Advertisement for Boston Stores". Los Angeles Times. January 19, 1996.
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