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Edgar Department Stores was the name of a U.S. based department store that operated in New England. Originally called "The Boston Store," it was founded in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1890. After a second devastating fire in less than 20 years, James Edgar, an immigrant from Edinburgh, Scotland, bought out his partner and in a purpose-built, fire-proof building, re-opened the business as Edgar's in Brockton, Massachusetts. [1]
Every December starting in 1890, James Edgar dressed up as Santa Claus to entertain the children of shoppers, thus becoming the first department store Santa. [1] Trains brought families from Boston and Providence to Edgar's to see Santa. In the early 1960s Edgar's was bought by Almy, Bigelow and Washburn, Inc. The corporation ran department stores under various names in eastern Mass. By the mid 70s, some of the stores were renamed "Almy's."
The store sold clothing, home goods, jewelry, cosmetics and some toys. Edgar's Portrait Salon was located on its balcony. All locations featured distinctive bright green carpeting that was one of the stores trademarks.
Edgar's operated in at least three other locations; one in Fall River, Massachusetts, one in the Dartmouth Mall in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and one in the Swansea Mall, in Swansea, Massachusetts.
For a number of years the stores struggled to compete with chain stores such as Bradlees, Ames, Zayre's and Mammoth Mart while maintaining the "department store cachet." This, along with the company's refusal to abandon city-centers for (by-then) popular malls, forced the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. They were subsequently bought by Bradlees, who closed most of the Almy stores. By the turn of the century Bradlees was driven into bankruptcy and closed.
Edgar's had closed by 1989, when it closed at the Swansea Mall location.
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 105,643 at the 2020 United States census. Along with Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County. It is the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts and is sometimes referred to as the "City of Champions", due to the success of native boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, as well as its successful Brockton High School sports programs. Two villages within it are Montello and Campello, both of which have MBTA Commuter Rail Stations and post offices. Campello is the smallest neighborhood, but also the most populous. Brockton hosts a baseball team, the Brockton Rox. It is the second-windiest city in the United States, with an average wind speed of 14.3 mph (23.0 km/h).
Bradlees Department Store, more commonly known as Bradlees, was a discount department store chain based in Braintree, Massachusetts, which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. Bradlees sold various retail items in its stores, including clothing, jewelry, health care, beauty products, footwear, furniture, electronics, housewares, and bedding. At its peak in the 1990s, Bradlees operated over 105 stores in seven states across the Northeast, with close to 10,000 employees. Along with being a part of Stop & Shop from 1961 until 1992, the chain went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000, with all of its stores eventually closed by March 15, 2001.
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Swansea Mall was a regional shopping mall located in Swansea, Massachusetts. It served the Southeastern Massachusetts area. Located off Exit 3 of I-195, the building is situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 6 and Massachusetts Route 118, on Swansea Mall Drive. It had three out-parcel buildings: a Walmart building behind the mall, a former Toys "R" Us, a shared PriceRite & Dollar Tree. The Swansea Crossings shopping plaza is across the street, and contains a Big Lots and a Tractor Supply Company. The mall closed permanently on March 31, 2019. It was purchased by Anagnost Companies in May 2019 at auction.
James Edgar was a businessman who has been credited with being the one who first came up with the idea of dressing up as Santa Claus for Christmas. He started the tradition in 1890 in his Brockton, Massachusetts, department store.
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.