KB Toys, Child World, Caldor, Mays: Part II of the Retrologist tour of retail ghosts
These iconic chains were once part of our daily lives, until they were suddenly gone.
With the holiday shopping season upon us, I’m looking back on the much-missed places where we used to shop.
On Black Friday, I shared some of my pictures and the stories of Ames, Kmart, Bradlees, Two Guys and Toys “R” Us. (See post below)
Today, I take you on a tour of four more places that will make you feel nostalgic, whether you remember them fondly, weren’t around yet or were simply too young to enjoy them the first time.
1.) Child World/Children’s Palace
Who remembers Child World?
The toy-store chain was founded in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1962. When they acquired another chain called Children’s Palace, they had assembled enough stores to become No. 2 only to Toys R Us.
Child World also embraced the architecture of Children’s Palace, which not surprisingly involved turning the toy warehouse into a massive castle. Well, at least on the outside, where there were turrets, battlements, and arches galore.
Child World held its own during the 1970s and 1980s when mascot Peter Panda hawked toys in TV commercials.
By 1990, a combination of managerial blunders and a tanking economy put Child World on a path to the gallows, and by 1992, it was all over. No moat around this palace could keep the creditors away.
But from time to time, you’ll run across a strip mall with a store whose playful roots as a Child World/Children’s Palace are as clear as the roofline. And this is one.
It’s now an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, but I wonder whether the ghost of Peter Panda has been spotted rollerskating down the aisles here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Or maybe he haunts the red turrets! Well, if Child World should ever try a comeback, they can start their battle back right here in Pennsylvania. [Map]
2.) KB Toys
Who grew up shopping at KB Toys?
I walked by this KB on 82nd Street in Jackson Heights, Queens on Jan. 24, 2009, on what was a very sad day indeed — its last day in business.
KB Toys was a big player in the children’s toy business, going mano a mano with Toys R Us, Child World and other long-defunct brands.
KB, which still had 460 or so stores went it closed for good, was done in by the final blow of the Great Recession, but the chain had been struggling for years.
The KB name was acquired by Toys R Us, which in 2016 sold it to a company called Strategic Marks, which specializes in reviving defunct brands.
A planned revival a few years ago that made nostalgic hearts skip a beat never materialized — money, or the lack of it, was the issue — and such a comeback looks even less likely these days.
3.) Caldor
Caldor was a mostly Northeast discounter that folded in 1999 and has special meaning for me, as I grew up close to one, on Route 119 in Greenburgh, New York. (Click to watch a report on Caldor’s demise that I digitized while working at WPIX.)
The Caldor you see here was in Flushing, Queens. I took this photo in September 2005 using my Treo 650 smartphone, a marvel at the time, but now a horror when I review the low-resolution photos it produced. But I’d rather have this photo of a Caldor store than none at all. This Caldor sat empty for many years, increasingly becoming a curiosity. It now holds the New World Mall today.
Caldor was founded in Port Chester, New York, by Carl Bennett and his wife, Dorothy. As the New York Times wrote in Carl’s obituary this year — he reached the age of 101 — the Bennetts “blended their first names and business acumen to create one of the largest and most aggressive retailers in the Northeast, combining cut-rate pricing on quality brand-name goods with a liberal return policy.”
Caldor outwitted other brands like W.T. Grants and Two Guys (profiled here on Friday) and stayed competitive well into the 1980s. Trouble began years after Carl Bennett retired in 1985. Ownership changes followed, and eventually, stiff competition from national chains like Walmart.
Caldor was done by 1999, but it still fondly remembered. There is even a caldor.com offering (at least now, in theory or jest) a “mystery box” of old stuff. It bills itself as “a completely foolish place to buy stuff from an out of business store.”
I’d be foolish enough to buy an old Caldor rainbow sign if the price were right!
4.) Mays
Another relic of department store past is Mays, a regional brand in the Northeast that similar to Two Guys, had a catchy jingle that went "Every day’s a sales day at Mays!"
Here’s the nicest version of a Mays ad you’ll see, another transfer I did from an aircheck at WPIX.
The commercials that were in constant rotation in the late 1970s and early 1980s ended with a photo of the location in Fishkill, New York, below.
And while Mays is long gone, the building is still there, as shown in July 2020. It looks just like it did in the commercial, too! [Map]
I recall seeing an old Mays truck along the Amtrak tracks in New Jersey many years ago, flashing by too quickly to photograph. Do you know of any other traces of Mays?
After those post-war glory years when consumers energetically spent money, Mays hit hard times, declared bankruptcy in 1982, and vanished in 1988, switching its focus to real estate.
Later this week, I’ll continue my tour of retail ghosts in Part III! Make sure you are subscribed to this newsletter so you don’t miss an update!
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Oh, Rolando, you’ve done it again! I love the detailed histories, stories, photos, and videos! I remember Child World well, but Caldor and KB Toys have special meaning to me, especially Caldor. Thanks, as always!