Ames
Liquidated all stores in 2002 after a second bankruptcy.
Founded by the Gilman brothers in Southbridge, Massachusetts, Ames built a discount-store chain concentrated in small towns and rural areas of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. It grew rapidly by acquisition — swallowing Zayre's discount stores and later Hills — but overreached and struggled with debt. After a 1990s bankruptcy and a brief recovery, a second filing led Ames to liquidate its more than 300 stores in 2002.
Known For
- Small-town Northeast discounting
- Acquired the Zayre and Hills chains
- Blue-collar everyday-low-price image