Edgar Department Stores

Edgar Department Stores was a regional American department-store business based in Brockton, Massachusetts. The business began in 1890 under the name The Boston Store and was established by James Edgar, an immigrant from Edinburgh, Scotland. After the store suffered a second major fire in less than two decades, Edgar bought out his business partner and rebuilt the operation in a purpose-built, fire-resistant building. The rebuilt store became associated with the Edgar name and later operated as Edgar's. The business developed a distinctive seasonal identity through James Edgar's practice of dressing as Santa Claus in the store every December, beginning in 1890. He entertained children while their families shopped, and the attraction became sufficiently popular that trains brought visitors from Boston and Providence to Brockton. This tradition is widely associated with the emergence of the modern department-store Santa, making Edgar's notable not only as a retailer but also as an early example of experiential holiday merchandising. Edgar's operated as a conventional full-line department store. Its merchandise included clothing, household goods, jewelry, cosmetics, and some toys. The store also offered an Edgar's Portrait Salon on a balcony, adding a service and photography component to its retail floor. Bright green carpeting was used throughout the locations and became one of the business's recognizable visual trademarks. The company expanded beyond its original Brockton base to at least three other Massachusetts locations: Fall River, the Dartmouth Mall in Dartmouth, and the Swansea Mall in Swansea. In the early 1960s, Edgar's was acquired by Almy, Bigelow and Washburn, Inc., a corporation that operated department stores under several names in eastern Massachusetts. During the middle of the 1970s, some locations were renamed Almy's, reflecting the broader corporate structure and the declining centrality of the Edgar name. The retailer later faced pressure from large discount and department-store chains, including Bradlees, Ames, Zayre's, and Mammoth Mart. Its attempt to preserve a traditional department-store identity while retaining city-center locations left it at a disadvantage as shoppers and competitors increasingly moved toward suburban shopping malls. The company eventually sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Bradlees subsequently acquired the business or relevant store operations and closed most of the Almy stores. Edgar's ultimately disappeared from the market; the Swansea Mall location closed by 1989. Bradlees itself later entered bankruptcy and shut down around the turn of the century. Edgar Department Stores is therefore remembered primarily through its local retail history, its Santa Claus tradition, and its place in the transition from downtown department stores to mall- and discount-oriented retailing.

Edgar Department Stores originated in Brockton, Massachusetts, in 1890 as The Boston Store. Its founder, James Edgar, was an immigrant from Edinburgh, Scotland. The early business was marked by repeated fire damage: after a second devastating fire in fewer than twenty years, Edgar bought out his partner and rebuilt the store in a purpose-built structure designed to be fire resistant. The business reopened under the Edgar name and became known locally as Edgar's. The retailer's most enduring legacy began in its first year. Every December from 1890 onward, James Edgar dressed as Santa Claus inside the store and entertained children whose families came to shop. The attraction helped turn holiday shopping into a public family event. Families traveled by train from Boston and Providence to visit the store, and Edgar's practice is regarded as an early department-store Santa promotion. This tradition gave the retailer a distinctive identity that extended beyond its merchandise and local retail function. Edgar's operated as a full-line department store, selling apparel, household goods, jewelry, cosmetics, and some toys. It also operated a Portrait Salon on the store balcony. The stores used bright green carpeting throughout their interiors, a design feature that became a recognizable Edgar's trademark. These details helped create a traditional department-store atmosphere at a time when such retailers combined merchandise, personal services, seasonal events, and a strong physical-store identity. The business expanded to additional Massachusetts sites. Available descriptions identify stores in Fall River, at Dartmouth Mall in Dartmouth, and at Swansea Mall in Swansea, in addition to the original Brockton operation. The expansion placed Edgar's within the changing retail geography of southeastern New England, but the company continued to face competition from larger chains and discount-oriented operators. In the early 1960s, Edgar's was acquired by Almy, Bigelow and Washburn, Inc. The acquiring corporation operated department stores under a number of names in eastern Massachusetts. During the middle of the 1970s, some stores were renamed Almy's, reducing the number of locations operating under the Edgar identity and tying the business more closely to its parent company's multi-banner strategy. The retailer's later decline reflected broader changes in American department-store retailing. Chains such as Bradlees, Ames, Zayre's, and Mammoth Mart competed through scale, pricing, and expanding suburban coverage. Edgar's attempted to preserve the cachet associated with a conventional department store, but it did not fully follow the movement away from established city-center locations toward popular shopping malls. The resulting competitive pressure contributed to financial distress and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Following the bankruptcy proceedings, Bradlees bought Edgar's or the relevant retail operations and closed most of the Almy stores. Edgar's itself had disappeared by the closure of the Swansea Mall location in 1989. The later failure of Bradlees, which entered bankruptcy and closed around the turn of the century, formed part of the same longer transformation of regional department-store retailing. Edgar Department Stores is now a defunct regional brand remembered for its Brockton origins, its green-carpeted stores, its range of traditional department-store goods, and James Edgar's pioneering Santa Claus appearances.

• 1989

  Swansea Mall store closes

  [1]Edgar Department Storesen.wikipedia.org

  The Swansea Mall location has closed by 1989, ending the brand's documented retail presence.

• 1890

  The Boston Store is founded in Brockton

  [1]Edgar Department Storesen.wikipedia.org

  James Edgar establishes the business in Brockton, Massachusetts, under the original name The Boston Store.

• 1890

  The department-store Santa tradition begins

  [1]Edgar Department Storesen.wikipedia.org

  James Edgar begins dressing as Santa Claus every December to entertain children visiting the store, a practice that attracts families from Boston and Providence.

• The business is rebuilt after a second major fire

  [1]Edgar Department Storesen.wikipedia.org

  After a second devastating fire in less than twenty years, Edgar buys out his partner and reopens in a purpose-built, fire-resistant building under the Edgar name.

• Acquisition by Almy, Bigelow and Washburn

  [1]Edgar Department Storesen.wikipedia.org

  In the early 1960s, Edgar's becomes part of Almy, Bigelow and Washburn, Inc., a corporation operating multiple department-store banners in eastern Massachusetts.

• Some stores adopt the Almy's name

  [1]Edgar Department Storesen.wikipedia.org

  By the middle of the 1970s, some locations are renamed Almy's as the parent company manages its stores under multiple identities.

• Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

  [1]Edgar Department Storesen.wikipedia.org

  The company seeks Chapter 11 protection after struggling against chain-store competition and the shift toward suburban mall retailing.

A regional, full-line department store combining traditional department-store merchandise and services with a family-oriented holiday shopping experience. The business sought to retain department-store cachet while competing with expanding discount and chain retailers.

• Clothing

  Apparel

  Clothing was a core part of Edgar's full-line department-store assortment. The available reference describes the business as selling apparel alongside household goods, jewelry, cosmetics, and toys, consistent with the broad merchandise mix expected of a traditional regional department store.

• Household merchandise

  Home goods

  Edgar's sold household and home-related merchandise as part of its general department-store offering. No more detailed product segmentation is identified in the available reference material.

• Personal and fashion goods

  Jewelry and cosmetics

  Jewelry and cosmetics formed part of the store's fashion and personal-goods assortment. These categories complemented apparel and helped Edgar's maintain the broad, service-oriented profile of a conventional department store.

• Children's merchandise

  Toys

  The stores carried some toys, an assortment that complemented the family-oriented holiday experience created by James Edgar's annual Santa appearances.

• Retail service

  Edgar's Portrait Salon

  Edgar's Portrait Salon was located on a store balcony and provided a dedicated portrait-related service within the department-store environment. The reference identifies the salon but does not provide further details about its operating dates or service formats.

• 1890James Edgar's Santa Claus appearances

  Brockton · Boston-area customers · Providence-area customers

  Starting in December 1890, founder James Edgar dressed as Santa Claus in the store to entertain children accompanying shoppers. The attraction became a recurring annual event and drew families traveling by train from Boston and Providence.

  Outcome. The practice became the retailer's defining promotional tradition and is associated with the early development of the department-store Santa.

  Source

• Rebuild the store in a fire-resistant buildingOther

  Background

  A second devastating fire in less than twenty years damaged the original business.

  Action taken

  James Edgar bought out his partner and reopened the business in a purpose-built, fire-resistant structure under the Edgar name.

  Aftermath

  The rebuilt location became the basis of the Edgar's identity in Brockton.

  Source

• Join Almy, Bigelow and WashburnM&A

  Background

  The regional department-store business faced a changing competitive environment and was acquired in the early 1960s.

  Action taken

  Almy, Bigelow and Washburn, Inc. bought Edgar's and operated it within a multi-banner eastern Massachusetts department-store organization.

  Aftermath

  Some locations were later renamed Almy's by the middle of the 1970s.

  Source

• Maintain traditional department-store positioningStrategy

  Background

  Edgar's competed with chain retailers while attempting to preserve the cachet of a conventional department store and continuing to operate in city-center locations.

  Action taken

  The business did not fully abandon its established city-center approach in favor of the suburban mall strategy that had become increasingly popular.

  Aftermath

  The competitive disadvantage contributed to financial distress, a Chapter 11 filing, and the eventual closure of the Edgar's locations.

  Source

1. 1Edgar Department Storesen.wikipedia.org