Mr. Wiggs (Ohio)

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Super S
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Mr. Wiggs (Ohio)

Post by Super S »

I recall a chain by the name of Mr. Wiggs which had several stores in Ohio, the two I recall were located in Sandusky and Port Clinton. From what I recall, it was a store very much like a Kmart, and the two locations I remember shared a shopping center with Revco and Food Town. I do know that around 1981 or 1982 it was renamed Heck's and eventually went out of business at some point in the mid-late 80s.

Where was Mr. Wiggs based, and how big was it? Did it operate outside of Ohio?
Kroger472
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Re: Mr. Wiggs (Ohio)

Post by Kroger472 »

A quick Google search shows that they operated out of Ohio and had a location in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There is an autoparts website by the name of Trimbrite that lists them as an authorized retailer.
rich
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Re: Mr. Wiggs (Ohio)

Post by rich »

I think they've been discussed before. They were based in suburban Cleveland, but had stores mostly in small towns in Ohio and adjacent states. Painesville was a s close as they ever came to Cleveland. They operated smallish, but full-line discount stores. They were acquired or merged with Fisher's Big Wheel (a similar chain with an overlapping trading area, based in Pennsylvania, I believe) during the 80s.
Super S
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Re: Mr. Wiggs (Ohio)

Post by Super S »

I would assume that the point they merged with Fisher's Big Wheel was when they changed their name to Heck's then? The timing seems about right, 1981 or 1982, not long before we left Ohio. Heck's was gone by the time I returned for the first time in 1992.
mobycat

Re: Mr. Wiggs (Ohio)

Post by mobycat »

Sorry to join the conversation so late...

There was a Mr. Wigg's in the city I grew up in, Richmond, Indiana as well.
smjames

Re: Mr. Wiggs (Ohio)

Post by smjames »

I worked for Mr wiggs in 1973-74 in Wooster, Ohio, and two stores in Lexington KY. My recollection was that there were about 23 stores . The original Corp was called Sandusky Distributing, and the founder was a man named Wiggins. I don't know if this is true, but in 1974 we believed that we were one of the first big stores to give cash refunds for returns that were not defective. I was 16 years old and sold guns in the sporting goods dept. It was a different time!
rich
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Re: Mr. Wiggs (Ohio)

Post by rich »

Unconditional cash refunds were very common well before the 70s. Sears made a big point of these, but discounter chains and regular departments stores did this as well.
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