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Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 16 Feb 2011 17:10
by nysw3636
I know that Barker's Department Stores was a discount chain in the 1960's/70's/early 80's. I am eager to learn where Barker's had stores before the Kings merger/acquisition in 1982? I'd like to make a list of Barker's with members help. I know of:

New Paltz,NY
Vails Gate,NY
Saugerties,NY

Re: Barker's Departmant Stores

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 00:21
by BillyGr
Thought I had seen some of this somewhere - went over to amesfanclub.com and found several posts (search Barkers at the top of the forum).

I was able to find mentioned by various members:

Meriden CT
New Milford CT

Clifton Park NY (Based on what was posted, I have an idea where this one was but never saw it)
Hudson NY (I know this one - it became Kings then Ames and stayed open until the final closings of Ames chain)
Fulton NY
Mt Kisco NY
Bedford Hills NY
Ossining NY

I also found a link to fultonhistory.com, which has many old paper articles and ads from the Fulton store, including some from 1974 when it opened, which stated that that store was the 49th in the chain, and the 20th in NY at that time.

It also mentions that the chain had stores in 4 states (obviously NY and CT, not sure which other two) along with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands! Interesting choice of expansion locations.

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 19:50
by nysw3636
Thank you BillyGr. The New Paltz, NY location was built as a Barker's, then became King's and finally Ames until their demise...

Re: Barker's Departmant Stores

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 09:26
by paysh
* The Bedford Hill and Mt Kisco listings are actually just one store - these two towns are right next to each other.
* There was a Barkers in Elmira NY on Lake Street.

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 20 Feb 2011 16:28
by nysw3636
I found 2 more...

Hyde Park,NY (where Ames was)
Troy,NY (where Ames was)

Re: Barker's Departmant Stores

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 16:31
by nysw3636
I am trying to confirm Bridgeport,CT. As for what states Barker's did business in, I believe it was NY, CT, RI, PA and NJ. Anyway, I found 1 more in NY...

Fishkill,NY (where Ames was)

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 17:43
by nysw3636
BillyGr wrote:I also found a link to fultonhistory.com, which has many old paper articles and ads from the Fulton store, including some from 1974 when it opened, which stated that that store was the 49th in the chain, and the 20th in NY at that time.
I found an article in the NY Times from 1981 that states that in 1980, Barker's had 63 stores, but no state-by-state breakdown. This was during the time KDT Industries Inc. owned King's and closed 50+ stores. Could this be the time period when Barkers was buying King's and closing under performing stores? The Barker's they kept were changed to Kings?

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 01 Mar 2011 17:30
by nysw3636
Adding Wilton,NY. So far, 16 Barker's...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_M ... ew_York%29

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 16 Mar 2011 17:33
by nysw3636
Making a list for all to see. I'm hoping some may be able to add some locations.

Auburn,NY
Avon,NY
Bath,NY
Bedford Hills,NY
Binghamton,NY
Canandaigua,NY
Carmel,NY
Clifton Park,NY
Cortland,NY
Elmira,NY
Endwell,NY
Fishkill,NY
Fulton,NY
Glens Falls,NY
Guilderland,NY
Hudson,NY
Hyde Park,NY
Johnstown,NY
Latham,NY
New Paltz,NY
Oneonta,NY
Ossining,NY
Rotterdam,NY
Saratoga Springs,NY
Saugerties,NY
Troy,NY
Vails Gate,NY
Branford,CT
Bridgeport,CT
Dayville,CT
Meriden,CT
New Milford,CT
Norwich,CT
Old Saybrook,CT
Orange,CT
Wallingford,CT
Waterford,CT
Westport,CT
Willimantic,CT
Flemington,NJ
Chalmette,LA
Harvey,LA
Jeffeson Parish,LA
Kenner,LA
Metaire,LA
Monroe,LA
New Orleans,LA
River Ridge,LA
Brownsville,TX
El Paso,TX
Groves,TX
Laredo,TX
McAllen,TX
San Antonio,TX
Texarkana,TX
Puerto Rico (4 stores)
Virgin Islands (3 stores)

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 16:04
by nysw3636
After doing more homework, I am adding 5 stores from New York. They are Johnstown, Latham, Saratoga Springs, Rotterdam, and Guilderland. This was found on the fultonhistory site. Article was from February 23, 1977.

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 11:01
by TW-Upstate NY
Add Oneonta, NY to the list. That store was located in the Pyramid Mall along NYS Route 7 on the outskirts of town. It began life as a White-Modell around '73 or so and became a Barker's a year or two later. It eventually became a Nichols and last I knew the entire mall structure is home to a medical complex run by Bassett Hospital of Cooperstown. Not sure if it was a different banner after Barkers and before Nichols. There was a similar scenario with the Johnstown store as well. That unit opened in a Pyramid Mall as well in 1972 as a White-Modell and was a Barker's by 1974 I believe. It became King's in the very early '80's and was a Jamesway by the fall of 1983 and reamined Jamesway until the very end of that chain in late 1995. The Wilton store was also located in a Pyramid Mall and eventually became Jamesway as well. That was built a few years later so I'm not sure what, if any, different banner it started out as. That was a unique one in that it had an auto center as well. The space became home to a flea market and eventually the entire mall was demolished and today an open air "power-center" stands in its place. In thinking about all this as I write, I see a pattern here. Let me go back to White-Modell and try and tie this all in with Barker's. Did White-Modell go out of business and/or did Barker's buy the chain and convert the stores to their banner? At the time they came into this area, I had never even heard of White-Modell and it seems like they were gone rather quickly. Amazing what you think of in that discussion of one chain leads you to another and somehow they're all part of the same topic.

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 16:33
by nysw3636
TW-Upstate NY wrote:Add Oneonta, NY to the list. Let me go back to White-Modell and try and tie this all in with Barker's. Did White-Modell go out of business and/or did Barker's buy the chain and convert the stores to their banner? Amazing what you think of in that discussion of one chain leads you to another and somehow they're all part of the same topic.
Thanks TW. I'm also adding Queensbury,NY and Willimantic,CT. As far as White-Modell, I thought I read somewhere that Modells tested waters outside sporting goods and bought/merged with Whites Department Stores in the early 1970's. Remember it was not a long lasting venture and the Modell family got the Modell name back to sporting goods. No affiliation with Barkers, if memory serves. Any corrections welcomed...

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 06:00
by Transit Road
I am pretty sure there was no connection between Barker's and White-Modell. There was a White-Modell location on NY 211 in Middletown, NY that sat empty for years after closing in the mid to late 1970's. This location later became a successful Caldor in the early 1980's.

At the other end of Orange County, NY was Barker's in Vails Gate, NY during the 1970s-early 1980's. This store seemed to sit empty until becoming a Waldbaum's supermarket. It did not convert in to either a Kings or Ames location.


Judging from the Barker's locations listed above, the company seemed to place their locations along I-87 and along I-90 in smaller cities with less competition from larger chains.

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 15:04
by nysw3636
Transit Road wrote:Judging from the Barker's locations listed above, the company seemed to place their locations along I-87 and along I-90 in smaller cities with less competition from larger chains.
I was thinking the same thing myself TR. The exceptions are Elmira,NY and Oneonta,NY, which leads me to think there may have been a few along RT.17 (now I-86) and RT. 7 (I-88). Thanks to you and all that have helped. And the search continues...

Re: Barker's Department Stores

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 15:22
by nysw3636
Added Flemington, NJ and Branford, CT to the list of stores.