Back From The Retail Dead: Ames Stores To Return To CT In 2023

CONNECTICUT — A beloved Connecticut discount retail destination, dormant for two decades, is scheduled to make a comeback in the spring of 2023, according to its website.

Seven new Ames stores will open next year across Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania, confirmed Shannon de Molynuex, president of Cross Moline Ventures.

In an email to Patch, de Molynuex said shoppers could expect to learn the exact locations of its stores and their opening dates and hours in February.

At its height, the Rocky Hill headquartered retail giant had 700 storefronts in 20 states. In 1998, following its acquisition of Hills Department Stores, Ames became the nation's fourth-largest discount retail chain behind Walmart, Kmart and Target.

In October 2002, the chain shuttered its remaining 327 stores, leaving 21,500 employees unemployed. The company had filed for bankruptcy twice in the run-up to its demise. An analysis in the Wall Street Journal attributed Ames' downfall to the swift turn-of-the-century rise of Target and Walmart.

In its newest incarnation, Ames will add groceries to its traditional mix of clothing, footwear, furniture, housewares and electronics. Select stores will also offer new services, such as cafés, which will be similar to the snack bars once found in the Hills stores, according to de Molynuex.

The stores' new HQ is based out of Gloversville, NY, according to its LinkedIn page.

"Ames has been a treasured part of American history, and we are extremely proud that we've been able to accomplish this project after years of planning," de Molynuex said.