Mammoth Mart
Encyclopedia
Mammoth Mart was a discount department store chain, located in the northeastern United States
, primarily in the New England
area. The chain was founded by Max Coffman in Framingham, Massachusetts
in 1956, and was something of a prototype for the large, downscale department store, selling housewares, hardware and clothing in stark, unfussy buildings, usually in suburban shopping center
locations. Other discount department store retailers like K-Mart, Zayre
, and Bradlees
would subsequently expand on this concept.
Their advertising mascot was Marty the elephant, a smiling, blazer-wearing mammoth.
By 1969 the chain had 35 stores, though they filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act of 1898
--one of the precursors (along with Chapter X of the 1898 Bankruptcy Act) of today's Chapter 11--in 1974. The chain was acquired by now-defunct King's Department Stores
in 1978.
Locations(partial list):
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
, primarily in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area. The chain was founded by Max Coffman in Framingham, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1956, and was something of a prototype for the large, downscale department store, selling housewares, hardware and clothing in stark, unfussy buildings, usually in suburban shopping center
Strip mall
A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...
locations. Other discount department store retailers like K-Mart, Zayre
Zayre
Zayre was a chain of discount stores that operated in the Northeastern, Southern and Midwestern United States from 1956 to 1990. The company's headquarters was in Framingham, Massachusetts. In 1988, the Zayre department stores were sold to the parent company of the competing Ames chain, and Zayre's...
, and Bradlees
Bradlees
Bradlees was a chain of discount department stores which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. The chain went bankrupt in 2000 and all of its stores were closed by March 2001.-History:...
would subsequently expand on this concept.
Their advertising mascot was Marty the elephant, a smiling, blazer-wearing mammoth.
By 1969 the chain had 35 stores, though they filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act of 1898
Bankruptcy Act of 1898
The Bankruptcy Act of 1898 was the first United States Act of Congress involving Bankruptcy that gave companies an option of being protected from creditors...
--one of the precursors (along with Chapter X of the 1898 Bankruptcy Act) of today's Chapter 11--in 1974. The chain was acquired by now-defunct King's Department Stores
King's Department Stores
King's Department Stores was a chain of discount stores in the Eastern United States. The chain started in 1956, in Brockton, Massachusetts. They expanded to about 190 stores when, in 1978, they purchased the bankrupt Mammoth Mart chain. Three stores operated in the Buffalo, New York area...
in 1978.
Locations(partial list):
- Bristol, ConnecticutBristol, ConnecticutBristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...
(Route 6), now Shop Rite - Guilford, ConnecticutGuilford, ConnecticutGuilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the coast. The population was 21,398 at the 2000 census...
(Route 1), now Wal-Mart - North Haven, ConnecticutNorth Haven, ConnecticutNorth Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut on the outskirts of New Haven, Connecticut.North Haven is less than ten miles from downtown New Haven and Yale University. It is near Sleeping Giant State Park and home the Quinnipiac University School of Health Sciences, the School of Nursing,...
(Middletown Avenue/Quinnipiac Avenue), later Mars Dept. Stores, now Covideon Factory - Putnam, ConnecticutPutnam, ConnecticutPutnam is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,002 as of the 2000 census. It is home to WINY, an AM radio station.-History:...
(Route 44), site torn down and redeveloped as Wal-Mart - Brunswick, MaineBrunswick, MaineBrunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
(Old Bath Road), now home to BIWBath Iron WorksBath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
-related administrative offices - Presque Isle, MainePresque Isle, MainePresque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in the sparsely populated Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,692 at the 2010 census...
- Rockland, MaineRockland, MaineRockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
(Route 1), later a King's, then an Ames; currently a Walmart. - Scarborough, Maine (Route 1), currently being redeveloped for MaineHealth, the nonprofit parent of Maine Medical CenterMaine Medical CenterMaine Medical Center is a 637 licensed-bed teaching hospital located in Portland, Maine, United States with a staff of over 6,000 people. Founded in 1874, it is the largest hospital in northern New England with 27,000 inpatients, more than 500,000 outpatient visits and over 16,000 surgeries...
. - Bel Air, Maryland (store became Kings, then Ames) it is now a Gardiners furniture store.
- Lexington Park, MarylandLexington Park, MarylandLexington Park is a census-designated place in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States, and the principal community of the Lexington Park, Maryland Micropolitan Statistical Area...
(St. Mary's Square), now a Rose'sRose'sRoses Stores is a regional discount store with its headquarters in Henderson, North Carolina. Once dominant in the mountainous regions and rural areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the chain has dwindled... - Lowell,Massachusetts (211 Plain Street Later the location of Stuart's Department StoresStuart's Department StoresStuarts Department Stores Inc. was founded in New England in 1957. It incorporated as a Delaware corporation in 1983, around which time the regional clothing and houseware retailer had stores in every state in New England with a primary focus on Massachusetts...
- Waldorf, MarylandWaldorf, MarylandWaldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
(Shoppers World) - Dudley, MassachusettsDudley, MassachusettsDudley is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,390 at the 2010 census.-History:Dudley was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732...
, (Dudley Plaza, Airport Road,) later a King's. - Canton, MassachusettsCanton, MassachusettsCanton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,561 at the 2010 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about 15 miles southwest of downtown Boston.- History :...
(Tri-Town Mall, at Cobbs Corner), later a King's - Fairhaven, MassachusettsFairhaven, MassachusettsFairhaven is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located on the south coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzzards Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean...
- Franklin, MassachusettsFranklin, MassachusettsThe Town of Franklin is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,635 at the 2010 census.-History:Franklin was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and was officially incorporated during the American Revolution. The town was formed from the western part of the town...
(Route 140 - East Central Street, Horace Mann Plaza), now Bob's Store - Marlborough, MassachusettsMarlborough, MassachusettsMarlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,499 at the 2010 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high technology industry in the late 20th century after the construction of the...
, Boston Post Road (Route 20) - New Bedford, MassachusettsNew Bedford, MassachusettsNew Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
(Kings Highway Plaza), later a King's, THB Home Center, Ames and presently AJ Wright - Holyoke, MassachusettsHolyoke, MassachusettsHolyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
(U.S. Rt. 5) - Raynham, MassachusettsRaynham, MassachusettsRaynham is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,739 at the 2000 census. It has one village, Raynham Center.-History:...
(Rt. 44?), later a King's - Salisbury, MassachusettsSalisbury, MassachusettsSalisbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,827 at the 2000 census. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean north of Boston on the New Hampshire border....
(Rte. 110, Crossroads Plaza) - Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
(Old Federal Department Store at SW corner of Grand River and Greenfield) - Somersworth, New HampshireSomersworth, New HampshireAs of the census of 2000, there were 11,477 people, 4,687 households, and 3,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,173.4 people per square mile . There were 4,841 housing units at an average density of 494.9 per square mile...
(Tri-City Plaza), now home to a craft store - Plaistow, New HampshirePlaistow, New Hampshire- External links :* * * * * * * *...
- Henderson, North CarolinaHenderson, North CarolinaHenderson, with a population of 16,095 at the 2000 census, is the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States.The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson, who lived nearby and was a friend of early settler Lewis Reavis...
(US1 Business North), later became King's, now Roses Store - Hickory, North CarolinaHickory, North CarolinaHickory is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina. Hickory has the 162nd largest urban area in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 341,851, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. The city's population was 37,222...
(NC-127 North) - Statesville, North CarolinaStatesville, North CarolinaStatesville is a city located in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States and was named an All-America City in 1997 and 2009. The population was 24,633 at the 2010 census...
, turned into Kmart, now Fred's - Newport, VermontNewport (city), VermontNewport is a city in and the shire town of Orleans County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,005. The city contains the largest population of any government in the county, yet encompasses the smallest area....
, later an Ames store - Woonsocket, Rhode IslandWoonsocket, Rhode IslandWoonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border....
, later became Kings - Bennington, Vermont, later became Kings, now Walmart
- Brattleboro, VermontBrattleboro, VermontBrattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
, (Putney Rd in the Brattleboro North shopping plaza. Became Kings, then Ames. - Kingston, New YorkKingston, New YorkKingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
, Route 9W (Mammoth Mall, now King's Mall)