Hartford, Connecticut's Frank Beckerman and Selwyn Lemchen inaugurated the Topps chain on October 15, 1956. The original store was in Hartford and covered 30,000 square feet. The Topps concept clicked. By 1960, stores had opened in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois. These locations encompassed around 60,000 square feet. Some included a supermarket.
Stores were branded as either Topps Discount City or Topps Discount Center. New York City-based Interstate Department Stores bought the ten-store chain in October 1960, and operated it along with the California-based White Front operation they had acquired in April 1959.
By 1966, there were forty-five Topps units, including locations in Ohio. Fifty-four stores were in operation in 1967. The Topps enterprise had grown to sixty stores by 1969, with units dedicated in Maryland, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey and Wisconsin.
All of the unfettered growth overextended Topps' operations. By 1970, the chain was loosing money. In April 1971, some Ohio stores were sold. More were shuttered in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Interstate Stores entered bankruptcy proceedings in May 1974. Within a year, all remaining Topps stores had been sold or shuttered.
