TWIN FAIR

The very first Twin Fair store opened -in Buffalo- on March 22, 1956. The retail chain was a joint venture of John J. Bona, Anthony Ragusa, Louis Battaglia and John S. Nasca. The enterprise was sold to New York City's Unexcelled Chemical Corporation in March 1962.

Expansion into the southwestern Ohio market came about with the purchase of the seventeen store -Cincinnati-based- Fashion Fair chain, in December 1968. Stores, which measured in the 49,000 square foot range, were rebranded as Twin Fair locations during 1969.

Cincinnati-based Federated Stores acquired western New York Twin Fair locations in May 1982. These were rebranded as Gold Circle stores. Operations in Ohio were sold to Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Meijer ["Miy-ir"], who converted them to its experimental (supermarket-less) Meijer Square format. This division was not successful and was abandoned in 1986.