First cousins Stanley and Sumner Feldberg opened their first Zayre discount mart in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on June 6, 1956. The name "Zayre" had been coined from a Yiddish phrase that meant "very good." The first Zayre store encompassed only 5,000 square feet. Bigger things were to come...
By the early 1970s, there were 200 Zayre locations; these ranging in size from 65,000 to 80,000 square feet. The company, headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, delved into the creation -or acquisition- of various retail subsidiaries. These included Hit or Miss apparel (1969), T.J. Maxx apparel (1977), BJ's Wholesale Club (1984) and HomeClub Home Improvement Centers (1985).
In 1987, these subsidiary stores were grouped into a new corporate entity known as TJX Companies. By this time, the Zayre parent was facing mounting profitability problems. In September 1988, the company decided to sell its 388 Zayre stores to Rocky Hill, Connecticut-based Ames. 250 Zayre stores were rebranded with Ames nameplates. The remainder were shuttered.
ZAYRE-ANCHORED SHOPPING MALLS:
*DAYTONA MALL, Daytona Beach, FL (1973)
*GREEN MOUNTAIN MALL, Town of St. Johnsbury, VT (1974)
*PARKWAY CENTER MALL, Pittsburgh, PA (1982)
*GREEN MOUNTAIN MALL, Town of St. Johnsbury, VT (1974)
*PARKWAY CENTER MALL, Pittsburgh, PA (1982)
