Benny's Explained

Benny's
Type:Store
Industry:Discount retail
Fate:Closed permanently as a result of a business decision
Founded:, Providence, Rhode Island
Founder:Benjamin Bromberg
Hq Location City:Esmond, Smithfield, Rhode Island
Locations:31 (September 8, 2017)[1]
Area Served:Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut
Owner:Arnold Bromberg
Howard Bromberg
Judy Rosenstein
Num Employees:715 (September 8, 2017)

Benny's was a New England–based discount retail chain founded in 1924 in Providence, Rhode Island, and having operated in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.[2] [3] The main company offices were located in Esmond, Smithfield, Rhode Island.[4] On September 8, 2017, the company announced that it would be closing all 31 of its operating locations,[5] and its last location in Greenville, Rhode Island, closed permanently on December 11, 2017.[6]

History

Benjamin Bromberg (1901–1966) was born in Russia to Max and Zlata (Fishman) Bromberg. Bromberg immigrated to the United States in 1910, settling in Providence, Rhode Island.[7] [8] His wife, Flora (Wolfe) Bromberg (1901–1991), was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Moses and Anna Wolfe and was one of the first graduates of Bryant & Stratton Business School.[9] [10] Prior to opening Benny's, Bromberg worked for the American Auto Supply Company as a manager.[11] [12] Benjamin Bromberg founded Benny's Auto Store on November 9, 1924, in Providence. In 1929, a second store was opened in East Providence, Rhode Island, and in 1931, Benny's opened its first Massachusetts store in Taunton. The Providence Journal building exists on the site of the first Benny's store. In 1965, the Esmond Mill became the corporate headquarters for Benny's.[13] After Benjamin Bromberg's death in 1966, he was succeeded as company president by his son Malcolm Bromberg. In 1968, a fire burned down the store located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.[14] Throughout the 1960s to the 1970s, Benny's began to expand further into Massachusetts and Connecticut, with stores opening as far as Cape Cod. The last store to open was in 2005 in Killingly, Connecticut.[15] Malcolm Bromberg was succeeded by his children—Arnold and Howard Bromberg, and Judy Rosenstein—as the company owners following his death in 2014.

Closure

On September 8, 2017, Benny's announced that it would be closing all 31 stores.[1] This stirred minor controversy among its employees, as a portion of them found out by indirect means such as social media and claimed that they received no formal notice from corporate.[16] [17] The oldest store at the time of the company's closure was located on Park Avenue in Cranston, Rhode Island, having been operating since 1938.[18] The final Benny's store, located in Greenville, Rhode Island, closed on December 11, 2017.[6] Twenty-nine of the 31 Benny's store locations were purchased by the Carpionato Group, a development company based in Johnston, Rhode Island.[19] Following the final store's closure, the company faced minor controversy regarding a lack of severance pay for its former employees.[20]

Since the company's closure, several former store locations have fallen into disrepair. The roof collapsed on the former Benny's in East Wareham, Massachusetts, in January 2018.[21] In May 2018, a fire broke out at one of the former Benny's in Seekonk, Massachusetts.[22] Some of the former stores were sold by the Carpionato Group to other retail chains, including Dollar General, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, and Ocean State Job Lot.[23] [24]

An auction was held at the Benny's corporate offices in June 2018. Store-use machinery, shelving units, delivery trucks, and returned defective merchandise were among the items auctioned.[25] [26]

Legacy

The announcement of the company's closure shocked many customers, as Benny's was considered a southern New England icon.[1] As a near century-old local retail store, customers shared their nostalgia for the store online.[14] [27] Local businesses expressed their condolences for Benny's closure.[28]

A musical titled Benny's: The Musical was produced in tribute to the defunct company and was performed in Providence in March and May 2018.[29]

Benny's was used as a film location in Labor Day[30] [31] and The Polka King.[32]

Locations

During its 93-year period of operations, Benny's had stores in the following locations:

Rhode Island

Massachusetts

Connecticut

See also

References

  1. Web site: Benny’s closing all 31 locations by end of 2017. turnto10.com. en-US. 2018-04-18.
  2. Web site: About – Benny's Your Favorite Store. hellobennys.com. en-US. 2018-01-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20180124071204/http://hellobennys.com/about/. 2018-01-24. dead.
  3. Web site: Benny's, Inc.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg. www.bloomberg.com. 2018-01-23.
  4. Web site: Benny’s stores, with locations in Middleboro, Raynham and Mansfield, is closing its doors.. enterprisenews.com. 2018-02-01.
  5. News: Benny’s to close all 31 stores this year. 2017-09-08. WTNH Connecticut News. 2018-01-23. en-US.
  6. News: Bye bye, Benny's: Bittersweet end of a retail era. Naylor. Donita . . 2018-01-23. en.
  7. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XM8S-66D : accessed 29 August 2018), Benjamin Bromberg, Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 10, sheet 39B, line 85, family 256, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2176; FHL microfilm 2,341,910.
  8. Providence Journal, County ed., 22 Aug. 1966, p. 31. NewsBank, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=image/v2:14728889532D3B69@EANX-NB-1649135A2527D745@2439360-1648D25866B892C4@30-1648D25866B892C4@. Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
  9. News: Benny’s celebrates 90 years with a cap and a nod. Arditi. Lynn . . 2018-08-29. en.
  10. "Flora Y. Bromberg Was co-founder with her husband of Benny's Home and Auto Stores." Providence Journal (RI), CITY FINAL ed., sec. NEWS, 13 Dec. 1991, pp. F-04. NewsBank, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/1525B93E6BF66118. Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
  11. Providence Journal, Three Star ed., 9 Nov. 1924, p. 44. NewsBank, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=image/v2:14728889532D3B69@EANX-NB-162FD397CE417FCF@2424099-162E2592E8695450@43-162E2592E8695450@. Accessed 11 Aug. 2018.
  12. News: Benny's closing stuns loyal customers. Howell. John. rhodybeat.com. 2018-08-29. en.
  13. News: Neighborhood of the Week: With Benny’s closing, Esmond village wonders what’s next . Anderson . Patrick . . 2018-08-29. en.
  14. News: Benny’s in East Greenwich, 1936-2017. Thompson. Mark. eastgreenwichnews.com. 2018-08-29. en.
  15. News: Where were you 10 years ago?. Weaver. Margaret. Killingly Villager. 2018-09-02. en.
  16. News: Benny's to close all 31 stores by year's end. Gravelle. Kendra. ricentral.com. 2018-08-29. en.
  17. News: Benny's employees offered help as chain hints at future of real estate . Kalunian . Kim . WPRI . 2018-08-29. en.
  18. Providence Journal, 21 Dec. 1938, p. 20. NewsBank, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=image/v2:14728889532D3B69@EANX-NB-15D37BBC197ADB31@2429254-15D362C3559D51E6@19-15D362C3559D51E6@. Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
  19. News: Carpionato to buy nearly all Benny's store locations. Nesi. Ted. wpri.com. 2018-08-29. en.
  20. News: Laid-off Benny's employees frustrated about lack of severance pay. Kalunian. Kim. wpri.com. 2018-08-29. en.
  21. News: Benny's building condemned after partial roof collapse caused by strong wind - By Lydia Goerner. 2018-01-05. 2018-02-05.
  22. News: Fire hits former Benny's store in Seekonk. Peterson. Stephen. thesunchronicle.com. 2018-08-29. en.
  23. Web site: Parker . Paul Edward . Ocean State Job Lot to open in 3 former Benny's stores in Rhode Island . . 17 March 2019 . en.
  24. Web site: Peterson . Stephen . Dollar General opens in Mansfield at former Benny's . The Sun Chronicle . 17 March 2019 . en.
  25. News: Benny's equipment to be sold in online auction. turnto10.com. 2018-08-29. en.
  26. News: All that's left of Benny's now up for auction . Towne. Shaun . WPRI . 2018-08-29. en.
  27. News: Last Benny's store closes Monday. Hilario. Mario. turnto10.com. 2018-08-29. en.
  28. OlneyvilleNYSys . 906323102040293376 . 9 September 2017 . Our parking lot was once one of the first #Bennys locations until 1988. #olneyville #providence #rhodeisland.
  29. News: ‘Benny’s: The Musical’ coming to AS220 in Providence. Perry. Jack . . 2018-01-23. en.
  30. News: Lights, Camera, Benny’s: Mansfield store plays a role in 'Labor Day' film. Sun Chronicle Staff. thesunchronicle.com. 2018-09-02. en.
  31. News: ‘Labor Day’ made a scene at Mansfield Benny’s. Hyman. Rebecca. norton.wickedlocal.com. 2018-09-02. en.
  32. News: ‘The Polka King’ reigns on Netflix. Nadeau. Joseph B.. Woonsocket Call. 2018-09-02. en.
  33. The Providence Journal, Metro ed., 27 Nov. 1977, p. 416. Via NewsBank, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=image/v2:14728889532D3B69@EANX-NB-164C06C135D39A83@2443475-164A261F6A306F61@415-164A261F6A306F61@. Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
  34. News: Raynham Benny’s celebrates half-century mark. Winokoor. Charles. wickedlocal.com. 2018-09-02. en.
  35. News: Benny’s in Waterford will close Feb. 28. Shanahan. Martha. theday.com. 2018-09-02. en.
  36. "Main St. mainstay closes After decades, Benny's shuts its doors." The Chronicle (Willimantic, CT), sec. Front, 3 Jan. 2007, p. 01. Via NewsBank, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/116703641429C228. Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.

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