241:, where the buildings were numbered, and the store retained the nondescript name on the building rather than pay for a new sign. Harry Andler was doing surplus and salvage business in the shipyard for several years. The unique combination of Ellis' advertising flair and Andler's expertise in finding and buying distressed merchandise accounts for the early success of the business. Andler bought "good stuff cheap" and Ellis let everyone know about it with amusing advertising.
42:
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of founder Jerry Ellis with a number of sarcastic captions, many of which were repeated in their in-store advertising. The early circulars featured the "free-spirit" Ellis sternly commanded to work harder by the "skinflint" Andler. As of 2012, Ellis still wrote most of the ad copy used in the ad
330:
As of June 2022, nearly all
Building #19 locations have been demolished or redeveloped into supermarkets, storage facilities, or other discount stores. The Pawtucket location and its signage still stands, although without any identifiable Building #19 characteristics. The signage in Haverhill,
188:
The “closeout stores” had been known throughout New
England for selling an eclectic assortment of items at drastically discounted prices, as well as self-effacing advertising that made fun of the founder, Jerry Ellis. Many of the items were factory irregulars, discontinued models,
224:
bankruptcy protection in the United States
Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. Ellis said that the business had been "on a downhill slope for 10 years", and attributed its failure to Internet competition, overseas manufacturing, and improved
284:
In the 1980s, the original
Building #19 moved to the former GEM (Government Employee Merchandise) building on Derby Street in Hingham, Massachusetts. Later, Building #19 1/8 opened in the old Stuart's store in the Harborlight Mall on Rt 3A in
355:
with "free fake cream". Signs near the free coffee stand warned customers not to make fun of the poor quality of the coffee, because "someday you'll be old and weak too". Their price guarantee awarded a bottle of "Chateau du Cheapo"
621:
308:, and renamed the acquisition "Spag's 19". The store format and configuration were changed after the purchase, to more closely resemble the other Building #19 operations. However, the store was closed in May 2013.
371:(athletic style undershirts) labeled as being "Wife-Beater" shirts. Building #19 was criticized, and promptly apologized. Two years later, a flier poked fun at the 2006 controversy, and was similarly criticized.
1022:
237:
Jerry Ellis (born Gerald
Elovitz) founded the original store in 1964 with Harry Andler, when the two joined together to sell a stock of appliances. The original Building #19 was located at the former
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featuring cartoon figures from locally inspired Archie comics, remained until at least
October 2015, and the location still retains an awning and exterior paint job in the chain's color scheme.
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which is branded as "Ollie's
Bargain Outlet @ Building #19.” It is an actual former Building #19 location and is intended to pay homage to the now-defunct chain. Additionally, the
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in 2013. At the time of its bankruptcy, it had thirteen stores. The family that owned the chain later reopened two of the former locations as a part of a new business,
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in Boston, Jerry and Harry were offered and bought the defective window panels that were scheduled to be replaced. This got the company national press and attention.
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Store. The main store
Building #19 moved from Derby Street in Hingham and was situated in Weymouth at the old Caldor/Zayre's/Ames building on
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193:, damaged, or less than perfect in some other way, but some new merchandise was offered as well. The stores capitalized on the quick
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622:"Building #19 – New England Discount Store Chain – Files Bankruptcy, Plans Liquidation and Going-Out-of-Business Sales"
185:, that was limited to rugs and related merchandise. However, these locations in Norwood and Burlington closed in 2014.
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Vega, Gina (May 2007). "Business succession at
Building #19: overall, it is better to be the father than the son".
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Founded in 1964, Building #19 is now a collection of 13 stores in
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
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343:, both in their advertising and throughout their store interiors. Their weekly ad circulars often featured
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429:"Our business is like sex. When it’s good, it’s wonderful. And when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good."
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of warehouses. The latter two factors reduced the supply of salvage and surplus products to sell.
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On November 1, 2013, Building #19 Inc. and a number of affiliated companies voluntarily filed for
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store has the same branding as the Worcester location, even though the location is in a former
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904:"Around New England: Building #19 at Narragansett Park, Another Race Lost"
782:"Jerry Ellis of Building 19 still loves a bargain after all these years"
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needs of other businesses, obtaining most of their merchandise from
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In 2002, Building #19 bought out the independent discount store
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426:"Please leave with at least as many children as you came with"
742:"Worcester's Ollie's Bargain Outlet to Use Building #19 Name"
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402:- a former horse racing venue that had closed in 1978.
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Several years after the chain shut, formerly competing
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Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2013
584:"Bankrupt Building 19 reinvents itself as a rug store"
432:"Free admission on all days ending with the letter Y"
102:
Bankruptcy; 2 stores reopened as "The Rug Department"
656:"Building #19: Twilight of the mishap-based economy"
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both appeared as contrasting locations in the movie
848:"Good Stuff Cheap (or Free) The Building #19 Story"
244:In 1971, when the windows began to fall out of the
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484:Goodison, Donna L. (2001-05-11). "King of Cheap".
382:appended to their name (such as Building #19½, in
983:Companies based in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
46:Branch store in Burlington, Massachusetts (2010)
502:
500:
498:
289:; still later that store was closed to build a
363:In 2006, Building #19 put a cartoon in their
8:
998:Defunct discount stores of the United States
812:"Flier Describes T-Shirts As 'Wife-Beaters'"
34:
374:The main Building #19 store was located in
724:"Building 19 to Close Former Spag's Store"
177:that operated from 1964 until it declared
40:
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16:Defunct Massachusetts discount store chain
993:Economy of the Northeastern United States
753:
751:
527:
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1003:Defunct companies based in Massachusetts
969:(cartoonist for the Building #19 fliers)
351:Each Building #19 location offered free
1038:2013 disestablishments in Massachusetts
1018:Retail companies disestablished in 2013
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1008:American companies established in 1964
788:. Gatehouse Media, Inc. Archived from
681:"Building #19 owner looks back, ahead"
582:Herman, Colman M. (January 25, 2014).
552:
550:
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832:. WCVB-TV. 2008-04-16. Archived from
830:"Building 19 Again Apologizes For Ad"
814:. WCVB-TV. 2006-02-21. Archived from
423:"America's messiest department store"
398:, used the old grandstand portion of
19:The correct title of this article is
7:
1033:1964 establishments in Massachusetts
1013:Retail companies established in 1964
933:Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
679:Herman, Colman (November 12, 2013).
251:In 1979, retailers Building #19 and
654:Ramos, Dante (November 17, 2013).
628:. November 2, 2013. Archived from
559:"The fun runs out at Building #19"
360:if a competitor beat their price.
339:The chain was known for its often
14:
722:Nicodemus, Aaron (May 15, 2013).
420:"Support the three-day work week"
84:Jerry Ellis (born Gerald Elovitz)
988:Companies based in Massachusetts
945:10.1111/j.1540-6520.2007.00183.x
780:Derr, Greg (February 15, 2012).
557:Luna, Taryn (November 5, 2013).
1:
417:"The Humble Department Store"
414:"Suffer a Little, Save a Lot"
277:. The movie was directed by
854:. 2003-10-17. Archived from
758:Wojahn, Ellen (June 1986).
705:"Building 19 to buy Spag's"
435:"We Now Accept Credit Cods"
175:discount closeout retailers
152:William Elovitz (President)
1054:
760:"The Forces Of Conformity"
533:"Profile: Building 19 Inc"
367:advertising flier showing
239:Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard
18:
306:Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
39:
878:"R.I.P. Building 19 1/2"
508:"Building #19: About Us"
390:). Building #19 1/9, in
317:Worcester, Massachusetts
709:Boston Business Journal
486:Boston Business Journal
287:Weymouth, Massachusetts
1028:Hingham, Massachusetts
728:Telegram & Gazette
466:Ollie's Bargain Outlet
376:Hingham, Massachusetts
341:self-deprecating humor
313:Ollie's Bargain Outlet
295:Massachusetts Route 18
112:Hingham, Massachusetts
66:Hingham, Massachusetts
29:technical restrictions
23:. The omission of the
411:"Good Stuff... Cheap"
386:or Building #19Âľ, in
378:; other stores had a
446:Christmas Tree Shops
191:post-expiration-date
632:on November 2, 2013
451:Ocean State Job Lot
126:Number of locations
36:
792:on 10 January 2014
786:EnterpriseNews.com
380:numerical fraction
315:opened a store in
246:John Hancock Tower
183:The Rug Department
169:was a New England
902:Morgan, William.
744:. September 2019.
400:Narragansett Park
335:Corporate culture
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130:10 stores (2013)
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852:The Shoestring
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836:on 2012-03-06.
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160:$ 79.2m (2013)
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764:Inc. Magazine
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258:Starting Over
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913:21 September
911:. Retrieved
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887:21 September
885:. Retrieved
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860:. Retrieved
856:the original
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794:. Retrieved
790:the original
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688:. Retrieved
685:Boston Globe
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663:. Retrieved
660:Boston Globe
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634:. Retrieved
630:the original
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591:. Retrieved
588:Boston Globe
587:
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566:. Retrieved
563:Boston Globe
562:
516:the original
512:Building #19
511:
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396:Rhode Island
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362:
350:
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321:Plymouth, MA
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299:
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243:
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211:liquidations
187:
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167:Building #19
166:
165:
107:Headquarters
86:Harry Andler
35:Building #19
21:Building #19
20:
636:November 2,
345:caricatures
279:Alan Pakula
261:, starring
141:New England
136:Area served
977:Categories
908:Boston.com
862:2009-05-29
690:2014-09-20
665:2014-09-20
593:2014-09-20
568:2014-09-20
472:References
384:Burlington
222:Chapter 11
215:bankruptcy
203:overstocks
199:fire sales
179:bankruptcy
148:Key people
27:is due to
967:Mat Brown
953:153976234
456:The Akron
392:Pawtucket
358:champagne
195:cash flow
796:16 March
537:Hoover's
440:See also
369:A-shirts
348:flyers.
217:courts.
52:Industry
406:Slogans
388:Norwood
327:store.
233:History
157:Revenue
91:Defunct
81:Founder
70: (
62:Founded
951:
353:coffee
302:Spag's
291:Lowe's
273:, and
213:, and
949:S2CID
325:Kmart
171:chain
68:(1964
915:2022
889:2022
798:2013
638:2013
99:Fate
94:2013
72:1964
941:doi
304:in
173:of
979::
947:.
937:31
935:.
906:.
880:.
850:.
784:.
772:^
762:.
750:^
726:.
707:.
683:.
658:.
646:^
624:.
586:.
561:.
545:^
535:.
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25:#
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