@@donnamarsh3474 The ones nearest to me were Bristol and Waterbury. I remember before the Bristol Caldor, there was a Grants department store in the same building. Many stores have come and gone since my youth in the 70s.
@@donnamarsh3474 I met Vanna White at the Norwalk store during the summer of 1987 during her autobiography book signing. It was on a week day and I drove over from my job at the Vista Market to purchase four copies...(three for co-workers). It was quiet and she was an absolute angel of a sweetheart. So kind and gorgeous. Her accent was adorable. I drove back to my job floating on air.
@@gregdolecki8530 Yes! They took over a lot of the old Grants! Also, remembering how good the record department was being that they listed the top selling albums of all time and currently (in those sleeves with a black insert and number ranking). As long as I can remember Dark Side of the Moon was always in a position. And, for the top 10 current sellers I recall Breakfast in America hitting the top numbers by storm.
Me too! Our Caldor was in Framingham MA & it had everything! I bought my first record player/speaker set combo, records, clothes, pocketbooks etc. My sister was a cashier there in the early 80's. When I had my kids in the 90's I bought a lot of their toys there then they closed & Bradlees was it.
Wow. This brings back memories. I worked for a brand new Caldor store in Norwell, Massachusetts when I was 19 years old in 1982. Then I moved away and it closed. But I loved that store.
I shopped at a Caldor just outside of Peekskill, N.Y. until I left the area in the late '70s. Did not know they'd closed until this video; nice class of store, good memories.
Caldor survived as long as it did because Walmart and Target were very slow moving into its core territory. The Caldor in Bridgehampton NY, shown in one of the ads, is now the site of one of the very few surviving Kmarts.
That Bridgehampton store is the one I remember most. My grandparents retired to their summer home out in Springs & my Nan loved going there. Big time shopper who found herself marooned without her dose of Cross County Shopping Center.
Jim McMahon started Caldor? Lol If you’ve been alive long enough to know what “Life Before Walmart” was In America, it’s fascinating. We have very different life experiences of just about everything - from having small, local businesses around, to back to school shopping to huge department stores to corner stores... getting your first bike, buying groceries with your family, being in small stores nearby and getting family needs and wants locally. I only remember Caldor in the mid 80s - and that was at the end of its run in that BRUTAL, dog-eat-dog, 1980 corporate decade - because of being in Connecticut then. Although I wasn’t a big Caldor shopper just have been introduced to them, I have pleasant memories of their store and their shopping experience. It’s really amazing that husband and wife teams began so many of these large store chains from the ground up all by themselves and that the businesses prospered to the point of becoming half billion dollar businesses. That’s wonderful to see! Thanks for the video!
This brings back so many fond memories. My mom used to take me, and my little brother here quite often. Ahhh the 1970’s was the best of times. They had great toys, and everything we needed. Thanks for sharing.
I shopped the Waterbury Caldor many times in the 70's and early 80's. It was across from the Naugatuck Valley Mall ( long gone) and there was a Two Guys nearby.
Caldor kind of took over Two Guys store locations in NJ when Two Guys went under. They were a bit more upscale than Bradlees, better quality, and they were know for customer service. They were killed with the corporate buyouts, leveraged in debt, and couldn't survive. Ironically Walmart was once known for customer service as well,while they.wtee a bit more blue collar in terms of level, they focused on customer service under the old man. His kids, trained at ivy league business schools, came in and the Walmart we know and hate came about, the lowest price drove manufacturing offshore and turned Walmart into what it is today, low end products at dirt cheap cost and a working environment that is inhuman and a customer experience that is non existent.
My mom worked for Two Guys which closed and many years later I worked for Caldor. She wasn't happy when I got that job in HS :) I worked for the enemy.
I remember Caldor, they had one in my hometown of Framingham, MA! When Caldor closed, they put in a WalMart at that location! I also remember Bradlee's, that was a great store, then it went out of business, and they put a Kohl's in it's place! There also was a Zayre in Natick, MA. which later changed it's name to Ames! There was also a Lechmere store in the Rte.30 Mall in Framingham, MA. that sold everything from soup to nuts, Cameras, Stereo Equipment, Police Scanners, Records & CD's, Sporting Goods, Firearms, then Lechmere sold out to Montgomery Ward, and all their stores closed! At the opposite end of the Rte.30 Mall was a Filene's Basement, my brother would go there and buy designer dress shirts cheap!
It only one saw and be to and was same thing to this one Swansea ,MA and former Swansea mall mini Walmart took it over then some years moved in the parking lot so big super Walmart which is open the mall is closed part of it self storage now
The two other malls in area one smaller abd bigger Swansea both are gone one air open plaza anyway Harbor mall Kmart and Bradlees which i when most as little kid 10 and one Caldor and Apex near it other and Sears on other end Zayre was in plazadown the street from Harbor mall was one of 3 them in area with kay bee toys in both malls
Spent so much of my youth going to RT. 9 and the "Golden Mile". Back when the wonderful real Shoppers World was still there. Not the blight on the landscape that occupies it now.
@@pmafterdark I remember RT.9 and the golden mile, my family moved to Framingham, MA. in May 1978 from North Cambridge, MA. When we first moved to Framingham in May 1978, there was a Howard Johnson's Restaurant on Rt.9, and I remember the Old Shopper's World with the Jordan Marsh that had the gold dome on top of it! I remember my mother and I going to the second floor in Jordan Marsh where they sold the linens, there was a counter that sold baked goods, we used to buy the most delicious macaroons! When I was growing up, we lived in a 5 room apartment on the second floor of a 3 family house at the corner of Mt. Pleasant and Walden St. in North Cambridge. As a little boy, I would hang out at the Garden St. Fire Station all day long almost to dinner time! My mother passed away in the house in Framingham, MA. on Christmas Day 2014 at 83 from Metastatic Colon Cancer, I miss her terribly! The house in Framingham was sold in August 2015 and I am now living in Southern California in a mobile home park in the Menifee/Sun City area. I wish I had stayed in Massachusetts, my neighbors that live across from me in the park, are extremely rude and a bunch of fucking assholes!
Growing up in MA. I remember Caldors very well and used to enjoy going to their stores. I think of all the variety of stores we had back then, now it's basically down to Target, Walmart or Amazon. Pretty sad.
i remember caldor wel, their was one less than a mile away from where i lived in salem, mass. loved going there for record shopping and casual clothes when i needed them. the stores were always cleaned and well maintained. i do miss this store, thanks for remembering another great company that sadly went under.
Thanks for doing Caldor. I suggested it a few weeks ago. I worked for them from 65-68. They carried nothing but first rate goods. Truly a class act. The May Company destroyed them. Friends of mine worked there then. May Company thought K-Mart was the most successful discount store, and tried to make Caldor like K-Mart. It became a junk shop. Very sad. Thanks Again.
We used to shop at the Caldor in Norwalk CT all the time - it was a really nice store (at least the toy department) as I recall. I remember when they rebuilt the store after the fire. Really cool stone facade.
This is Wonderful!.Just what I was waiting for!.Thank You so much!.This video brings back so many great memories!.I used to work for a company that did business with all the NJ locations.Great and memorable times!.🤗✌️
thanks i loved how you showed the port chester ny caldor which was korvettes before they went under i grew up in byram ct on the the border with port chester shop at korvettes/caldor in port chester woolworths in greenwich bradleys in stamford and kings in norwalk. thanks for the memories.
My dearly departed Grandmother, took me there, in Waterbury, CT, on a Summer vacation trip. She bought me a great deal of clothes. I had never been to one before. It really was quite nice and clean. It reminded me of Service Merchandise, back home, at the time. Such a shame it closed down.
I remember going to Caldor when I was a kid. Wal*Mart didn't open in the area until a little over a year after Caldor closed. After it had been closed a few years my local store was renovated and became a Bob's Discount Furniture *gags*.
First time I've heard of Caldor, but like many stores once they get acquired by another it starts going downhill. Local department store to Houston, Foleys, was bought out by May Dept stores and they were successful at running it into the ground. Foleys was founded in 1901 as Foley Brothers Dry Goods Co.
You know what's crazy? That Caldor is still abandoned in Middletown, NY. I filmed it in case you're interested in looking at it. I miss Caldor so much, they were my favorite retailer from back in the day. There was one in Morris Plains, NJ that turned into a Kohl's. I'll never forget going inside that one with my mom when they were liquidating the store in 1999, that was the only time I went to that Caldor but it was such a nice & unique store. I wish I had went there before many times when I was a kid!
@@TimurD1905 I looked at your video of the Caldor. Thanks so much for the memories. P.S. I don't think your old enough, but, the Caldor in Middletown, NY use to be a Whites department store that folded too. Can't believe the Caldor building is still empty after all these years.
@@chipdouglas5010 I know, that's crazy that it's been vacant for already 22 years! I would love to see another abandoned Caldor but I think that the one in Middletown, NY is the only one unfortunately.
I inherited screened in porch furniture from a parent. I have hauled these pieces thru 3 states at this point. Thee furniture came from Caldor. The 2 chaise lounge pieces are white plastic as the tables. Well it’s over 30 years old. When items were built to last. Sorry to hear they are no more. Never seems to progress when a company is bought out. New owners seem to run it in the ground. Am sure it was sad to the Bennett’s to see their hard work decline. Need to look at your videos, to see if you have done a segment on Two Guys.
We had one in our area growing up around the Philly/NJ area. But it closed down in '92 or '93. So everyone was going to Kmart, and then by late '93 early '94 Walmart came to our area. The Caldor building is still vacant to this day. They finally took the sign down back in '99 or 2000s. Either way there's alot of memories.
I worked for Caldor Yonkers in the summer of 1983. It wasn't to my liking, but what did I know. I was a child of 17. I remember buying records there, especially "Synchronicity" by The Police.
This video brought back so many childhood memories for me. My mom and aunt would meet up every Saturday to window shop and shop, Caldor was the place we used to meet. I was always excited cause it meant I got to hangout with my cousin browsing the toy section. Shame how all these stores have disappeared.
Caldor was a major player in the Northeast, I worked for their chief competitor in the area, Bradlees. The two chains were extremely similar and competed for the exact same demographic. I always felt Bradlees was much more promotionally driven with splashy adversertising campaigns more similar to the top discounter in the area which was Zayre. The advertising and overall image of Caldor was more subtle. In addition, despite competing directly against each other, Bradlees and Caldor were more entrenched in key areas of the competitive Northeast corridor. Caldor had a stronger footprint in New York's Connecticut suburbs. Bradlees was stronger in the Greater Boston area. This could have had more to do with where both chains were headquartered with Caldor based in Norwalk, CT and Bradlees in Braintree, MA. Both chains were more evenly split in New Jersey and the area around Philly. Caldor embarked an aggressive expansion in the 90's building larger more expansive stores from the ground up. They're focus on remodeling existing stores was more lackluster. Bradlees in contrast focused on aggressively remodeling and retrofitting existing stores with no focus at all on building brand new stores from the ground up. I have to say that the brand new Caldor stores built in the 90's were really beautiful. They featured wider aisles, grand entrances, attractive merchandising, and were just visually appealing. The floors in these stores were so shiny white you could see your reflection. This being said, I thought Bradlees had more of a focus overall with Caldor's being more scattershot as May Department stores and subsequent owners were just very weak owners. Caldor featured two contrasting prototype stores: brand new shiny one's or older more outdated stores along the lines of Grant's or J.M. Fields, two chains Caldor acquired in the 70's. Sad to say that Caldor never quite made it to the millennium liquidating in 1999. Anyone growing up in the Northeast will have many memories of all these once great regional discounters, your retrospective of Caldor was nicely done.
The one at hawley lane had a ramp nonstair escalator that people would place shopping carts on. If let go the cart could have flown down to the second bottom floor. Caldor was a frequent visit
.....that is what happens, when big Corporations buy out something that was built by the dream of an Individual ( in this case, the two of them ) and it is saddening. I was familiar with the store, only because I had extended Family living on the East Coast.
Texas Stardust, you are absolutely correct, when big Corporations buy out something that was built by someone else they don't keep tabs on the store managers, assistant managers, and so called district managers because if they did they would find out they use their position to steal from them. If Carl and Dorothy had not sold, the store would have lasted a while longer. District managers and store managers have a way of asking stores to send "stuff" to personal addresses. Believe me I know, have seen it many times.
That shot at 2:32 is East Brook Mall in North Windham, CT. The Papa Gino's is still there (possibly the last one in CT?), the Caldor store is currently a Kohls and was an Ames for a few short years before they too went out of business.
Thanks for the Caldor update. I was just wondering if you ever remembered them after watching another of your video. Must be “kismet”! Always loved shopping at Caldor.
Caldor was my first experience with a “box” type store. I grew up in Norwalk, but don’t remember the store there burning down, but I was young. I remember that location did get a fancy new remodel at some point, maybe it was the fire. I think we’ve all seen that all retailers have a life cycle and are not resistant to changes in consumer preference and competition. Any business vulnerable to eventual failure. You can blame it whatever you like, but businesses aren’t meant to last forever, because people are fickle.
@@JustinCase780 Uncle Joe's is still there going strong on Rt 123. A couple places just moved to different store fronts but still there except for Rite Aid (which used to be the bowling alley) A consolidation sale with Walgreens was suppose to happen and it didn't... that particular location was collateral damage to the goof up sale. I miss that Rite Aid always nicely stocked. The biggest thing to happen was the liquor store next to Fairfield County Bank was sold and demolished and became the banks new drive thru window.
I also loved going to Duchess and DQ. My best friend and I use to ride there on our bikes. Also, miss the old Jet Variety down the road where we you use to buy wacky packs and pop rocks! So, much has chain there over the years. My wife and I moved to Ohio for her job, but we were in Norwalk for around ten or eleven years on Wolfpit road near Stew Leonard’s. My wife really grew up in Stamford, but I always loved Norwalk. Miss all that from childhood. I went to Honeyhill Elemetary, which no longer exists.
Caldor had a selection of the three-button Henley shirts one year and I bought one of each color: about a dozen, November 1988. I recall wearing (and wearing-out) those Henleys through the mid-'90s. The location was on Route 1 in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
There were always plenty of department stores to choose from. Calder was always my favorite. It was the atmosphere. I don’t know how they did it. From the moment I walked in I became relaxed. I found the store soothing, even my babies did. I will always miss Calder. Another store is in their place now and I shop there, it can’t be replicated.
i was in my sophomore years when the store was closed down. I never knew our heard of it, but then again, I was a teen and I dont think there was even one of those store in my State at the time. Its interesting how this store became big when I was born and gone when I am in my sophomore years in high school. Wish I could have gone and visit it.
Fantastic store. It's missed Headquarters was Norwalk CT Caldor Plaza was down the street from HQ on Rt 7. They built their brand new building in West Norwalk 1982 called Darinor Plaza now Kohl's. The HQs became condos and Wal-Mart took over Rt 7. They had stores all over Fairfield County and Westchester County NY.
I remember Caldor (and Pergament - on a sign at 4:23) being in Bethpage, NY in the 1970s and 80s. My Mom bought lots of our school supplies there for my brother and I and probably home decor items. I bought some curtains and rods there, maybe some towels and bedding that were good. But then I bought some baby clothes in 1985 for my daughter and said "no more." The quality was crap (rough, scratchy material no matter how many times I washed it) and I preferred Carters so much better. I remember the store going downhill in the late 80s and 90s. Sad to see such a well-built successful business run into the ground after several corporate takeovers and competition.
Caldor was a very good store back in the 70s and 80s, with all the individual Connecticut stores I had shopped in (Waterford, Groton, Norwich, and Old Saybrook) being equivalent. They indeed carried name brand merchandise and it was always a nice place to shop. Likewise for Bradlees, another north-east centered department store that was maybe a little under Caldor in quality but was also a nice place to shop and was hard to beat in price on many everyday items. Both chains seemed to go out about the same time. Within just a few months of the very large newly built Caldor in Waterford CT closing (it was only open for 3-4 years), it was razed and replaced by a Lowes. The Bradlees store in New London became a Burlington Coat Factory, and the one in Groton became a Kohls. We have recently lost our local Sears and Macy's, and before that our Jordan Marsh and Filenes stores. So what do we have now? Three Walmart stores within 12 miles of each other, a Target, and a JC Penny (and who knows how much longer that will survive). A slew of other stores have also gone under locally like Gap, Toys R Us, several bookstores, and the like. Is there any wonder why there is so much business for online stores like Amazon, Zappos, etc.? My street is abuzz with UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and USPS delivery trucks 7 days a week dropping off packages as a result.
I bought a Sega Master System at Caldor in (I think) 1992. It was a brand new Base System, on sale for $19.99. I still have not opened it, since I already had the Power Base Convertor at the time.
Time stamp 1:23 thru 1:30 and again at 3:36 thru 3:44 That looks exactly like Connecticut Ave Caldor's built in 1982 Norwalk, CT. Caldor and grocery store Finest were the anchor stores with Hallmark card shop, ThomMcan shoes, pizza shop and a couple of other stores and Wendy's restaurant. Caldor's became Kohl's, Finest became Edwards then empty for years then Old Navy now it's a Party Time store. Wendy's is still there along with the pizza shop. ThomMcan is gone. The owners of the property built a Town Fair Tire in the '90s, in the last 5 years a Starbucks and Bank of America drive up ATM now occupy part of the parking lot.
We had a number of Caldor stores near us in CT. It and Bradlees were CT staples; strongly valued by the state and local towns, which resisted Walmart's attempts to open stores here. I often looked through Caldor catalogs trying to pick out what to ask for for Christmas. However, Caldor (and Bradlees) stores, formerly clean and modern became dated, disorganized and dirty by the mid 90's. Once they closed, Walmart swept in and occupied many former Caldor locations. Walmart essentially had the same things, at similar prices, in a nicer shopping environment.
They had a good record department. They competed with Bradlee's, another long gone department store.
Yup..my brother worked at Caldor in Norwalk, CT in the 80s
@@donnamarsh3474 The ones nearest to me were Bristol and Waterbury. I remember before the Bristol Caldor, there was a Grants department store in the same building. Many stores have come and gone since my youth in the 70s.
@@donnamarsh3474 I met Vanna White at the Norwalk store during the summer of 1987 during her autobiography book signing. It was on a week day and I drove over from my job at the Vista Market to purchase four copies...(three for co-workers). It was quiet and she was an absolute angel of a sweetheart. So kind and gorgeous. Her accent was adorable. I drove back to my job floating on air.
@@gregdolecki8530 Yes! They took over a lot of the old Grants! Also, remembering how good the record department was being that they listed the top selling albums of all time and currently (in those sleeves with a black insert and number ranking). As long as I can remember Dark Side of the Moon was always in a position. And, for the top 10 current sellers I recall Breakfast in America hitting the top numbers by storm.
@@JustinCase780 wow! What a story! What a memory!!💗💗
I loved this store
Me too! Our Caldor was in Framingham MA & it had everything! I bought my first record player/speaker set combo, records, clothes, pocketbooks etc. My sister was a cashier there in the early 80's. When I had my kids in the 90's I bought a lot of their toys there then they closed & Bradlees was it.
Wow. This brings back memories. I worked for a brand new Caldor store in Norwell, Massachusetts when I was 19 years old in 1982. Then I moved away and it closed. But I loved that store.
I shopped at a Caldor just outside of Peekskill, N.Y. until I left the area in the late '70s. Did not know they'd closed until this video; nice class of store, good memories.
I didn't know there was one in Norwell. I used to go to the one in Pembroke all the time as a kid.
Caldor survived as long as it did because Walmart and Target were very slow moving into its core territory.
The Caldor in Bridgehampton NY, shown in one of the ads, is now the site of one of the very few surviving Kmarts.
That Bridgehampton store is the one I remember most. My grandparents retired to their summer home out in Springs & my Nan loved going there. Big time shopper who found herself marooned without her dose of Cross County Shopping Center.
My mistake .... Ed ..... Ed McMahon... Lol
Jim McMahon started Caldor? Lol
If you’ve been alive long enough to know what “Life Before Walmart” was In America, it’s fascinating. We have very different life experiences of just about everything - from having small, local businesses around, to back to school shopping to huge department stores to corner stores... getting your first bike, buying groceries with your family, being in small stores nearby and getting family needs and wants locally. I only remember Caldor in the mid 80s - and that was at the end of its run in that BRUTAL, dog-eat-dog, 1980 corporate decade - because of being in Connecticut then. Although I wasn’t a big Caldor shopper just have been introduced to them, I have pleasant memories of their store and their shopping experience. It’s really amazing that husband and wife teams began so many of these large store chains from the ground up all by themselves and that the businesses prospered to the point of becoming half billion dollar businesses. That’s wonderful to see! Thanks for the video!
Yes, most definitely.
My mistake .. Ed.
Ed McMahon Lol
I'm 75 and I certainly agree Jim.
Worked at the Brookfield Branch around 1980/81.
This brings back so many fond memories. My mom used to take me, and my little brother here quite often. Ahhh the 1970’s was the best of times. They had great toys, and everything we needed. Thanks for sharing.
I liked shopping at Caldor and Bradlees when I lived in CT between ‘95 to’99.
Caldor stores we’re so loved.
Hamden Connecticut, branford Connecticut, Bristol Connecticut,And Waterbury Connecticut, I remember them all fondly😊
in the Connecticut Post Mall, (Milford,) too!
Brookfield, CT also
I shopped the Waterbury Caldor many times in the 70's and early 80's. It was across from the Naugatuck Valley Mall ( long gone) and there was a Two Guys nearby.
I remember Caldor in Hamden CT! Great store
Derby too.
We used to have a Caldor on New Britain Ave in Hartford, Ct, it was a great experience shopping there.
When we first moved to PA there was one out in Warminster. Turned into a Jamesway.
Wow! Jamesway! That's another name from the past.
Pausing the video to thank you before I even watch it. Caldor brings back so many fun memories of being a kid/ teen on Long Island in the '80s!
Just finally threw out a box fan that my parents bought at the West Babylon store in late 70's.
Remember both Caldor and Bradlees fondly in Waterbury, CT.
Caldor kind of took over Two Guys store locations in NJ when Two Guys went under. They were a bit more upscale than Bradlees, better quality, and they were know for customer service. They were killed with the corporate buyouts, leveraged in debt, and couldn't survive. Ironically Walmart was once known for customer service as well,while they.wtee a bit more blue collar in terms of level, they focused on customer service under the old man. His kids, trained at ivy league business schools, came in and the Walmart we know and hate came about, the lowest price drove manufacturing offshore and turned Walmart into what it is today, low end products at dirt cheap cost and a working environment that is inhuman and a customer experience that is non existent.
My mom worked for Two Guys which closed and many years later I worked for Caldor. She wasn't happy when I got that job in HS :) I worked for the enemy.
Caldor became Target
@@dimitriberozny3729
No, target was established before Caldor went under. Target took some Caldor locations, but the two companies are different.
@@standardnerd9840how was working at Caldor ?
I remember Caldor, they had one in my hometown of Framingham, MA! When Caldor closed, they put in a WalMart at that location! I also remember Bradlee's, that was a great store, then it went out of business, and they put a Kohl's in it's place! There also was a Zayre in Natick, MA. which later changed it's name to Ames! There was also a Lechmere store in the Rte.30 Mall in Framingham, MA. that sold everything from soup to nuts, Cameras, Stereo Equipment, Police Scanners, Records & CD's, Sporting Goods, Firearms, then Lechmere sold out to Montgomery Ward, and all their stores closed! At the opposite end of the Rte.30 Mall was a Filene's Basement, my brother would go there and buy designer dress shirts cheap!
It only one saw and be to and was same thing to this one Swansea ,MA and former Swansea mall mini Walmart took it over then some years moved in the parking lot so big super Walmart which is open the mall is closed part of it self storage now
I have family in Framingham. We had Caldor, Zayre, and Ames in western MA too.
The two other malls in area one smaller abd bigger Swansea both are gone one air open plaza anyway Harbor mall Kmart and Bradlees which i when most as little kid 10 and one Caldor and Apex near it other and Sears on other end Zayre was in plazadown the street from Harbor mall was one of 3 them in area with kay bee toys in both malls
Spent so much of my youth going to RT. 9 and the "Golden Mile". Back when the wonderful real Shoppers World was still there. Not the blight on the landscape that occupies it now.
@@pmafterdark I remember RT.9 and the golden mile, my family moved to Framingham, MA. in May 1978 from North Cambridge, MA. When we first moved to Framingham in May 1978, there was a Howard Johnson's Restaurant on Rt.9, and I remember the Old Shopper's World with the Jordan Marsh that had the gold dome on top of it! I remember my mother and I going to the second floor in Jordan Marsh where they sold the linens, there was a counter that sold baked goods, we used to buy the most delicious macaroons! When I was growing up, we lived in a 5 room apartment on the second floor of a 3 family house at the corner of Mt. Pleasant and Walden St. in North Cambridge. As a little boy, I would hang out at the Garden St. Fire Station all day long almost to dinner time! My mother passed away in the house in Framingham, MA. on Christmas Day 2014 at 83 from Metastatic Colon Cancer, I miss her terribly! The house in Framingham was sold in August 2015 and I am now living in Southern California in a mobile home park in the Menifee/Sun City area. I wish I had stayed in Massachusetts, my neighbors that live across from me in the park, are extremely rude and a bunch of fucking assholes!
Bought my 1st record album with my own money at caldor. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by EJ. 😊 Thanks for the wonderful video
You have great taste in music!
I remember Caldor on Central Ave. in Yonkers.
I remember Caldor well, as a child, in Nanuet, NY. It was very much like Target.
Growing up in MA. I remember Caldors very well and used to enjoy going to their stores. I think of all the variety of stores we had back then, now it's basically down to Target, Walmart or Amazon. Pretty sad.
I used to go to the Caldor in Manchester, CT. Good memories!
Same here and if we were good we’d hit the MacDonalds afterwards!!
Yes!
i remember caldor wel, their was one less than a mile away from where i lived in salem, mass. loved going there for record shopping and casual clothes when i needed them. the stores were always cleaned and well maintained. i do miss this store, thanks for remembering another great company that sadly went under.
Thanks for doing Caldor. I suggested it a few weeks ago. I worked for them from 65-68. They carried nothing but first rate goods. Truly a class act. The May Company destroyed them. Friends of mine worked there then. May Company thought K-Mart was the most successful discount store, and tried to make Caldor like K-Mart. It became a junk shop. Very sad.
Thanks Again.
I have Rubbermaid containers that still have the Caldor price label on them in my basement. I grew up down the street from one.
I frequented the Manchester CT location. Loved the music department!
I didn’t know Manchester had one. I remember the one in Vernon at Tri-City plaza.
We used to shop at the Caldor in Norwalk CT all the time - it was a really nice store (at least the toy department) as I recall. I remember when they rebuilt the store after the fire. Really cool stone facade.
Yes! I'm from Norwalk and remember that store! My brother worked there in the 80s
@@donnamarsh3474 awesome! I was born at Norwalk hospital and grew up in New Canaan. I miss that area
@@kcindc5539 I lived in Silvermine!
I wonder if Silvermine Tavern is still around. That place was special.
@@JustinCase780 it is! I went there in 2019. It's a small deli now. Still good. Same building face.😊
First time hearing/learning about Caldor. I do so enjoy this account!
We used to buy our 45 rpm singles there, for 49 cents🙂
🤣No wonder we know every word to these songs. You only got one song. (we all know Side B was awful.)
And you always had to buy a couple of those plastic pieces to snap in the center of the 45 so you could play it on the record player!
I shopped at Caldor regularly, there were several locations throughout NJ.
Caldor in west Paterson NJ. 🤷🏼♂️
I remember the Caldor up on Boston Road on the Bronx/Pelham border. Great store
This is Wonderful!.Just what I was waiting for!.Thank You so much!.This video brings back so many great memories!.I used to work for a company that did business with all the NJ locations.Great and memorable times!.🤗✌️
thanks i loved how you showed the port chester ny caldor which was korvettes before they went under i grew up in byram ct on the the border with port chester shop at korvettes/caldor in port chester woolworths in greenwich bradleys in stamford and kings in norwalk. thanks for the memories.
My dearly departed Grandmother, took me there, in Waterbury, CT, on a Summer vacation trip. She bought me a great deal of clothes. I had never been to one before. It really was quite nice and clean. It reminded me of Service Merchandise, back home, at the time. Such a shame it closed down.
Still have a pair of winter boots I bought in 1999 right before closing. They still look brand new, but then again I only use them to shovel snow.
I remember going to Caldor when I was a kid. Wal*Mart didn't open in the area until a little over a year after Caldor closed. After it had been closed a few years my local store was renovated and became a Bob's Discount Furniture *gags*.
Thank you very much! I completely forgot about Caldor. I’m glad to have a long lost memory back!
First time I've heard of Caldor, but like many stores once they get acquired by another it starts going downhill. Local department store to Houston, Foleys, was bought out by May Dept stores and they were successful at running it into the ground. Foleys was founded in 1901 as Foley Brothers Dry Goods Co.
I remember going to caldor in the 80s & 90s on lincoln plaza in worcester mass as a kid great memories of the store.
We use to go to Caldor and Bradley's in Middletown, NY.
You know what's crazy? That Caldor is still abandoned in Middletown, NY. I filmed it in case you're interested in looking at it. I miss Caldor so much, they were my favorite retailer from back in the day. There was one in Morris Plains, NJ that turned into a Kohl's. I'll never forget going inside that one with my mom when they were liquidating the store in 1999, that was the only time I went to that Caldor but it was such a nice & unique store. I wish I had went there before many times when I was a kid!
@@TimurD1905 I looked at your video of the Caldor. Thanks so much for the memories. P.S. I don't think your old enough, but, the Caldor in Middletown, NY use to be a Whites department store that folded too. Can't believe the Caldor building is still empty after all these years.
@@chipdouglas5010 I know, that's crazy that it's been vacant for already 22 years! I would love to see another abandoned Caldor but I think that the one in Middletown, NY is the only one unfortunately.
I inherited screened in porch furniture from a parent. I have hauled these pieces thru 3 states at this point. Thee furniture came from Caldor. The 2 chaise lounge pieces are white plastic as the tables. Well it’s over 30 years old. When items were built to last. Sorry to hear they are no more. Never seems to progress when a company is bought out. New owners seem to run it in the ground. Am sure it was sad to the Bennett’s to see their hard work decline. Need to look at your videos, to see if you have done a segment on Two Guys.
We had one in our area growing up around the Philly/NJ area. But it closed down in '92 or '93. So everyone was going to Kmart, and then by late '93 early '94 Walmart came to our area. The Caldor building is still vacant to this day. They finally took the sign down back in '99 or 2000s. Either way there's alot of memories.
Didn't have one of these in Northern Ohio, but still interesting to to hear about this great business.
Keep on posting, I love your videos.
Went shopping there plenty of times with mom and dad. Brings back memories.
My first job in high school. Sunday only cashier.
My mom still has christmas dishes that she bought at caldor back in the late 80s early 90s, Nikko happy holidays .
Great content! Always love watching your videos!
I remember the Caldor here in Brighton, Massachusetts in the late 90s.
We used to joke that Caldor was a small principality strategically located between Gondor and Mordor.
I worked for Caldor Yonkers in the summer of 1983. It wasn't to my liking, but what did I know. I was a child of 17. I remember buying records there, especially "Synchronicity" by The Police.
This video brought back so many childhood memories for me. My mom and aunt would meet up every Saturday to window shop and shop, Caldor was the place we used to meet. I was always excited cause it meant I got to hangout with my cousin browsing the toy section. Shame how all these stores have disappeared.
I also love to see a video of Pic n Save 📲👍✨
Wow I remember Korvettes and Caldor and Landsbergs
Another great installment of RR, but I seem to remember Caldor from my on/off again in northern NJ in the 80s/90s, and EJ Korvettes I'll NEVER forget!
I remember them. I shopped here and Kmart often.
I found an old vintage caldor shopping cart 🛒 in the woods in back of my job just the other day. I plan on taking it.
Caldor was a major player in the Northeast, I worked for their chief competitor in the area, Bradlees. The two chains were extremely similar and competed for the exact same demographic. I always felt Bradlees was much more promotionally driven with splashy adversertising campaigns more similar to the top discounter in the area which was Zayre. The advertising and overall image of Caldor was more subtle. In addition, despite competing directly against each other, Bradlees and Caldor were more entrenched in key areas of the competitive Northeast corridor. Caldor had a stronger footprint in New York's Connecticut suburbs. Bradlees was stronger in the Greater Boston area. This could have had more to do with where both chains were headquartered with Caldor based in Norwalk, CT and Bradlees in Braintree, MA. Both chains were more evenly split in New Jersey and the area around Philly. Caldor embarked an aggressive expansion in the 90's building larger more expansive stores from the ground up. They're focus on remodeling existing stores was more lackluster. Bradlees in contrast focused on aggressively remodeling and retrofitting existing stores with no focus at all on building brand new stores from the ground up. I have to say that the brand new Caldor stores built in the 90's were really beautiful. They featured wider aisles, grand entrances, attractive merchandising, and were just visually appealing. The floors in these stores were so shiny white you could see your reflection. This being said, I thought Bradlees had more of a focus overall with Caldor's being more scattershot as May Department stores and subsequent owners were just very weak owners. Caldor featured two contrasting prototype stores: brand new shiny one's or older more outdated stores along the lines of Grant's or J.M. Fields, two chains Caldor acquired in the 70's. Sad to say that Caldor never quite made it to the millennium liquidating in 1999. Anyone growing up in the Northeast will have many memories of all these once great regional discounters, your retrospective of Caldor was nicely done.
Wow 107 subscribers. Let me sing your praises & get those numbers to increase.
107,000 subs.Not 107.
@@burtbacarach5034 I know, that’s what the Wow was for. wait & see😎.
Use to take the #70 bus with my mom to the Brighton, MA store, during the early ‘80s.
The one at hawley lane had a ramp nonstair escalator that people would place shopping carts on. If let go the cart could have flown down to the second bottom floor. Caldor was a frequent visit
.....that is what happens, when big Corporations buy out something that was built by the dream of an Individual ( in this case, the two of them ) and it is saddening. I was familiar with the store, only because I had extended Family living on the East Coast.
Well the individual should have SOLD it …it’s hard to buy something a person isn’t selling
Texas Stardust, you are absolutely correct, when big Corporations buy out something that was built by someone else they don't keep tabs on the store managers, assistant managers, and so called district managers because if they did they would find out they use their position to steal from them. If Carl and Dorothy had not sold, the store would have lasted a while longer. District managers and store managers have a way of asking stores to send "stuff" to personal addresses. Believe me I know, have seen it many times.
I was fortunate enough get to shop at Caldor in Danbury, Ct., back in the early 90's.
I bought my first album there also, Frampton Comes Alive at the Hamden CT store in 1977
Enfield, CT had one off Elm St. It was a Grant's before that. Last I knew it was a Kohl's.
I worked in the Photo department lots of quality products. That Enfield store was full of interesting things to buy. Nice to work for them.
I remember Caldors in Rocky Hill, CT, where WalMart is now.
I was watching the Bradlys episode, and thought to myself I hope you do caldor and the next day it showed up in my feed!
I worked for Caldor in Newburgh, New York in 1987. It was my first seasonal job.
I liked the Caldor in Somerdale New Jersey. Probably in the 1990's. It was always clean and had good prices.
Caldor in Kingston NY was our go Friday store..
That shot at 2:32 is East Brook Mall in North Windham, CT. The Papa Gino's is still there (possibly the last one in CT?), the Caldor store is currently a Kohls and was an Ames for a few short years before they too went out of business.
Thanks for the Caldor update. I was just wondering if you ever remembered them after watching another of your video. Must be “kismet”! Always loved shopping at Caldor.
We shopped at the Caldor in Old Saybrook, CT when I was little, back in the 1980s. Walmart took over the space after it closed around 2000.
I used to shop at the Caldors on 34th Street in NYC.😊😍
4:52 Another blast the past... Pergament
I remember going to both stores in east Patchogue , NY. There's a Lowe's home improvement store there now.
Never heard of this store, however, wonderful video.
Caldor was my first experience with a “box” type store. I grew up in Norwalk, but don’t remember the store there burning down, but I was young.
I remember that location did get a fancy new remodel at some point, maybe it was the fire. I think we’ve all seen that all retailers have a life cycle and are not resistant to changes in consumer preference and competition. Any business vulnerable to eventual failure. You can blame it whatever you like, but businesses aren’t meant to last forever, because people are fickle.
I grew up in Norwalk too...good memories
The fire happened in the early 1960's. Caldor expanded into the old bowling alley next door and the Chinese restaurant was also there.
I miss going to Uncle Joe's Restauant on 123 for pizza and Greek salad.
@@JustinCase780 Uncle Joe's is still there going strong on Rt 123.
A couple places just moved to different store fronts but still there except for Rite Aid (which used to be the bowling alley) A consolidation sale with Walgreens was suppose to happen and it didn't... that particular location was collateral damage to the goof up sale. I miss that Rite Aid always nicely stocked.
The biggest thing to happen was the liquor store next to Fairfield County Bank was sold and demolished and became the banks new drive thru window.
I also loved going to Duchess and DQ.
My best friend and I use to ride there on our bikes. Also, miss the old Jet Variety down the road where we you use to buy wacky packs and pop rocks! So, much has chain there over the years. My wife and I moved to Ohio for her job, but we were in Norwalk for around ten or eleven years on Wolfpit road near Stew Leonard’s. My wife really grew up in Stamford, but I always loved Norwalk. Miss all that from childhood. I went to Honeyhill Elemetary, which no longer exists.
I LOVED THAT STORE SORRY IT CLOSED I ALSO LOVED KORVETTS
I'm pretty sure I went to a Caldor as a kid. Think there was one in either Quincy or Braintree, MA.
Caldor had a selection of the three-button Henley shirts one year and I bought one of each color: about a dozen, November 1988. I recall wearing (and wearing-out) those Henleys through the mid-'90s. The location was on Route 1 in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
I used to work in one at Chicopee Massachusetts. Good times!
Fairfield mall chicopee..good times!
First time I ever heard of this store"!
There were always plenty of department stores to choose from. Calder was always my favorite. It was the atmosphere. I don’t know how they did it. From the moment I walked in I became relaxed. I found the store soothing, even my babies did. I will always miss Calder. Another store is in their place now and I shop there, it can’t be replicated.
i was in my sophomore years when the store was closed down. I never knew our heard of it, but then again, I was a teen and I dont think there was even one of those store in my State at the time. Its interesting how this store became big when I was born and gone when I am in my sophomore years in high school. Wish I could have gone and visit it.
Fantastic store. It's missed
Headquarters was Norwalk CT
Caldor Plaza was down the street from HQ on Rt 7. They built their brand new building in West Norwalk 1982 called Darinor Plaza now Kohl's.
The HQs became condos and Wal-Mart took over Rt 7.
They had stores all over Fairfield County and Westchester County NY.
It was on CT Ave, if I recall correctly they had a Nathan's food restaurant right as you walk in. Loved that store.
@@Soul-cry1 that’s the one. Loved that store
@@kcindc5539 They had a bradlee right down the street which is now a Walmart, but they were never as good as caldor.
Grew up in Norwalk...loved Caldor
@@Soul-cry1 It was Bradlees and Stop & Shop now WalMart and Home Goods.
Vallerie Trucking (family business) was across the street and the trailer park
Pay and Save dept store, I remember. I also remember Ernest hardware. Ames dept store I remember as well. Long gone are those days
Wait a sec🤔...I think I do remember them after all🤗. They just came and went so fast in my area briefly in the 80s.
I used to go to the Caldor in Chicopee MA Fairfield Mall.
THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO
We had both a Bradlees and a Caldor in Danbury Ct. They closed at about the same time. I vaguely remember the Xmas catalog controversy.
My brother worked at Caldor in Enfield, CT, now the site of a Kohl's.
Wowwwwwww! Blast from the past!
I remember Caldor (and Pergament - on a sign at 4:23) being in Bethpage, NY in the 1970s and 80s. My Mom bought lots of our school supplies there for my brother and I and probably home decor items. I bought some curtains and rods there, maybe some towels and bedding that were good. But then I bought some baby clothes in 1985 for my daughter and said "no more." The quality was crap (rough, scratchy material no matter how many times I washed it) and I preferred Carters so much better.
I remember the store going downhill in the late 80s and 90s. Sad to see such a well-built successful business run into the ground after several corporate takeovers and competition.
Caldor was a very good store back in the 70s and 80s, with all the individual Connecticut stores I had shopped in (Waterford, Groton, Norwich, and Old Saybrook) being equivalent. They indeed carried name brand merchandise and it was always a nice place to shop. Likewise for Bradlees, another north-east centered department store that was maybe a little under Caldor in quality but was also a nice place to shop and was hard to beat in price on many everyday items. Both chains seemed to go out about the same time. Within just a few months of the very large newly built Caldor in Waterford CT closing (it was only open for 3-4 years), it was razed and replaced by a Lowes. The Bradlees store in New London became a Burlington Coat Factory, and the one in Groton became a Kohls. We have recently lost our local Sears and Macy's, and before that our Jordan Marsh and Filenes stores. So what do we have now? Three Walmart stores within 12 miles of each other, a Target, and a JC Penny (and who knows how much longer that will survive). A slew of other stores have also gone under locally like Gap, Toys R Us, several bookstores, and the like. Is there any wonder why there is so much business for online stores like Amazon, Zappos, etc.? My street is abuzz with UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and USPS delivery trucks 7 days a week dropping off packages as a result.
I got most of my records, LPs and 45s at the Caldor in Derby.
I bought a Sega Master System at Caldor in (I think) 1992. It was a brand new Base System, on sale for $19.99. I still have not opened it, since I already had the Power Base Convertor at the time.
Time stamp 1:23 thru 1:30 and again at 3:36 thru 3:44 That looks exactly like Connecticut Ave Caldor's built in 1982 Norwalk, CT.
Caldor and grocery store Finest were the anchor stores with Hallmark card shop, ThomMcan shoes, pizza shop and a couple of other stores and Wendy's restaurant.
Caldor's became Kohl's, Finest became Edwards then empty for years then Old Navy now it's a Party Time store. Wendy's is still there along with the pizza shop. ThomMcan is gone. The owners of the property built a Town Fair Tire in the '90s, in the last 5 years a Starbucks and Bank of America drive up ATM now occupy part of the parking lot.
Used to shop at Caldor's also in Mass
Met my wife @ Caldor....27 years and still going!
I bought my first VCR there for over $500. I had one of the first in southern Connecticut.
We didn’t have these in the Midwest.
We had a number of Caldor stores near us in CT. It and Bradlees were CT staples; strongly valued by the state and local towns, which resisted Walmart's attempts to open stores here. I often looked through Caldor catalogs trying to pick out what to ask for for Christmas. However, Caldor (and Bradlees) stores, formerly clean and modern became dated, disorganized and dirty by the mid 90's. Once they closed, Walmart swept in and occupied many former Caldor locations. Walmart essentially had the same things, at similar prices, in a nicer shopping environment.
I remember shopping at Caldor in the 1970's when I lived in the northeast
I actually still have a porcelin doll from Caldor to this day : )