A department store once though long dead could be making a comeback in 2023 if a website’s message is legit.
Amesstores.com has a message on it that says, “Ames Department Stores, Inc is returning in Spring 2023. Please keep an eye on this website for announcements on which locations are opening first!”
Started in Southbridge, Massachusetts in 1958, Ames went out of business in 2022.
Many blamed the liquidation on the rise of Walmart.
22 stores were operating in southwestern Pennsylvania, including locations in Butler, Cranberry, Robinson Township, Irwin, McKeesport and other areas, employing nearly 1,000 people when the chain went out of business.
The Ames brand is reportedly currently owned by real estate investor group Molyneux.
No other details are available at this time.
Department stores like Ames and Hills have a special place in the memory of many around Pittsburgh.
If Ames is coming back, it will make some shoppers happy, but it’s very possible the announcement could be a prank.
Some former Ames employees share memories on a Facebook page called Ames Stores Alumni.