time, opening a large location at Cermak Plaza in Berwyn, Illinois in 1957. When company President James Stephen Mack (son of John Sephus Mack) died in 1968, the chain was up to 511 stores. In 1970, it opened its first large scale store, branded as "Murphy's Mart" in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The stores were similar in size and concept to Kmart, and were often located in suburbs. By 1980, they had grown to 448 stores. Changes and suspension of business In April 1985, the company was acquired by Ames Department Stores Inc. for $48 per share. Ames rebranded many of the larger "Murphy's Mart" stores. In 1989, Ames sold the G. C. Murphy and Bargain World divisions to E-II Holdings, parent of McCrory's, in order to help offset debt incurred during their recent acquisition of Zayre. The McCrory's chain filed for bankruptcy in 1992, closed many of their stores (including former G.C. Murphy's outlets) in 1997, and ceased its remaining operations in 2002. Current activities Although the stores ceased business operations some time ago, the chain's foundation, the G.C. Murphy Foundation, is still in existence. Retirees and former employees of the stores have a volunteer organization that allows them to keep in touch. In 2005, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Murphy Foundation had commissioned a writer to compile the G.C. Murphy Company's history. That history, titled For the Love of Murphy's: The Behind-the-Counter Story of a Great American Retailer, by Jason Togyer, was published in 2008 by Pennsylvania State University Press. References External links Website featuring history of G.C. Murphy chain (source for much of this article) About G.C. Murphy's G.C.Murphy Memories Defunct discount stores of the United States Five and dimes Retail companies disestablished in 1985 Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania McCrory Stores Retail companies established in 1906 1906 establishments in Pennsylvania 1985 disestablishments in Pennsylvania