fˈaʊndᵻd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹtiːn, ðə tʃˈeɪn ɡɹˈuː tə mˈoːɹ ðɐn twˈɛnti stˈoːɹz æɾ ɪts pˈiːk, ɡɹˈædʒuːəli klˈoʊzɪŋ sˌʌm stˈoːɹz ɪnðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti z ænd sˈɛlɪŋ ˈʌðɚz tʊ ˈeɪmz bᵻfˌoːɹ fˈaɪnəli klˈoʊzɪŋ kəmplˈiːtli ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd.
Founded in 1914, the chain grew to more than twenty stores at its peak, gradually closing some stores in the 1990s and selling others to Ames before finally closing completely in 2000.