An Update on the Return of Ames Department Stores to New England
Just after the holidays – a time when New Englanders reminisce about our favorite stores of yesteryear – we were treated with something of a retail surprise: Ames was coming back.
Supposedly. Yours truly remained skeptical, especially after a back-and-forth with Ames’ alleged PR rep left me with more answers than questions.
But, I was surprised once more to receive another e-mail from Shannon de Molyneux, who lists herself as the President of Cross Moline Ventures, the company behind the (alleged) Ames revival.
Shannon provided the link to Ames’ new website, launched to coincide with announcements regarding the chain’s new locations.
The site will reportedly launch in full on February 25, allowing customers to order from home. According to the site:
“Customers can order products from a wide range of categories including clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, toys, electronics and housewares.”
Ames also promises same day delivery if customers order before 5 pm.
That sounds great. Just one thing: take a close look at the URL for the “official” Ames website by clicking here.
With all due respect to Cross Moline Ventures, I can’t recall a major retailer having the word “blog” in its URL link. Again, I’m left with more questions than answers by Ames.
Still, feel free to scroll down and check out the FAQs. You can even leave a comment or question of your own (like, “Why is this a blog?”).
Along with stores such as Rich’s and Bradlees, Ames was a New England staple in the '80s and '90s before closing down – we thought – for good.