Cryptic Message From Ames Suggests Store Is Rising From the Ashes

A cryptic message appeared on the Ames Department Stores website last week:

“Ames Department Stores Inc is returning in Spring 2023. Please keep an eye on this website for announcements on which locations are opening first!”

That's right, Ames, the store that disappeared from the American retail landscape years ago.

The page, bare except for that announcement and the Ames logo, links to a LinkedIn page for the store, which states the reopening is a "project by Molyneux Group, the owners of Bradlees Department Stores PLC."

Little other information seems to be available, begging a lot of questions. Among them: Where is Ames opening? When is Ames opening? Is Ames really opening?

Anyone who recalls the green and white Ames sign on Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth understands Ames was the place to find curtains and miscellaneous household items. Although it's unclear if the SouthCoast will be one of the beneficiaries of the supposed reopening, we do know it appears the company has found a spark to reignite.

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Ames started in Southbridge in the 1950s, growing to more than 700 stores nationwide. Unfortunately, financial troubles led to its decline about 20 years ago.

Bradlees saw a similar decline in the early 2000s.

The message on the Ames website has gotten a lot of people buzzing about the possibilities and asking questions. It remains to be seen what will come of the announcement.

Your move, Ames.

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