Building 19
Encyclopedia
Building #19 is a chain of discount store
s in New England
. The store is well-known throughout New England for selling items at drastically discounted prices, although the items are oftentimes factory irregulars or damaged in some other way. The store capitalizes on the hardships of other retailers, obtaining most of its merchandise from fire sales, overstocks, customs seizures, liquidations, and bankruptcy
courts.
, where the buildings were numbered, and the store retained the nondescript name on the building rather than pay for a new sign. In the 1980s, the original Building #19 moved to the former GEM (Government Employee Merchandise) building on Derby Street in Hingham, Massachusetts and later opened a store Building #19 1/8 in the old Stewarts store in the Harborlight Mall on Rt 3A in Weymouth, Massachusetts, later that store closed to build a Lowe's Store. The main store Building #19 moved from Derby Street in Hingham and is currently situated back in Weymouth at the old Caldor/Zayre's/Ames building on Route 18. (Ellis noted at one point he had been fired from GEM before he became part of Building #19,
and that his flagship store later bought the property. "America is a great country!," he added.
In 2002, Building #19 bought out Spag's
and turned it into Spag's 19.
Each Building #19 location offers free coffee
with "free fake cream." Signs near the free coffee stand warn customers not to make fun of the poor quality of the coffee, because "someday you'll be old and weak too." Their price guarantee awards a bottle of "Chateau du Cheapo" champagne if a competitor beats their price.
Jerry has two daughters (each owns a part of the business) and a son, Bill, who is the president of Building #19.
In 2006, Building #19 put a cartoon in their President's Day advertising flier showing A-shirts labeled as being "Wife-Beater" shirts. Building #19 was criticized and promptly apologized. A flier two years later poked fun at the 2006 controversy and was similarly criticized.
The main Building #19 store is located in Weymouth, Massachusetts
; other stores have a fraction
appended to their name (such as Building 19½, in Burlington
or Building #19¾, in Norwood
).
Discount store
A discount store is a type of department store, which sells products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets. Most discount department stores offer a wide assortment of goods; others specialize in such merchandise as jewelry, electronic equipment, or electrical appliances...
s in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The store is well-known throughout New England for selling items at drastically discounted prices, although the items are oftentimes factory irregulars or damaged in some other way. The store capitalizes on the hardships of other retailers, obtaining most of its merchandise from fire sales, overstocks, customs seizures, liquidations, and bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
courts.
History
Jerry Ellis (born Gerald Elovitz) founded the original store with the late Harry Andler when the two joined together to sell a stock of appliances. The original Building #19 was located at the former Hingham shipyardHingham Naval Ammunition Depot
The Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot, is a former United States Navy ammunition depot located in Hingham, Massachusetts. At its peak, it employed over 2,400 people. It also consisted of 90 buildings at that time.-History:...
, where the buildings were numbered, and the store retained the nondescript name on the building rather than pay for a new sign. In the 1980s, the original Building #19 moved to the former GEM (Government Employee Merchandise) building on Derby Street in Hingham, Massachusetts and later opened a store Building #19 1/8 in the old Stewarts store in the Harborlight Mall on Rt 3A in Weymouth, Massachusetts, later that store closed to build a Lowe's Store. The main store Building #19 moved from Derby Street in Hingham and is currently situated back in Weymouth at the old Caldor/Zayre's/Ames building on Route 18. (Ellis noted at one point he had been fired from GEM before he became part of Building #19,
and that his flagship store later bought the property. "America is a great country!," he added.
In 2002, Building #19 bought out Spag's
Spag's
Spag's was, from 1934 to 2004, a discount department store on Route 9 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. The store was considered an early pioneer of discount retailing and was notable for its longtime resistance to accepting charge cards and offering plastic shopping bags and shopping carts...
and turned it into Spag's 19.
Corporate culture
The chain is known for its often self-deprecating humor, both in their advertising and throughout their stores. Their weekly circulars often feature caricatures of founder Jerry Ellis with a number of sarcastic captions, many of which are repeated in their in-store advertising.Each Building #19 location offers free coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
with "free fake cream." Signs near the free coffee stand warn customers not to make fun of the poor quality of the coffee, because "someday you'll be old and weak too." Their price guarantee awards a bottle of "Chateau du Cheapo" champagne if a competitor beats their price.
Jerry has two daughters (each owns a part of the business) and a son, Bill, who is the president of Building #19.
In 2006, Building #19 put a cartoon in their President's Day advertising flier showing A-shirts labeled as being "Wife-Beater" shirts. Building #19 was criticized and promptly apologized. A flier two years later poked fun at the 2006 controversy and was similarly criticized.
The main Building #19 store is located in Weymouth, Massachusetts
Weymouth, Massachusetts
The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth...
; other stores have a fraction
Fraction
In common usage a fraction is any part of a unit.Fraction may also mean:*Fraction , one of more equal parts of something, eg...
appended to their name (such as Building 19½, in Burlington
Burlington, Massachusetts
Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
or Building #19¾, in Norwood
Norwood, Massachusetts
Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,602. The community was named after Norwood, England...
).
External links
- Building #19
- Mat Brown (cartoonist for the Building #19 fliers)