Interstate Department Stores, Inc was originally an American chain of small department stores, but soon became a holding company.

History

Interstate was a small chain of department stores. Soon in the late 1950s, the president Sol Cantor decided to acquire the two-store White Front

White Front

White Front was a chain of discount stores in Southern California and the western United States from 1959 through the mid-1970s. They were noted for the architecture of their store fronts which was an enormous, sweeping archway with the store name spelled out in individual letters fanned across the...

 appliance chain. The plan was to make White Front a discount chain instead. A year later, Interstate bought the Topps Department Stores discount chain for $4 million. By 1963, White Front had 11 stores. Interstate managed the discount chains, opening more stores. In 1967, Interstate acquired Children's Supermart. By 1968, there were 60 Topps, 28 White Fronts, 32 department stores, and eight toy superstores. In the 1970s, sales dropped and Interstate closed several stores. In 1974, Interstate tried to acquire the variety and discount chains owned by McCrory Stores

McCrory Stores

J.G. McCrory's or McCrory Stores was a chain of five and dime stores in the United States based in York, Pennsylvania. The stores typically sold shoes, clothing, housewares, fabrics, penny candy, toys, cosmetics, and often included a lunch counter or snack bar...

, but failed. Soon, Interstate filed for 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....

. Soon, all White Front stores closed, with most being converted to Two Guys

Two Guys

Two Guys was a discount store primarily operating in the New York City metropolitan area and headquartered in northern New Jersey until the early 1980s. It was founded in 1946 in Harrison, New Jersey by brothers Sidney Hubschman and Herbert Hubschman as Two Guys from Harrison...

. There only chain left, Toys "R" Us, was decided to become the core business. In 1978, Charles Lazarus (founder of Toys "R" Us) took over, and the company was renamed Toys "R" Us Corporation. The company was acquired by Vornado Realty Trust

Vornado Realty Trust

Vornado Realty Trust is a New York based real estate investment trust. It is the inheritor of real estate formerly controlled by companies including Two Guys and Alexander's.- History :...

 in 2005, former owner of Two Guys.

Chains

• Interstate Department Stores
• White Front
  White Front
  White Front was a chain of discount stores in Southern California and the western United States from 1959 through the mid-1970s. They were noted for the architecture of their store fronts which was an enormous, sweeping archway with the store name spelled out in individual letters fanned across the...
  
  
• Topps Department Stores
• Toys "R" Us