Otasco was a retail chain specializing in auto parts and appliances based in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...

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It was first established in 1918 by three Jewish Lithuanian immigrant brothers, Sam (1898–1939), Maurice (1891–1970), and Herman (1889–1971) Sanditen, who opened the first Otasco store in Okmulgee

Okmulgee, Oklahoma

Okmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek...

. The company moved its headquarters to Tulsa in 1925. In 1960, the McCrory Corporation

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...

 bought the company. In 1968, the chain had 455 units in 12 states. In 1984, the firm's employees bought the company from McCrory, creating one of the largest employee-owned companies

Employee-owned corporation

An employee share ownership plan is the practice of companies giving staff members shares in their company as part of their salary....

 in America.http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/O/OT004.html In 1988, the retail chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy which resulted in the closing of 170 stores across 11 states and the loss of 1,600 jobs.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEEDD1F39F93BA35752C1A96E948260

As of 2008, an Otasco was still apparently operating in Beaver

Beaver, Oklahoma

Beaver is a town in and the county seat of Beaver County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,515. The town is host to the annual World Cow Chip Throwing Championship.-History:...

, Oklahoma.http://www.beavercountychamberofcommerce.com/memberdirectory.htm Borger, Texas, also has a store operating under the Otasco name in 2009. http://local.yahoo.com/info-19444020-otasco-borger