Building 19
Building #19½ in Burlington, Massachusetts in April 2010
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| Industry | Discount retail |
|---|---|
| Fate | Bankruptcy; 2 stores reopened as "The Rug Department" |
| Founded | Hingham, Massachusetts (1964) |
| Founder | Jerry Ellis (born Gerald Elovitz) Harry Andler |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Hingham, Massachusetts, United States |
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Number of locations
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10 stores (2013) |
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Area served
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New England |
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Key people
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William Elovitz (President) |
| Revenue | $79.2m (2013) |
| Website | www |
Building #19 was a chain of discount stores in New England that operated from 1964 until they declared bankruptcy in 2013. At the time of their bankruptcy they closed all 13 stores. The same family that owned the chain later reopened two of the former locations as a part of a new business, The Rug Department, that was limited to rugs and related merchandise.
The closeout stores had been known throughout New England for selling an eclectic assortment of items at drastically discounted prices, as well as self-effacing advertising that made fun of the founder, Jerry Ellis. Many of the items were factory irregulars, discontinued models, post-expiration-date, damaged, or less than perfect in some other way, but some new merchandise was offered as well. The stores capitalized on the quick cash flow needs of other businesses, obtaining most of their merchandise from fire sales, , customs seizures, liquidations, and bankruptcy courts.
Jerry Ellis (born Gerald Elovitz) founded the original store in 1964 with Harry Andler (now deceased), when the two joined together to sell a stock of appliances. The original Building #19 was located at the former Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard, where the buildings were numbered, and the store retained the nondescript name on the building rather than pay for a new sign. Harry Andler was doing surplus and salvage business in the shipyard for several years. The unique combination of Ellis' advertising flair and Andler's expertise in finding and buying distressed merchandise accounts for the early success of the business. Aldler bought "good stuff cheap" and Ellis let everyone know about it with amusing advertising.
In 1971, when the windows began to fall out of the John Hancock Tower in Boston, Jerry and Harry were offered, and bought the defective window panels that were scheduled to be replaced. This got the company national press and attention.
In 1979, retailers Building #19 and Bloomingdales both appeared as contrasting locations in the movie Starting Over, starring Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, Jill Clayburgh, and Charles Durning. The movie was directed by Alan Pakula.
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Wikipedia