Two Guys

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Two Guys
Fate Liquidation
Successor Vornado Realty Trust
Founded Harrison, New Jersey, 1946
Defunct 1982
Location Harrison, New Jersey
Industry Retail
Products Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, toys, sporting goods, electronics, housewares, hardware, automotive, appliances, and food.
Key people Herbert Hubschman, Co-founder
Sidney Hubschman, Co-founder

Two Guys was a discount store primarily operating in the New York metropolitan area and headquartered in northern New Jersey until the early 1980s. It was founded in 1946 in Harrison, New Jersey by brothers Sidney and Herbert Hubschman as Two Guys from Harrison. The company originally sold major appliances such as televisions. [1]

Contents

[edit] History

In 1959, the company acquired O.A. Sutton Corp., manufacturers of electric fans, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers. The merged company was renamed Vornado, Inc., after O.A. Sutton's Vornado line of appliances. At its peak, there were more than 100 Two Guys locations nationwide, including Upstate New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, and Maryland.[1]

As Vornado's commercial fortunes declined throughout the mid-to-late 1970s, they began selling off Two Guys stores to various companies. In late 1980, Vornado (later renamed to Vornado Realty Trust) was acquired by Interstate Properties, Inc. after Interstate won a proxy fight. Interstate began the process of liquidating its Two Guys outlets, which had posted a loss of $20 million for the first half of 1981.[1]

Many locations originally included a discount store with a supermarket, as well as complete Hardware, Major appliance, and Automotive Service departments. The Two Guys Supermarkets were full sized "stores within a store", and they competed directly with large Supermarket chains like A & P and ShopRite. Trading stamps like S&H Green Stamps were popular Supermarket promotions into the early 1980's, and Two Guys Supermarkets had its own private label trading stamps. Completed books of Two Guys trading stamps could then be tuned in for merchandise credit slips that could be used in any non-food Two Guys Department. The Supermarkets used the tag line, "Two Guys, The Super, Supermarket", while the main store used the tag line "We Save Money For You, Naturally". The store in East Hanover, New Jersey even had an attached liquor store with bar. It was succeeded by developer Vornado Realty Trust, which developed – and in many cases still owns – the land on which Two Guys stores once stood. In Middletown, New Jersey, a Two Guys on Highway 35 operated for many years within sight of the "Evil Clown of Middletown"; it later became a Bradlees.

One of the chains more unusual operations was its outlet in downtown Newark, New Jersey. This location was originally the flagship of the Kresge-Newark department store, and for a brief time Chase-Newark. Two Guys operated on 4 floors of this building (later 3), and operated this store more like a traditional department store. Two Guys continued to maintain display windows, revolving doors and other touches of a traditional downtown department store. This location also included an in-store dining room, The Rainbow Cafeteria. This store opened in 1967, and remained until the chains liquidation.

Bernard Marcus, one of the founders of Home Depot, began his retail career when he convinced the Hubschmans to let him operate the cosmetics concession at a Two Guys store in Totowa, New Jersey. He eventually was put in charge of first sporting goods and the major appliance department for the entire company, controlling over $1 billion dollars in sales. He left the company after it was sold to outside investors following Herbert Hubschman's death.

Two Guys store, Middletown, NJ. 1977.
Two Guys store, Middletown, NJ. 1977.

[edit] Former Locations

New Jersey

New York (additional locations needed):

Connecticut (additional locations needed):

California (additional locations needed):

  • Anaheim Located at Harbor and Chapman. Now a Target Store.
  • Goleta Located at Storke Rd. and Hollister Ave. Now a K-Mart Store.
  • Huntington Beach California. Located on Brookhurst and Adams, now Target.
  • Long Beach Located on Bellflower Blvd. in the Los Altos Shopping Center. Later became a FedMart. Now a Target Store.
  • Torrance Located on Sepulveda Blvd. adjacent to the Del Amo Fashion Center. Now a Target Store.
  • Manhattan Beach, CA Sepulveda Bl. and Manhattan Beach BL. (Now a Target)

Maryland (additional locations needed):

Massachusetts (additional locations needed):

Pennsylvania (additional locations needed):

! Other states and locations needed.

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links