| Type | Department store |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics and housewares. |
| Website | www.c21stores.com |
Century 21 is a chain of department stores in the northeastern United States. There are stores located in Long Island/Westbury (NY), Brooklyn (NY), Morristown (NJ), and Paramus (NJ), but the largest location is in Lower Manhattan, across the street from the World Trade Center site.[1] A new location was opened in Fall 2009 in Rego Park, Queens (NY).
The Century 21 department store chain is a separate company unrelated to the nationwide real estate firm Century 21, and pre-dates them by ten years.
The company was founded in 1961, the original store being located at 472 86th Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The Century 21 flagship location is in Lower Manhattan. The store became an emotional flashpoint during and after the 9/11 Terrorist attacks. The store was evacuated after the first plane hit the World Trade Center, and the interior was heavily damaged from the collapse of the twin towers.
Initially it was not certain that the store would be rebuilt, but the owners opted to remain at the same site and the store was renovated and reopened in the summer of 2002. Thousands of people waited hours on the morning of the reopening so they could have a sales receipt from that day.[2][3]