J.M. Fields was a discount department store chain based in Salem, Massachusetts. Fields expanded rapidly in the early 1960s from a regional New England enterprise, opening stores along the entire Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Florida. Food Fair Corporation purchased the growing J.M. Fields business in 1961, and in 1965 the Fields home office was moved from Boston to Food Fair corporate headquarters in Philadelphia.
The original name of these stores was Enterpirse Stores in the early 1900's and was founded by Phillip Feldman of Boston area, Massachusetts. The name J. M. Fields came about when his son Joseph Feldman was meeting with some of their partners in a hotel room in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. In the 1950's. The son took over the stores in the early 1950s and saw the need for expansion from 20 stores along the eastern seaboard of the USA. By 1961, there were approximately fifty stores and the newest stores were built in conjunction with Food Fair Stores. Most of these newer stores were built around large parking lots, the first of that kind, similar to today's popular shopping configurations. Something most people don' t know about the naming of these stores, which came from Joseph M. Feldman who decided to use a name not aligned with any political, cultural, religious, or country culture. It was true USA style marketing.
Most new J.M. Fields stores were built adjacent to Food Fair's grocery stores and the two were in fact connected, making J.M. Fields the first true "supercenter" of its time. Customers could walk from the department store directly into the grocery store without having to go outside. J.M. Fields featured a mix of merchandise found in most of today's modern-day discount retailers such as housewares, clothing, sporting goods, electronics, and lawn and garden. Many locations had a free-standing automotive center in the parking lot.
When parent company Food Fair filed for bankruptcy in 1978, all J.M. Fields and Pantry Pride stores ceased operations and were shuttered. Many former J.M. Fields locations in the Northeast became either Kmart, Jefferson Ward (later Bradlees), or Caldor ifitystores. Kmart also took over many Southern stores.