Our video tour of an abandoned Ames Department store in Pa, Please subscribe, and share, and consider becoming a Patreon donor www.patreon.com/acesadventures
Omg i just saw me in this video. I was the kid in the white shirt with a shaved head. Holy throw back. Kings was taken over by ames in my town like 35 years ago and when ames left ocean state job lot took that over . But it still has that ames look to it. Its in naugatuck ct. There was one in seymour that had a grand opening and the next month a going out of business sale .it was open for less than a year . Like six months. Thanks for playing that commercial. It was cool as f*** to see myself . I never saw it before.
Still really miss this store! I have great memories of going to my local Ames from when I was little in the early 90's to the early 2000's when I was a teenager. My parents and I especially went there quite often around 1999, 2000, and 2001. They always had awesome bargains! I also loved the 80's feel of the store, and that was always part of its charm for me. I'd go there over Walmart any day if they were still around!
Do you have one of those google, apple or Amazon speaker always online things? Even if not our gadget's such as our phone's and tablets and to some degree smart TVs spy on us. This is why I keep my phone deep in a drawer I don't need government and corporate america knowing everything I'm thinking or saying.
@@appalachianwoman561 no I only have my iPhone. Siri turned off. There is no way around it besides an old flip phone. These days, WE are the product while corporations sell our data.
ajfrules is awesome 2005 I was born in 04, but I grew up in the 1990’s because we only had 1990’s things when I was a kid old crt TVs, vhs tapes, cassette tapes, and the cool 1996 Gateway 2000 P5 200 the only pc we had. Old 1990’s cars. I really miss the 1995 neon. Lots of memories with my dad.
Growing up in Pennsylvania I went to Ames, Hills and Jamesway all the time as a kid. Brings back tons of memories seeing these old stores and hearing you mentioning Hills and Jamesway as well.
My grandma shopped at Ames ALL the time. She even got a job there for a hot second for but she, in my grandfathers words, “Spent more damn money with her discount than she was making.” I was there A LOT with my grandma but I only vividly remember that the Barbie isle was at the front, left of the store. Thanks for the nostalgia :)
Ames was very prolific around where I grew up in Western MA. They were in lots of communities large and small. We shopped in there a lot when I was growing up but honestly by the time I hit high school (late 90s), it was considered extremely low class and looked it. But needless to say, it was very sad when they closed down. These days I would totally shop in there if it was still open.
Sv 2016 Same here. I remember the local Ames, which slightly outlasted local Caldors. Got my first mountain bike at Caldors. Before Hampshire Mall remodeled and Target moved in, it housed the best Kmart ever. Kmart everywhere is now junk, the few that are left anyway. I imagine JCPenny will fall shortly after Sears Corp does, losing JCP will actually make me sad. My parents did back to school shopping with me at JCP every year until I was an uninterested teen, I still take advantage of the sales and photos for my kids there. Macys was always too expensive for my taste, great place for combining sales with coupons for quality items though.
David Masse Yes. I remember those stores & in Columbus,Ind. there was a store called Shoppers Fair. Abt like those dept stores & it went out of business long ago too. There was a Hills in Columbus also.
Shirley Harrison I was born and raised in Seymour, Indiana. I remeber Hills and Ames. It was where the new Target is now and my dad had to get the pretzels every time.
The Mighty Ducks winter jacket on the kid dates this as late 1993 at the earliest. Those kids look 10-11, so they're probably mid-30s, Probably 34-35 as of this post.
@Rich Kocon I grew up in East Texas and I remember going to Montgomery Wards and Service Merchandise a lot. Montgomery Wards had a stand-alone store there (as opposed to Sears and JC Penney, which are anchor stores in the local mall since 1978). Service Merchandise was my go-to place to get watches back in the 1990s; I also remember the electronics and computers they had there back then (I bought my first Nintendo Game Boy there also and this was pre-Pokemon).
That little boy who tries to hide from the camera in the opening was the best part! I remember Ames very well. They had great nachos! I rather miss our Ames these days.
This is incredible. I have been in a couple old Ames stores and I always fantasized that I would find some old Hills items that somehow managed to stick around. I also love the old Hills snack bar!
Hills is where the toys are! Every Christmas, my brother would sing that jingle....The free popcorn when you'd walk in.. and growing up poor it was our only way for back to school clothes & Xmas with lay-away.
I love going to HILLS as a child because they had a theater style snack bar where you could buy popcorn and drinks, and when AMES bought them they kept it. Man, I do miss that place. Now the building is a Gabe's which still cool but not the same, plus snack bar is gone
I remember Ames, my mom stood in line for hours to get me the Optimus Prime truck transformer for Christmas one year. Even have a buddy that worked there for a small period of time..lol Good memories. Bought most of my Garbage pail kid collection there as well 25cents a pack.
From what I remember, Ames was generally kind of a lower class department store and became more like K-Mart in its final years (run down, old stock still for sale, poor customer service.)
Mud Mower Regulators if only you knew! Well, you might know if you've worked there, I don't know lol! I worked for Kmart Pharmacy for a month before they put me in charge of the self check-out machines. The pharmacist was a nut case and I wanted OUT! Day #3 of working there we got meds, while she checked them she saw Humulin PENS instead of vials and flipped out. We're talking Maury level, kicking off her shoes and throwing a tantrum on the floor kicking and screaming. This was a very regular thing. Even their "professional staff" were cast off rejects or interns that didn't know what they'd gotten themselves into. The floaters we had to cover her days off? They were just as nutty, bye 👋👋 I still got my $15.75/hr after transferring to the SCOTs and was the person in charge of the "new" tech at Kmart. This was in '02. If I absolutely was needed in pharmacy, the self check-out machines were completely shut down as nobody knew how to work them out of ALL the front end staff, so the store manager would hover near or inside of the pharmacy (I still don't understand how managers are allowed to have the passcode for the pharmacy door or even legally allowed inside of the pharmacy at retail pharms) until they could get me back up front. She'd throw a tantrum about them taking me away, well...she threw a tantrum over anything. I was pregnant and with her throwing stuff? Nah. Safety hazard. Bottom line, even if you save $5 on a prescription by going to Kmart... *NOT WORTH IT* Sorry for the long comment 😂
I remember my parents only going to and taking my sister and I to Ames as a “last resort” if we couldn’t find a certain thing elsewhere or for toys. But occasionally I remember getting shoes there- but again it was probably just because no other store had the certain shoe that fit? I don’t know I was like 8 at oldest when they all went out. I remember my mom saying it was a store for “poor people” yet I remember we shopped very often at Kmart... and I remember having friends who’s family shopped at Ames and I remember one friend and I had the same pair of sandals and hers were pink and I was disappointed that I couldn’t find them in pink and had to get blue... turns out the pink one was from Ames with one of their brands on it, and the blue ones were from Kmart and with one of their brands.
I just turned 52 and I don’t remember Ames, however I always loved going to Hill’s in a 🚕 taxi every Saturday evening after Mass with my Grandma....time spent in my youth. ☺️
Ames bought Hills and that was like two drunks trying to prop each other up. I agree, had they focused on operations they might have made it similar to Dollar General. Hills would have collapsed on their own, and the stores could have been taken piecemeal cheaper.
This takes me back to my childhood. We had an Ames in my area Western PA. We went there alot during the early to mid 1990s. We had a Hills as well which turned into an Ames due to them purchasing them which was a big mistake. They had a huge crafts section the best that I have seen at that time. Nice finds with the retirement plan from Hills and the various Ames and Hills stuff.
Ames was only in my area, Greensboro, NC, for a very short time sometime around 1989 (I think the Zayre's in my area became Ames). I was born in 1989 so sadly, never got to experience Ames for the short time it was here. Love the video, btw!
Here in Miami, we had Zayre's, at least 3 of them I can remember. Here in Westchester (Sw 87th Ave & Coral Way), Hialeah (W 49th St & 3rd Ave), and at Central Shopping Center (NW 7th St & Douglas Rd). We also had up to the mid 1990s, JByrons. Jeffersons, which was owned by Montgomery-Ward closed in the mid 1970's, and of course Service Merchandise, Gold Triangle & Luria's. I miss all those places..
I remeber when Ames went out of business in 2002, i still have merchandise i bought from their stores, i also have a picture of myself when i was 16 parked outside of Ames where i worked posing with my Ford Mustang back in 1992. Alot of great memories working there and shopping there for school clothes and supplies. Now my other favorite store Kmart is now gone and they went out in 2013 and 2014. The Ames that was near my house that closed in 2002 is now a Peebles Clothing store on one end and the other end of the store is a Big Lots.
I still have my name tag from Hill's. I worked there just after high school. I think I even have a couple bags from them and other closed chains like KB Toys and stuff around here somewhere. lol
When I was a kid we used to drive up to the Hills in Chattanooga every couple weeks. It always seemed like a great adventure for me (we lived in a small town in north Georgia) and I loved that store. I don't actually recall the famous snack bar, but I remember the toy section being amazing. Sometimes we got to go the mini golf place next door also. Thanks for the nostalgia.
Some great stuff left behind. Glad you salvaged a few nostalgic items. Surprising to see so many fixtures left behind. Most of these places tend to be cleared out.
Congrats; I have subscribed to your channel just for that commercial alone. I keep coming back to it and laughing my ass off at it every time. Every. Time.
This is in conway I grew up 5 mins away from this store and I got my first drum kit from Ames when I was about 6 years old! Thanks for showing me the inside of the store once again
Sad, that America let stores, like this, go away... We now, have, retail, that has no personality, high prices, and they are raking in vast fortune, because, there is no alternative. I am glad, that you love the memories, as much, as I do.
David C. Pierce I understand that this is three months old, but I have to say something. The US is a society based on capitalism. It isnt Americas fault that it didnt survive, the owner basicly didnt provide what the public wanted. They didnt garner enough public attention and closed as a result of that. Dont blame the public for the closing of a business when its the owners you should be blaming for not flexing with what the public wanted. The US is not tasked with supporting businesses, take the "bailout" during the Obama years. Failure on top of failure. That IS NOT the tax payers job. If the business fails, it is ONLY the owners fault.
I worked at Murphy Mart store #594 at Galion, Ohio which became Ames # 855 the store was closed in 1992 during the first bankruptcy. Lots of memories and friends. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Hi Ace. Thanks for doing your dead mall videos. main question here: the music at the beginning of your video, Olean Center Mall, Olean NY ?,, from last May could you gimmee a clue where the music is from. i'd like to hear more.
We used to have an Ames in the STRANGEST past of town. My dad bought my mom her first sewing machine there for her birthday years ago. I can also remember my mom buying a lot of our spices from there. I'm sure we still have them
Eric Simbuera probably cause Walmart and Target updated with the times and don’t look like they’re from 25 years ago. I’m not trying to bash you, I just think people wish that nostalgic feeling of retail stores would remain the same forever, but when they do, they end up shutting down.
I have to admit that would be pretty interesting. Seeing how many of Dan's exploration spots Ace has traced over once or twice. I thought another shot at that Ames would be one of those "Small world" deals.
yeah i mean naturally some things are gonna cross paths, but i try to do my own places, dan is an inspiration but i try to be as different as possible :)
Those finds in this Ames are entire miricals (excuse the grammar) just finding those marketing tags from Hills and that coat are serious treasures. It's a shame that all of it will be vandalled and stupidly dismantled and left to decay. I kinda wish Dan found this place instead of that rotten shithole instead. The world should treat him better heheh.
if they're leaving it on the floor like that they're either going to throw it away or too lazy to recover it .and your not stealing it your trying to recover history thank you aces adventures
I was a sales rep in the northeastern US. This was the most profitable territory in the country for a vey long time. Ames one one of my largest accounts... my others: Bradlees, Caldors, Hills, Jamesway, KB Toys, Zayres, Woolworth’s, Bennys, Spags, Linens n Things - the list goes on and on... they are all GONE.... Very sad.... love your videos, but they depress me.....
I remember Bradley's best wannamakers watt and shand bonton jamesway Caldor strawbridge and clothier Woolworths Ames hills McCrorys value city the green stamp store hechts and now recently closed Sears jc penny kmart also kiddie city toys r us I can go on
Stores like boscovs still hold on and some kmarts Rose's gabriel brothers big lots Burlington coat factory marshals tj max kohls macys cept some macys shut down and lord and Taylor's shut down these are all dept stores I lived in Lancaster pa Philadelphia and Maryland I been all over
I had one in my hometown in Massachusetts. My parents always got our clothes, VCR, CDs, boom boxes, toys, and fabric for her patchwork. It's now a Home Depot, but the memories remain.
I loved Ames! I use to do all my daughters Christmas shopping there at the annual toy sale, amongst other shopping. This was in NH. It then turned into a Golds gym and now that’s gone. I think our Ames was one of the very last to shut down. And Zayres, wow 😮.... ! Wal-Mart piut Ames and many other stores OOB.
I remember shopping at the Ames on Elm Street in Manchester when I was a kid in the 80s. It was where the arena is now. I think it actually may have been a Zayres before Ames moved in.
l still have a Christmas Ames ornament that I got for my retirement dated 1998! The store closed in 2001 at our Regency Mall ! I have in a photo album the grand opening picture of all the employees together! Dated 1981 ! We were a Murphy's Mart at one time!Do u remember Murphy's department stores ! Head quarters were I McKeesport ,Pa. Polywog690
@@AcesAdventures1 LOVE YOUR VIDEO HAVE YOU DONE ANY SERVICE MERCHANDISE STORES THEY SHUT THEIR DOORS FOR THE LAST TIME IN 2002 I WORKED FOR THEM FROM 1983-1988 HERE IN CHICAGO HAD AN AWESOME CONVEYOR SYSTEM TO DELIVER CUSTOMER PACKAGES FROM THE WAREHOUSE TO CUSTOMER PICK-UP LOCATION I CAN SUPPLY YOU MORE INFO IF EVER INTERESTED
Hill's is where the toys are.....I remember that jingle vividly we went there all the time. It was later an Ames, closed, now it's a Hobby Lobby. The other Ames store sat abandoned since the early 90s and was torn town to build a Lowe's. Ames was a great department store.
Same But I lived in the South. But K-mart was 40 minutes from my house. I had fond memories of it growing up. But a little after the turn of the century it shut down.
I barely remember Ames when I was a child living on the east coast. I can’t remember the name of this once store chain that we use to go to back in the late 80’s but it almost resembles Target. It had a dart in the bullseye, but I just don’t remember what it was called. Such a shame that how Ames ended just like every other business that ended up to memories. So much of what you showed in this video brought back some good times. Thanks for sharing
peoples nowadays dont apreciate stuff like that, they dont want it not even for free and throw everytgmhing away. Me also have the new stuff but i wont throw my old stuff away, i conserved my old vcr, cd player , the old magnavox tv box. the old nintendo, sega genesis, mi first giant cellphone etc.
I live 15 minutes from this building. You are correct that was a hills store that Ames bought. Really cool getting to see the inside after all these years.
I have some old Ames flyers I got off my friends aunt that had them in her storage unit. It was a lot of fun to look through the electronic section of them and laugh.
My mom bought me a ninja turtles outfit from Ames in 1989 ... a short little Asian lady got a ladder out and brought it down from the top shelf. She was super nice. We need to have a party in here.
Omg i just saw me in this video. I was the kid in the white shirt with a shaved head. Holy throw back. Kings was taken over by ames in my town like 35 years ago and when ames left ocean state job lot took that over . But it still has that ames look to it. Its in naugatuck ct. There was one in seymour that had a grand opening and the next month a going out of business sale .it was open for less than a year . Like six months. Thanks for playing that commercial. It was cool as f*** to see myself . I never saw it before.
What’s the time stamp you appear at? I love these old school store and mall videos. I miss the 80s and 90s! 😊
16:35 I think
16:35 👍
@@shredct3118 Awesome! 😀
Still really miss this store! I have great memories of going to my local Ames from when I was little in the early 90's to the early 2000's when I was a teenager. My parents and I especially went there quite often around 1999, 2000, and 2001. They always had awesome bargains! I also loved the 80's feel of the store, and that was always part of its charm for me. I'd go there over Walmart any day if they were still around!
I'm here because CZcams spies on me. Literally 4hrs ago I was talking about the old Ames store to my husband... then this pops up on recommendations.
Android listens to us all the time...same thing happened to me
Do you have one of those google, apple or Amazon speaker always online things? Even if not our gadget's such as our phone's and tablets and to some degree smart TVs spy on us. This is why I keep my phone deep in a drawer I don't need government and corporate america knowing everything I'm thinking or saying.
@@appalachianwoman561 no I only have my iPhone. Siri turned off. There is no way around it besides an old flip phone. These days, WE are the product while corporations sell our data.
$25,000-$35,000 in the 90s? Damn, I want that pay now!
Rugrats Ames sign? Take it, it was left for trash.
I just pulled off an Ames price tag from a set of hardware this past week. Some stuff does last indefinitely.
Sigh. I miss the 90s
Me too😞
I wasn’t even alive in the 90s
I was born in 2006
ajfrules is awesome 2005 I was born in 04, but I grew up in the 1990’s because we only had 1990’s things when I was a kid old crt TVs, vhs tapes, cassette tapes, and the cool 1996 Gateway 2000 P5 200 the only pc we had. Old 1990’s cars. I really miss the 1995 neon. Lots of memories with my dad.
Computer Nostalgia I love that. :’)
The memories stay with us no matter how many years go by.
"We don't take anything from places"," let's take the name tag"
Am I too late to win the VCR?
Noah Farmer
hope it's a betamax!
Noah Farmer I lost my virginity here
yup your 30 something years late
M&N Distribution 😂
Noah Farmer you're not too late to win a track player
Growing up in Pennsylvania I went to Ames, Hills and Jamesway all the time as a kid. Brings back tons of memories seeing these old stores and hearing you mentioning Hills and Jamesway as well.
Brandon Drescher I
Jamesway...taking it back!
I live near a old jamesway became a lowes and we had a hills to
Also k b toys and value city
What about TRU
Loving the synthwave you chose for the vid
Me too! Do you know by any chance the name of the song?
My grandma shopped at Ames ALL the time. She even got a job there for a hot second for but she, in my grandfathers words, “Spent more damn money with her discount than she was making.”
I was there A LOT with my grandma but I only vividly remember that the Barbie isle was at the front, left of the store.
Thanks for the nostalgia :)
Ames was very prolific around where I grew up in Western MA. They were in lots of communities large and small. We shopped in there a lot when I was growing up but honestly by the time I hit high school (late 90s), it was considered extremely low class and looked it. But needless to say, it was very sad when they closed down. These days I would totally shop in there if it was still open.
Sv 2016 Same here. I remember the local Ames, which slightly outlasted local Caldors. Got my first mountain bike at Caldors. Before Hampshire Mall remodeled and Target moved in, it housed the best Kmart ever. Kmart everywhere is now junk, the few that are left anyway. I imagine JCPenny will fall shortly after Sears Corp does, losing JCP will actually make me sad. My parents did back to school shopping with me at JCP every year until I was an uninterested teen, I still take advantage of the sales and photos for my kids there. Macys was always too expensive for my taste, great place for combining sales with coupons for quality items though.
I grew up in western Massachusetts as well. I used to shop at Ames a lot, but if I remember correctly, it started going downhill before it closed.
'Hill's is where the toys are'. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I miss Ames but mostly Hills. The snack stand had the best corn dogs!
David Masse and the popcorn!!!
I loved their soft pretzels!
David Masse Yes. I remember those stores & in Columbus,Ind. there was a store called Shoppers Fair. Abt like those dept stores & it went out of business long ago too.
There was a Hills in Columbus also.
Bareclau yes, i was gonna say that but could't remember the right store. I remember the popcorn smell soon as you walked in the store.
Shirley Harrison I was born and raised in Seymour, Indiana. I remeber Hills and Ames. It was where the new Target is now and my dad had to get the pretzels every time.
1:37 Those kids are probably in their 30s or 40s right now
also they were like "uhh ok stop zooming in lol"
The Mighty Ducks winter jacket on the kid dates this as late 1993 at the earliest. Those kids look 10-11, so they're probably mid-30s, Probably 34-35 as of this post.
I miss Ames! I still have an alarm clock I bought there 20 years ago lol
Melissa Ugly It's probably the same one my mom got for me and my sister. We all seem to have it.
Good for you (slow clap)
@@biker932012 👏 👏 👏. Here's your slow clap.
Crazy this place has been closed for basically 15 years
I would LOVE to walk through a Caldor, Bradlees, Ames, or Child World! These videos are amazing!
I remember shopping at hills, ames, wards, and occasionally service merchandise
@Rich Kocon I grew up in East Texas and I remember going to Montgomery Wards and Service Merchandise a lot. Montgomery Wards had a stand-alone store there (as opposed to Sears and JC Penney, which are anchor stores in the local mall since 1978). Service Merchandise was my go-to place to get watches back in the 1990s; I also remember the electronics and computers they had there back then (I bought my first Nintendo Game Boy there also and this was pre-Pokemon).
Rich Kocon is that in Gallipoli's Ohio?
Ames and The Hills had the best toy selection anywhere, beating the inflated prices at Toys R Us.
*Rich Kocon*
And don't forget the east coast, where Ames eventually absorbed the "Zayer" store chain.
"service merchandise"....wowww, forgot all about that!
"I'm not gonna ramble." Continues to ramble.
That little boy who tries to hide from the camera in the opening was the best part! I remember Ames very well. They had great nachos! I rather miss our Ames these days.
I can practically smell the hot dogs and popcorn seeing that old snack stand in the entrance
I used to love going to Ames with my mom when I was a kid... I know,I know big thrill seeker here!!
This is incredible. I have been in a couple old Ames stores and I always fantasized that I would find some old Hills items that somehow managed to stick around. I also love the old Hills snack bar!
Hills is where the toys are! Every Christmas, my brother would sing that jingle....The free popcorn when you'd walk in.. and growing up poor it was our only way for back to school clothes & Xmas with lay-away.
I love going to HILLS as a child because they had a theater style snack bar where you could buy popcorn and drinks, and when AMES bought them they kept it. Man, I do miss that place. Now the building is a Gabe's which still cool but not the same, plus snack bar is gone
we went to hills more than ames but they were pretty much the same
I remember Ames, my mom stood in line for hours to get me the Optimus Prime truck transformer for Christmas one year. Even have a buddy that worked there for a small period of time..lol Good memories. Bought most of my Garbage pail kid collection there as well 25cents a pack.
I miss Ames and Hills. I grew up in Central NY and used to always go to these stores. Too bad they weren't still open I would still shop at them.
Hotel Traveler new hartford new york ames
I am wondering why they don't turn the building into something that would serve the community or maybe even a food bank
*Terra McConnell*
Or a grave yard!
$
Or a skatepark
You have to have an investor or investors that are willing to put the money into that.
Ours got turned into a Planet Fitness and a Pricerite after over a decade of vacancy. My ma worked there for years.
From what I remember, Ames was generally kind of a lower class department store and became more like K-Mart in its final years (run down, old stock still for sale, poor customer service.)
Old stock from years prior
Reviewer Yea I hate k-mart Those stores should all be shut down
Mud Mower Regulators if only you knew! Well, you might know if you've worked there, I don't know lol!
I worked for Kmart Pharmacy for a month before they put me in charge of the self check-out machines. The pharmacist was a nut case and I wanted OUT! Day #3 of working there we got meds, while she checked them she saw Humulin PENS instead of vials and flipped out. We're talking Maury level, kicking off her shoes and throwing a tantrum on the floor kicking and screaming. This was a very regular thing. Even their "professional staff" were cast off rejects or interns that didn't know what they'd gotten themselves into. The floaters we had to cover her days off? They were just as nutty, bye 👋👋 I still got my $15.75/hr after transferring to the SCOTs and was the person in charge of the "new" tech at Kmart. This was in '02. If I absolutely was needed in pharmacy, the self check-out machines were completely shut down as nobody knew how to work them out of ALL the front end staff, so the store manager would hover near or inside of the pharmacy (I still don't understand how managers are allowed to have the passcode for the pharmacy door or even legally allowed inside of the pharmacy at retail pharms) until they could get me back up front. She'd throw a tantrum about them taking me away, well...she threw a tantrum over anything. I was pregnant and with her throwing stuff? Nah. Safety hazard.
Bottom line, even if you save $5 on a prescription by going to Kmart... *NOT WORTH IT*
Sorry for the long comment 😂
Ya but i bet your stupid ass shops at wal-fuck.
I remember my parents only going to and taking my sister and I to Ames as a “last resort” if we couldn’t find a certain thing elsewhere or for toys. But occasionally I remember getting shoes there- but again it was probably just because no other store had the certain shoe that fit? I don’t know I was like 8 at oldest when they all went out. I remember my mom saying it was a store for “poor people” yet I remember we shopped very often at Kmart... and I remember having friends who’s family shopped at Ames and I remember one friend and I had the same pair of sandals and hers were pink and I was disappointed that I couldn’t find them in pink and had to get blue... turns out the pink one was from Ames with one of their brands on it, and the blue ones were from Kmart and with one of their brands.
"Jenny!" lolz
I would taken the apron as well.
I think that some parts of Ames ended up becoming Dollar Tree, which I love the shit out of.
Amy Carter dollar tree ain’t got crap on ames
Most of the Ames and jamesways I knew became big lots, Tuesday morning, steinmart or Ollie’s locations
I just turned 52 and I don’t remember Ames, however I always loved going to Hill’s in a 🚕 taxi every Saturday evening after Mass with my Grandma....time spent in my youth. ☺️
Ames bought Hills and that was like two drunks trying to prop each other up. I agree, had they focused on operations they might have made it similar to Dollar General. Hills would have collapsed on their own, and the stores could have been taken piecemeal cheaper.
AZDuffman exactly! Hills was dead without the Ames deal. They should have let them go out of business.
Maybe charging 9.99 for reading glasses 20+ years,ago?
That intro had a bit of an 80's VCR playback vibe to it.
This video is exactly what i was looking for, thank u so much💗
This takes me back to my childhood. We had an Ames in my area Western PA. We went there alot during the early to mid 1990s. We had a Hills as well which turned into an Ames due to them purchasing them which was a big mistake. They had a huge crafts section the best that I have seen at that time. Nice finds with the retirement plan from Hills and the various Ames and Hills stuff.
Another victim of Walmart.
Kmart is GONE man.
@Teddy Machette I feel ya :(
Dusk Raccoon JCPenney, at least in New England, is doing great, there hasn’t been one closed store here yet.
Sears and JcPenney are fine.
In Mississippi it is fine too
How does a name tag and a 401K book qualify as "tons of stuff" in an abandoned store?
Click bait. I can’t stand it.
Yeah, and if you're reading these comments before actually watching the video, do yourself a favor and turn the sound OFF. The guy just won't shut up.
ChiTown Basshead no but it does say "goodies" as in more than one item
Mindy B technically 3 is more then one. 😁
RJC 72 the Ames they showed in the video was located on Jupiter so that was in fact tons of stuff
I used to go to one of these in Stroudsburg Pa when i was a kid with my grandparents. Brings back memories . Thanks .
I use to work at an AMES! They had taken over Murphy's Mart in central PA. Thanks for bringing back some memories!
Where is all the tons of stuff?
Tons of bullshit is what they would've written
Tons of stuff left behind by both Ames and Hills.
Click bait!
Ames was only in my area, Greensboro, NC, for a very short time sometime around 1989 (I think the Zayre's in my area became Ames). I was born in 1989 so sadly, never got to experience Ames for the short time it was here. Love the video, btw!
Wilmington had one for a couple years in the late '90s. It's a Big Lots now lol
don’t worry, you didn’t miss much
Born the same year as Lexus
Yeah ames use to be zayres. Im 40 so I remember
i was born after it went out of business,2009,2002 ames closed.
What I really wish people would upload are old videos of people shopping in stores like these when they were in full-swing!
Here in Miami, we had Zayre's, at least 3 of them I can remember. Here in Westchester (Sw 87th Ave & Coral Way), Hialeah (W 49th St & 3rd Ave), and at Central Shopping Center (NW 7th St & Douglas Rd). We also had up to the mid 1990s, JByrons. Jeffersons, which was owned by Montgomery-Ward closed in the mid 1970's, and of course Service Merchandise, Gold Triangle & Luria's. I miss all those places..
I grew up near Rocky Hills, in Middletown, CT and grew up shopping in Ames, Caldors, Hills and Bradley's. all those store are sadly missed.
*Stephanie Williams*
No Bradlees or Zayre's?
Stephanie Williams I don't remember Hills but I remember the rest. Grew up in Wallingford/Meriden. I still have stuff from the old Kmart out there lol
Our family went to Ames, Bradlees, and Caldors back then.
I always love how you do the intros for your videos.
thank you!
Ace's Adventures Truly beautiful! It makes me emotional for some reason... LOL
Ace's Adventures yeah good work brother
jackievongrimm be honest, it doesn't take much to make you emotional
Yeah, just like Dan Bell
Thank you for sharing. Brings back some memories of my childhood.
I remeber when Ames went out of business in 2002, i still have merchandise i bought from their stores, i also have a picture of myself when i was 16 parked outside of Ames where i worked posing with my Ford Mustang back in 1992. Alot of great memories working there and shopping there for school clothes and supplies. Now my other favorite store Kmart is now gone and they went out in 2013 and 2014. The Ames that was near my house that closed in 2002 is now a Peebles Clothing store on one end and the other end of the store is a Big Lots.
Hey I'm from RI. cool radio clip.
I still have my name tag from Hill's. I worked there just after high school. I think I even have a couple bags from them and other closed chains like KB Toys and stuff around here somewhere. lol
CheapestGamer KB toys was awesome
Yes it was, i still have my glass chess set i bought from them 13 yrs ago
What no Toys “Я” Us?
As soon as I saw the piece of cardboard displaying Nickelodeon’s Rugrats with the Ames logo, my jaw literally dropped. 😲
When I was a kid we used to drive up to the Hills in Chattanooga every couple weeks. It always seemed like a great adventure for me (we lived in a small town in north Georgia) and I loved that store. I don't actually recall the famous snack bar, but I remember the toy section being amazing. Sometimes we got to go the mini golf place next door also. Thanks for the nostalgia.
Awesome video, glad you were able to save some relics that would have otherwise been destroyed.
Blog Man they should haven taken that vest and brought to "Jennifer"
LOL skip to 16:49, turn on captions and look what it says XD
Pokemonguy16RS 😝
That is gold, right there!
crafts that were crap
"a large assortment of crap"
LOL A Large Assortment Of Crap
Some great stuff left behind. Glad you salvaged a few nostalgic items. Surprising to see so many fixtures left behind. Most of these places tend to be cleared out.
Congrats; I have subscribed to your channel just for that commercial alone. I keep coming back to it and laughing my ass off at it every time. Every. Time.
Dang, after watching the history of Ames, now I want to work there.
I would've loved working there :)
Sad to see them go.
Thanks for showing this. I worked at the Ames/Hills flow-thru Distribution Center in Columbus, OH. back in the mid 90's.
This is in conway I grew up 5 mins away from this store and I got my first drum kit from Ames when I was about 6 years old! Thanks for showing me the inside of the store once again
my dad used to be the Manger of Ames Department Store In Champlain New York which the store is now a price chopper supermarket
What's a "Manger" ??
And, btw, manger: a long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from.
But you know damn good and well she meant manager.
Love all y'all comments they took my bad boring mode away . thanks & GOD BLESS AMERICA
JOHNNY 5 your dad was a manger? Did people put little baby Jesus dolls in him at Christmas time?
Sad, that America let stores, like this, go away... We now, have, retail, that has no personality, high prices, and they are raking in vast fortune, because, there is no alternative. I am glad, that you love the memories, as much, as I do.
David C. Pierce I understand that this is three months old, but I have to say something. The US is a society based on capitalism. It isnt Americas fault that it didnt survive, the owner basicly didnt provide what the public wanted. They didnt garner enough public attention and closed as a result of that. Dont blame the public for the closing of a business when its the owners you should be blaming for not flexing with what the public wanted. The US is not tasked with supporting businesses, take the "bailout" during the Obama years. Failure on top of failure. That IS NOT the tax payers job. If the business fails, it is ONLY the owners fault.
Learn, how, to use, commas, please.
lOoK iTs a GrAmMeR NaZi
I worked at Murphy Mart store #594 at Galion, Ohio which became Ames # 855 the store was closed in 1992 during the first bankruptcy. Lots of memories and friends. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Loved ames
Hi Ace. Thanks for doing your dead mall videos. main question here: the music at the beginning of your video, Olean Center Mall, Olean NY ?,, from last May could you gimmee a clue where the music is from. i'd like to hear more.
Love the radio announcer local spot for Ames as the intro! Excellent video!👍
We used to have an Ames in the STRANGEST past of town. My dad bought my mom her first sewing machine there for her birthday years ago. I can also remember my mom buying a lot of our spices from there. I'm sure we still have them
VCR and Color TV... Wow very old.
You're young...
+Pepsi Light
You're old...
I have a VCR & a Color TV, but I sure don't feel old...
VCRs started becoming obsolete in the mid 2000s. Not that long ago.
Pepsi Light I love when kids talk about SSSOOOOOPPPPEEERRRR old stuff from the 90s. Lol
Ames Wonderful Ames. Sorry to see that they have also fallen to the wayside.
I am totally digging the intro music. Great video!
Janet Barrera-Martinie thank you!
That orientation video contrasts the raw footage FUCKING PERFECTLY
RIP the Hills/Ames on Meadow Drive in North Tonawanda, NY
Sad watching this seeing people in such happy times and knowing those kind of moments are gone all Wal-Mart and Target just aren't the same
Eric Simbuera probably cause Walmart and Target updated with the times and don’t look like they’re from 25 years ago. I’m not trying to bash you, I just think people wish that nostalgic feeling of retail stores would remain the same forever, but when they do, they end up shutting down.
Waly-fuck mart and target suck so does jist about everything else bow a days i hate it.
I actually thought this was Dan's Ames he found down in Philidelpha, but nope entirely different. Great work and keep it up.
Tab 13 thought Dan went to an Ames in Baltimore.
I have to admit that would be pretty interesting. Seeing how many of Dan's exploration spots Ace has traced over once or twice. I thought another shot at that Ames would be one of those "Small world" deals.
yeah i mean naturally some things are gonna cross paths, but i try to do my own places, dan is an inspiration but i try to be as different as possible :)
Those finds in this Ames are entire miricals (excuse the grammar) just finding those marketing tags from Hills and that coat are serious treasures. It's a shame that all of it will be vandalled and stupidly dismantled and left to decay.
I kinda wish Dan found this place instead of that rotten shithole instead. The world should treat him better heheh.
Tab 13 i found 2 more ames too so stay tuned?
My mom still has a bookshelf that she bought from Ames!! I remember Ames when I was a child. It was great!
What a FINE around the 10 minute mark! WOW! 🤯🥳😁
Now the counters are atJob Lot
if they're leaving it on the floor like that they're either going to throw it away or too lazy to recover it .and your not stealing it your trying to recover history thank you aces adventures
JOSHUA JERRY PHENEUF PLANET yes he needs to take things
Agreed !!!
not goimg going to lie, id I'd take one of the numbers that marked the checkout lanes :)
If everyone takes things other explorers have nothing to enjoy
Sarah Smith Oh well lol
This is amazing history that you provided in this video. Love it
wow you sure brought back some fond memories.....best job I ever had!🙂.
Debbie Gibson at Ames Opening
I was a sales rep in the northeastern US. This was the most profitable territory in the country for a vey long time. Ames one one of my largest accounts... my others: Bradlees, Caldors, Hills, Jamesway, KB Toys, Zayres, Woolworth’s, Bennys, Spags, Linens n Things - the list goes on and on... they are all GONE.... Very sad.... love your videos, but they depress me.....
I remember Bradley's best wannamakers watt and shand bonton jamesway Caldor strawbridge and clothier Woolworths Ames hills McCrorys value city the green stamp store hechts and now recently closed Sears jc penny kmart also kiddie city toys r us I can go on
Stores like boscovs still hold on and some kmarts Rose's gabriel brothers big lots Burlington coat factory marshals tj max kohls macys cept some macys shut down and lord and Taylor's shut down these are all dept stores I lived in Lancaster pa Philadelphia and Maryland I been all over
I worked for Walmart and target like I said big box stores only a few hold on
I had one in my hometown in Massachusetts. My parents always got our clothes, VCR, CDs, boom boxes, toys, and fabric for her patchwork.
It's now a Home Depot, but the memories remain.
I loved Ames! I use to do all my daughters Christmas shopping there at the annual toy sale, amongst other shopping. This was in NH. It then turned into a Golds gym and now that’s gone. I think our Ames was one of the very last to shut down. And Zayres, wow 😮.... !
Wal-Mart piut Ames and many other stores OOB.
I remember shopping at the Ames on Elm Street in Manchester when I was a kid in the 80s. It was where the arena is now.
I think it actually may have been a Zayres before Ames moved in.
I also remember Rich’s on Hanover St… it’s a Hannaford now. I think that may have been an Ames for a little while as well!
What's the song that's played in the intro? Love the nostalgic synthwave
Home-Before The Night.
l still have a Christmas Ames ornament that I got for my retirement dated 1998! The store closed in 2001 at our Regency Mall ! I have in a photo album the grand opening picture of all the employees together! Dated 1981 ! We were a Murphy's Mart at one time!Do u remember Murphy's department stores ! Head quarters were I McKeesport ,Pa. Polywog690
Paul Rhea can you email me? I would love to talk more, acesadventures1@gmail.com
@@AcesAdventures1 LOVE YOUR VIDEO HAVE YOU DONE ANY SERVICE MERCHANDISE STORES THEY SHUT THEIR DOORS FOR THE LAST TIME IN 2002 I WORKED FOR THEM FROM 1983-1988 HERE IN CHICAGO HAD AN AWESOME CONVEYOR SYSTEM TO DELIVER CUSTOMER PACKAGES FROM THE WAREHOUSE TO CUSTOMER PICK-UP LOCATION I CAN SUPPLY YOU MORE INFO IF EVER INTERESTED
We had one in Pa. Got some of my jewelry, it was always on sale, got lots of my Christmas decorations and a bunch of other stuff, it was the best.
Hill's is where the toys are.....I remember that jingle vividly we went there all the time. It was later an Ames, closed, now it's a Hobby Lobby. The other Ames store sat abandoned since the early 90s and was torn town to build a Lowe's. Ames was a great department store.
West coast guy here- Ames was not out west- never even seen an Ames back in the day let alone go in one- looks like K-Mart
It was half a step below K-Mart. K-Mart was national so the stores were a little bigger and a little nicer.
Davin Peterson kmart used be second largest than fell to target
Same
But I lived in the South. But K-mart was 40 minutes from my house. I had fond memories of it growing up. But a little after the turn of the century it shut down.
Your stupid and wrong and have no reason to be so cocky
Styles McFly it was better than k-mart. the stuff was junky, but the store was very clean and employees were friendly.
the music in the video reminds me to Stranger Things !!!
Nice find at the end!
I barely remember Ames when I was a child living on the east coast. I can’t remember the name of this once store chain that we use to go to back in the late 80’s but it almost resembles Target. It had a dart in the bullseye, but I just don’t remember what it was called. Such a shame that how Ames ended just like every other business that ended up to memories. So much of what you showed in this video brought back some good times. Thanks for sharing
nothing there
peoples nowadays dont apreciate stuff like that, they dont want it not even for free and throw everytgmhing away. Me also have the new stuff but i wont throw my old stuff away, i conserved my old vcr, cd player , the old magnavox tv box. the old nintendo, sega genesis, mi first giant cellphone etc.
marrod Rivera I’m still using an equalizer I bought from ames in my garage stereo from like 1994
I live 15 minutes from this building. You are correct that was a hills store that Ames bought. Really cool getting to see the inside after all these years.
I have some old Ames flyers I got off my friends aunt that had them in her storage unit. It was a lot of fun to look through the electronic section of them and laugh.
Ames replaces Hills in my old Midwest town. Then shortly after the bankruptcy Steve and Barrys came in. Does anyone remember steve and barrys?
Deanna- Danielle yes!
tina martinez =)
Deanna- Danielle we had a steve and barrys for a few months in pa they opened up then closed it may have been a year but it wasn’t around long
So werid. I have never heard about this company. I do live in Ames, Iowa. Lol
My mom bought me a ninja turtles outfit from Ames in 1989 ... a short little Asian lady got a ladder out and brought it down from the top shelf. She was super nice. We need to have a party in here.
Oh wow. I used to shop at the Ames in Belfast, ME. I had forgotten about that until I saw this!
Everything passes away like David said in psalms we blow away like Dust in the wind and are place remembers us no more .
Very true