ROSES DISCOUNT STORE - Where and When?

[mediamongrel]

I know of two Roses stores; Belmont, NC & Wilmington, NC

anyone know of others? I remember this chain was big in Winston in the 90's

[Beany]

There is a Roses on High Point Road in Greensboro that opened a few months back.

[monsoon]

That's amazing. I did not realize this chain was even still around.

In the 1970s & early 80s there was a Roses in almost every Carolina's city. They were killed by Walmart.

[Noneck_08]

We've got one here in Lexington. It took the place of the were the old K-Mart was.

[orulz]

There was one on Merrimon Ave. in Asheville until the mid 1990s. It got replaced by a Stein Mart.

There is still a Roses at Universtiy Mall in Chapel Hill, and last time I drove by, there was still one in Weaverville (north of Asheville) just next to I-26.

[triguyrdu]

there is also a Roses in Durham...off of 54 and fayetteville

[orulz]

I've always found it interesting that Roses is so old and strapped for cash that they don't even have any semblance of a website.

I wonder what StevenRocks has to say about Roses...

[DigitalSky]

Is the one in Belmont still open? I thought it closed when that Harris Teeter next door shuttered

[StevenRocks]

I wonder what StevenRocks has to say about Roses...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I had plenty to say, but an electrical storm wiped out my post.

I was shopping at Summit Shopping Center in Greensboro and found this old inlaid terrazzo Rose's sign in front of Maxway (which occupies the old Rose's space). I love stuff like this.

[Justin6882]

There is still a Roses in Zebulon, about 25 minutes outside of Raleigh. Its pretty crappy though...I remember when I was little and there were no Wal*Mart's around it was the closest discount store and it wasn't nearly as run-down as it is now (the one that used to be on 64).

[orulz]

I had plenty to say, but an electrical storm wiped out my post. 

I hate it when that happens.. or when I accidentally hit "backspace" and I don't have the text box selected... it's the worst.

Don't get too discouraged though. I hope you get the time to type some of it out again. I've always liked Rose's and was a bit sad to see the one on Merrimon Ave in Asheville close down. You certainly have a good deal of interesting information and trivia about every store that I've ever heard of, and I'm glad to hear Rose's is no exception.

[urbanvb]

We had a Roses growing up in my small town. My sister worked there for prolly 10 years. They closed quite a few years ago but there is still one Roses store left here in Va Beach.

[NCMike1981]

Durham

-54 and Fayetteville Rd beside Harris Teeter (?)

-North Duke Plaza on Roxboro Rd beside Staples

Fuguay Varina

-Main St (401) in Sunset Plaza (?) beside Food Lion

Wilmington

-Ogden area off Market St beside Harris Teeter

-Carolina Beach Road at Shipyard

Henderson

-Henderson Mall beside Food Lion

Burlington

-sprite Park Plaza off Church St beside Food Lion

Siler City

-off 64 in shopping center with Belks

Chapel Hill

-University Mall off Estes Dr w/ Dillards and A Southern Season

Roxboro

-North Madison Blvd (501)

I can make a list of places I remember Roses were but have closed but that would be a somewhat long list lol Roses used to be my favorite store, over K-Mart growing up. Even after Wal-Marts invasion I'd still shop there through HS for "run in run out" items

Oh and there are Roses in South Hill, Martinsville, and Chatham, VA that I know of....

Did I read correctly? Beany said that a Roses recently opened in Greensboro off High Point Rd....I didn't know Roses was building stores again...I thought all of their stores were like 20+ years old....

[suburban george3]

Hey, there is still a Roses on Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem....

Used to go to Roses with my mother when I was a young child, they ran into severe distress in the early 90's when WalMart started to invade. Most of them have now closed and Roses doesn't carry the same quality merchandise that they used to have.

BTW, anyone remember Brendle's??

[StevenRocks]

Oh and there are Roses in South Hill, Martinsville, and Chatham, VA that I know of....

Did I read correctly? Beany said that a Roses recently opened in Greensboro off High Point Rd....I didn't know Roses was building stores again...I thought all of their stores were like 20+ years old....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Add Rocky Mount and Abingdon, VA to that list The Rocky Mount one opened in the '80s (1986 to be exact) and the Abingdon one looks like something from the late '70s.

Rocky Mount's store is in Rocky Mount Plaza on Rt. 40 (just off US 220) with Food Lion and CVS. Abingdon's in a shopping center on US 58/11 with a Lowes Foods and both stores have vintage signage. Except for the cars outside, you'd think it was still 1979 there!

BTW, anyone remember Brendle's??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I remember Brendle's fondly. I got my gumball machine there!

[Beany]

Did I read correctly? Beany said that a Roses recently opened in Greensboro off High Point Rd....I didn't know Roses was building stores again...I thought all of their stores were like 20+ years old....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep, opened several months ago in a store vacated by a Phar-mor.

[DigitalSky]

BTW, anyone remember Brendle's??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ooh yeah!! It's a Value City Furniture store now on Sardis Road North

[StevenRocks]

Catalog showrooms and Roses 'cool factor' died about the same time

[mediamongrel]

Remember at Service Merchandise when you took the tiny clipboard and wrote down what you wanted to get, then brought it to the warehouse area of the store?

[rooster8]

Our Roses (Marion, NC) is stuck in the early 80's - same furnishings, decor, etc. I'm really surprised it is still open. There are only about ten customers at the store at any given time.

Yesterday I saw a picture of our old store that was downtown and was blown away. It had a classic late-40's or early 50's storefront, very similar to the former Woolworth's building in Asheville.

[IBruton]

There is still a Roses in Zebulon, about 25 minutes outside of Raleigh.  Its pretty crappy though...I remember when I was little and there were no Wal*Mart's around it was the closest discount store and it wasn't nearly as run-down as it is now (the one that used to be on 64).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

25 minutes from Raleigh? Since when? It's only about 10 miles and I can usually get to Zebulon within 15 minutes. Are you one of "those" drivers?

[StevenRocks]

Yesterday I saw a picture of our old store that was downtown and was blown away.  It had a classic late-40's or early 50's storefront, very similar to the former Woolworth's building in Asheville.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Roses used to be a formidable regional competitor in the variety store arena. They dominated Virginia and North Carolina's small towns and had some stong inroads into the larger cities. In many cities, Roses was the first modern variety store and later, the first modern discount store.

In the '70s, they made a divisional distinction between the older dime stores and the discount stores, calling the former P.H. Rose and the latter Roses. The beginning of their problems as a company can be traced to this decision, becaue from then on, corporate funds were spent on recklessly growing the discount stores while ignoring the dime stores, which tended to be profitablke and better located with a more loyal customer base.

Keep in mind that Roses was not alone in this kind of business strategy. G.C. Murphy, Woolworth and Kresge all did the same thing, but that's a whole 'nother thread

After allowing P.H. Rose to atrophy, Roses spun off their dime stores in the mid '80s. The strategey worked for a few years. Discount stores were hot, and most of the small towns that Roses stores were located only had small Kmarts as competition, if that. After a while, they got compalcent in their merchandising and marketing but still kept building stores like there was no tomorrow.

Wal-Mart came in and changed the game for everyone. Instead of modernizing and building updated stores, Roses ignored Wal-Mart and kept churning out the same old badly-located midsized '70s style discount stores. Unfortunately, customers in turn ignored Roses, especially in the larger cities. Wthout the cash-cow dime stores to augment their income, Roses was strapped for funds and outshined by thir competition.

Bankruptcy ensued and all that saved Roses from becoming a historical footnote was the Pope family, owners of Variety Wholesalers, which had bought Roses' old dime stores in the '80s. Having purhased what was left of Macks/Maxway stores a few years earlier, Variety Wholesalers traded their lesser known nameplates for Maxway and Roses, taking what brand equity that was left in both stores and putting in a downsacle merchandise mix. They helped prune Roses down to its most essential locations, which kept it alive, but the bloom is certainly off the Roses these days

[f0xym0p]

We used to have a Roses in Sanford, but it closed along with the others, in the late 80s I believe. Sanford has a smallish Kmart and a Walmart now.

I didn't know Roses still existed until I moved to Chapel Hill for school. I think that one in Chapel Hill does pretty good business. WalMart in Durham is pretty far away, especially if you have to ride the bus.

[monsoon]

Nice writeup StevenRocks. I remember shopping in Macks as a kid and miss the old dimestore format.

[jb4563]

Hey, there is still a Roses on Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem.... 

Used to go to Roses with my mother when I was a young child, they ran into severe distress in the early 90's when WalMart started to invade.  Most of them have now closed and Roses doesn't carry the same quality merchandise that they used to have.

BTW, anyone remember Brendle's??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Brendle's rocked...I remember the one right across from the Winston-Salem Roses...

I remember being fascinated by the design of the store...the hardline seciton seemed like it was added one...just two little openings lead from the clothing section to the hardlines section with ramps with the green patio carpet on them I think.