Hens and Kelly
Encyclopedia
Hens and Kelly, established in 1892 by Mathias J. Hens and Patrick J. Kelly, was a chain of department store
s based in Buffalo, New York
. They were early adopters of S&H Green Stamps
as a promotional incentive for repeat customers. The downtown store was located at 478 Main Street at the corner of Mohawk Street. The first branch location opened in December 1950, in South Buffalo at 2262 Seneca Street. It closed in 1959. Other stores followed in the L.B. Smith Plaza in Lackawanna, New York
; 2863 Bailey Avenue, in Buffalo; and the Transitown Plaza, in Clarence, New York
.
Hens and Kelly opened a $4 million store at South Shore Plaza in Hamburg, New York
in 1960, signaling a major expansion of the department store to the growing Buffalo suburbs. The following year a new store opened at Northtown Plaza in Amherst, New York
. By the mid-1970s stores also operated at the Como Mall in Cheektowaga, New York, Village Shopping Center in East Aurora, New York
, and Summit Park Mall, in Wheatfield, New York
. In 1967, the chain was purchased by the Sperry & Hutchinson company and in 1978, by Twin Fair, Inc.
The chain closed in 1982.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s based in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. They were early adopters of S&H Green Stamps
S&H Green Stamps
S&H Green Stamps were trading stamps popular in the United States from the 1930s until the late 1980s. They were distributed as part of a rewards program operated by the Sperry and Hutchinson company , founded in 1896 by Thomas Sperry and Shelly Hutchinson...
as a promotional incentive for repeat customers. The downtown store was located at 478 Main Street at the corner of Mohawk Street. The first branch location opened in December 1950, in South Buffalo at 2262 Seneca Street. It closed in 1959. Other stores followed in the L.B. Smith Plaza in Lackawanna, New York
Lackawanna, New York
Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, U.S., located just south of the city of Buffalo in the western part of New York state. The population was 18,141 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Lackawanna Steel Company...
; 2863 Bailey Avenue, in Buffalo; and the Transitown Plaza, in Clarence, New York
Clarence, New York
Clarence is a town located in the northeastern part of Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 30,673 according to the 2010 census. This represents an increase of 17.42% from the 2000 census figure . Clarence is also the name of a postal district in the south part of the town...
.
Hens and Kelly opened a $4 million store at South Shore Plaza in Hamburg, New York
Hamburg (village), New York
Hamburg is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 10,116 at the 2000 census. The village is reportedly named after Hamburg, a city in Germany...
in 1960, signaling a major expansion of the department store to the growing Buffalo suburbs. The following year a new store opened at Northtown Plaza in Amherst, New York
Amherst, New York
Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 122,366. This represents an increase of 5.0% from the 2000 census. The town is named for Jeffrey Amherst, a British Army officer of the colonial period...
. By the mid-1970s stores also operated at the Como Mall in Cheektowaga, New York, Village Shopping Center in East Aurora, New York
East Aurora, New York
East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. The Village of East Aurora lies in the eastern half of the Town of Aurora.The population was 6,673 at the 2000 census...
, and Summit Park Mall, in Wheatfield, New York
Wheatfield, New York
Wheatfield is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 18,117 at the 2010 census. The name stems from the agricultural use of the town lands: Growing Wheat....
. In 1967, the chain was purchased by the Sperry & Hutchinson company and in 1978, by Twin Fair, Inc.
Twin Fair, Inc.
The Twin Fair, Inc. was a discount department store chain based in Buffalo, New York. It was incorporated on March 22, 1956, and the first store opened on Walden Avenue. By 1959, four stores were in operation and sales stood at $2.5 million. In 1962, the founders sold the company to Unexcelled...
The chain closed in 1982.