Chain stores, local businesses LI lost

Bohack grocery, shown in the background during a parade in this undated photo, was founded in 1887 by Henry C. Bohack. The regional New York City supermarket was a popular place for residents of Babylon Village, Amityville, Lindenhurst, Deer Park and Copiague to bag their groceries until the company faded away in the 1970s.

New York discount retailer J. W. Mays Inc., which was incorporated in 1927, reached its peak in the 1970's. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1982 and all Mays locations were closed by 1988. J.W. Mays, Inc. now operates as a real estate company. Here, the Levittown location is pictured in this 1971 street scene on Hempstead Turnpike. Other Long Island locations included Massapequa and Woodmere.

Swezey's Department Stores

The Swezey family opened its first store on Main Street in Patchogue in 1894. Swezey's Department Stores grew and became a Long Island fixture with four additional shops in Riverhead, East Setauket, Glen Cove, and West Babylon. Seen here in 1998, the business was liquidated in 2003.

Gimbels, a New York-based departments store, operated from 1887 to 1987 and served as an anchor store for many shopping malls as well as a rival of Macy's. Pictured here is the Gimbels at the Green Acres Shopping Center in Valley Stream on Nov. 14, 1980.

The Rickel Home Center chain had Long Island locations including Greenvale, Levittown, Commack, West Babylon, Stony Brook, Selden, and Holbrook. Rickel, which was based in Souh Plainfield, NJ, first opened in 1953, but shuttered business in 1997 after facing bankruptcy.

Cheap John's

Holbrook-based Cheap John's, owned and operated by Ira Rubenstein,once had 25 closeout stores throughout Long Island. Cheap John's closed in 1996 after over 20 years in business. Seen here is the Bethpage location in 1995.

Ohrbach's

Ohrbach's first opened in Manhattan in 1923 and became known for selling apparal at prices lower than conventional department stores. It was owned for 24 years by Amcena Corp. before closing officially in 1987. This is the Westbury location on Old Country Road in 1971.

Mid-Island Department Stores

Mid-Island Department Stores had locations in Patchogue, North Babylon, Seaford, East Meadow and Bayside, Queens. Open for 46 years, it said it was closing its doors in 1994. Junior principal Seth Lublin stands with his father, Irving Lublin, one of the store's owners, outside the East Meadow location in 1988.

Caldor

Caldor was a discount department store chain founded in 1951 and headquartered in Norwalk. Conn. Kohl's Corp. announced on Feb. 3, 1999, that it would be entering the Long Island market, purchasing the leases to six Caldor stores, as part of a deal to open 32 stores in metropolitan New York.

Genovese Drug Store

Joseph Genovese opened the first Genovese Drug Store in Astoria in 1924. Headquartered in Melville, the chain grew to 141 stores, primarily in Suffolk and Nassau counties and in Queens. Genovese Drug Stores was sold to Eckerd Drugstores in 1998, although Eckerd kept the Genovese name on storefronts until 2003. This is the East Farmingdale location in 1998.

Pancake Cottage

Pancake Cottage opened in Centereach in 1965 and began to franchise in 1971. It was the largest homegrown restaurant chain on Long Island when the owners agreed to become the area franchisee for Country Kitchen restaurants in 1994. Chris Levano and Larry Papola, owners and brothers-in-law, posed at the Ronkonkoma location in this 1990 photo.

Loehmann's

Loehmann's department stores first opened in 1921 in Brooklyn. After multiple bankruptcies, its brick and mortar stores went defunct in 2014, although the company still exists as an online retailer. This is the Huntington location in 1983.

TSS Seedman's

TSS Seedman's, also called Times Square Stores, was founded in 1929 as an auto-supply store. It added general merchadise, and with nine stores on Long Island, it became one of the five largest retailers on the Island. The chain was sold in 1987 to Resource Holdings Ltd. and all stores were officially closed in 1989. This is the Hempstead location in 1988.

Castro Convertibles

In 1931, an Italian immigrant Bernard Castro came up with the idea of turning a couch into a bed. Castro Convertibles was eventually based in New Hyde Park and at its peak had showrooms in 12 states. Bernadette Castro, Bernard's daughter, was well known as the little girl who easily opened the convertible sofas in television commercials. In 1993, the company was sold to Krause's Furniture Inc. of Brea, California. The brand was relaunched in 2010 by Bernadette Castro and its products are available online.

Newmark & Lewis

Newmark & Lewis, an electronics chain based in Hicksville, had been in business for 68 years when it closed in 1992. This 1949 advertisement from the Hempstead store features television sets.

Aid Auto

Aid Auto was once the largest franchisee of Aid Auto Stores Inc., a public car products retailer that had stores across the Northeast. The Westbury-based public Aid Auto company terminated operations in 1998. Privately owned Aid Auto, run by Anthony Pirrera, shut down in 2012 and had been independent of its former franchiser for nearly two decades. This is the Oakdale location in 1998.

Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor

Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor first opened in 1897 in the Bronx. Locations spread throughout the New York City area, Florida, and Long Island, including East Meadow, West Islip, Great Neck, and Rockville Centre. Today there is just one remaining location, in Jackson Heights, Queens. Jahn's is renowned for its Kitchen Sink ice cream special which serves six to eight people. Here two young patrons enjoy ice cream at the Richmond Hill location in 2002.

Abraham & Straus

Brooklyn-based department store Abraham & Straus, often called A&S, was founded in 1865 as a small dry goods store. At its peak, it was the third largest department store company in the nation. In 1995, its parent company, Federated Department Stores Inc., eliminated the Abraham & Straus name and began operating most stores under the Macy's brand.The Hempstead location, here in 1992, first opened in 1951.

Pergament Home Centers

Pergament Home Centers was founded by Louis Pergament in Cambria Heights in 1935 and was later headquartered in Melville. The company filed for bankruptcy in February 2001, and two months later was ordered liquidated. This is the Massapequa location in 1998.

Korvette's

E.J. Korvette, or Korvette's, was a discount department store that opened 1948 in Manhattan. It was sold in 1979 to the Agache-Willot Group of France and closed in 1980. Long Island locations included West Islip, Hempstead, Westbury and Lake Grove. In this photo Angela Nudo of Westbury looks at dolls for her daughter Michele at the Korvette's in Carle Place on Dec. 21, 1971.

Wetson's

Wetson's, a Valley Stream-based fast food chain that sold 15-cent hamburgers, was founded in 1958 and had 72 locations at its peak. It filed for bankruptcy in 1974 and was merged into Nathan's Famous the following year. The Valley Stream location is featured in this 1972 photo.

Rockbottom

Rockbottom stores, founded in 1933 as Courtesy Drugs and headquartered in Lake Success, featured discount and close-out merchandise, with several locations hosting a pharmacy. It was sold to Duane Reade in 1998. At the time of the sale, Rockbottom had 38 locations, primarily in Queens, Nassau and Suffolk. The Deer Park location is featured in this 1998 photo.

Alexander's

Alexander's, a chain of discount department stores, originated in the Bronx in 1928. The business liquidated in 1992. The longest-lasting Alexander's store on Long Island was in Valley Stream. This is the Rego Park, Queens, location in 1985.

Noodle Kidoodle

Noodle Kidoodle, an educational toy store based in Syosset, was first opened by Stanley Greenman in 1993. In 2000 with 60 stores, the company was sold to Zainy Brainy Inc. Shoppers leave with a full basket of toys in this 1998 photo.

Seaman's Furniture

Wodbury-based Seaman's Furniture originated in Brooklyn in 1933. It became one of the most profitable furniture chains in the nation when it went public in 1985. Seaman's merged with Levitz Home Furnishings Inc. in 2001. Here, Alan Rosenberg, then-CEO of Seaman's Furniture, is seated in a showroom in 1997.