Barker's Discount Department Stores Men's Sport Polo Shirt

Product Details & Size Guide

GhostCorp Apparel - resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Celebrate a distinctive name in American discount retail with this Barker's sport polo shirt. Irving Barker and Felix Mininberg opened the first store in Orange, Connecticut, in 1957, offering a wide mix of home goods in a supermarket-style setting. Barker's grew into a regional chain, adding stores across several states and island markets before King's acquired it in 1980. For former shoppers and retail-history enthusiasts, the name recalls an era of broad assortments, ambitious expansion, and familiar local department stores.

Barker's Discount Department Stores began in May 1957, founded by Irving Barker and Felix Mininberg in Orange, Connecticut. Its first store offered a broad range of home goods in a supermarket-style layout, supported by creative price and entertainment promotions. A second, 40,000-square-foot store opened in Wallingford in September 1960; that year, the company reported $7 million in gross sales. Franklin Stores Corporation acquired Barker's in 1961, and the chain expanded across the Northeast and South Central United States, the Caribbean, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It opened more than 11 stores between 1961 and 1970, then added almost 20 in New York State from 1970 to 1975. In 1976, it opened several former department-store sites in central New York. Barker's emphasized direct imports and a wide mix of national brands, private labels, and domestic goods. King's Department Stores acquired the financially troubled chain for $30 million in August 1980. Most locations took the King's name in early 1981; others closed or changed hands. Louisiana stores closed in 1982, while Puerto Rico locations became Kmart stores during 1983 and 1984.

	S	M	L	XL	2XL	3XL
Width, in	20.25	21.75	23.75	24.75	26.25	28.25
Length, in	29.00	30.00	31.00	32.00	33.00	33.50
Sleeve Length (from center back), in	18.50	19.25	20.00	20.75	21.50	22.25