Big Bear Stores Vanity License Plate
Put a piece of Columbus retail history on display with this Big Bear Stores vanity license plate. Big Bear began in 1933 and grew from its first West Lane Avenue store near Ohio State University into a regional supermarket name known across Ohio and West Virginia. It is a fitting display piece for collectors who remember Harts, Buckeye trading stamps, Big Bear Plus, and the Wild Card years, while honoring a hometown chain that closed in 2004.
Big Bear Stores was a regional American supermarket chain founded by Wayne E. Brown in Columbus, Ohio, in November 1933. Its first store opened on West Lane Avenue on February 15, 1934, beside Ohio State University, helping mark the start of self-service supermarketing in the Midwest. The company expanded through Columbus and other Ohio cities, later operating across Ohio and West Virginia. Big Bear introduced shopping carts in 1937, used cashier-operated motorized conveyor belts, and adopted the IBM 305 RAMAC mainframe in the 1950s. In 1954 it acquired Harts Stores, a department-store business that often operated beside Big Bear groceries. Big Bear also used Food Club, Valu Time, and Betty Brown private-brand products. After a 1976 leveraged buyout, the company returned to public ownership in 1983. Penn Traffic acquired Big Bear in April 1989. Big Bear Plus, a food-and-general-merchandise format begun in 1988, gradually replaced Harts locations in the early 1990s. Penn Traffic's 2004 bankruptcy led to the closure of all remaining Big Bear Stores.
| 12" × 6" | |
| Width, in | 12.00 |
| Height , in | 6.00 |
Product features
- Durable 100% aluminum construction with silver backing
- High-definition, vibrant color printing on white front
- Standard size 12" × 6" (30.5 × 15.2 cm)
- Four pre-drilled holes for easy hanging or mounting
- Assembled in the USA from globally sourced parts (mounting hardware not included)
Care instructions
- Wipe with a damp cloth, air dry or use a soft, non-abrasive cloth
EU representative: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY
Product information: Generic brand, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC
Care instructions: Wipe with a damp cloth, air dry or use a soft, non-abrasive cloth