Channel Home Centers T-Shirt
XS / Army
$19.99
Sale price
$19.99
Regular price
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GhostCorp Apparel - resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.
Celebrate the story of Channel Home Centers, the Newark lumber business that grew into a multistate home-improvement chain. Its history spans a first retail outlet in 1948, family ownership, corporate acquisition, a leveraged buyout, and reorganization before its operations joined Rickel in 1994. For former customers and collectors, Channel represents more than a store name: it recalls local errands, changing neighborhoods, and the evolution of regional retail. Wear this shirt as a conversation starter or a personal nod to that history.
Channel Home Centers, also known as Channel Lumber Company and Channel, was a home-improvement chain based in Whippany, New Jersey. Accounts differ on its origins: a 1975 profile traced the business to a Newark lumber operation started in 1922 by Abraham Levy and Morris Charin, while a 1990 account and company releases gave 1908 as the founding date. Louis L. Slater, Levy’s son-in-law, opened the first retail outlet in Newark in 1948. Channel had seven New Jersey locations in 1963 and 24 by late 1975. W. R. Grace and Company bought it from the Slater family in 1977. Expansion reached New York, Connecticut, and Delaware in 1978, then Maryland and Massachusetts in 1979. In 1986, executives acquired the company in a leveraged buyout that included 202 retail locations in 20 states, among them Handy City and Handy Dan stores. Channel later operated 89 outlets in nine states. It filed for Chapter 11 protection in 1991, closed stores, and emerged in March 1992. In 1994, a venture capital firm bought Channel and competitor Rickel and combined their operations under the Rickel name. Fifty-nine of Channel’s 60 stores were rebranded; the Totowa, New Jersey, store was the exception.
Channel Home Centers T-Shirt
$19.99
Sale price
$19.99
Regular price
Celebrate the story of Channel Home Centers, the Newark lumber business that grew into a multistate home-improvement chain. Its history spans a first retail outlet in 1948, family ownership, corporate acquisition, a leveraged buyout, and reorganization before its operations joined Rickel in 1994. For former customers and collectors, Channel represents more than a store name: it recalls local errands, changing neighborhoods, and the evolution of regional retail. Wear this shirt as a conversation starter or a personal nod to that history.
Channel Home Centers, also known as Channel Lumber Company and Channel, was a home-improvement chain based in Whippany, New Jersey. Accounts differ on its origins: a 1975 profile traced the business to a Newark lumber operation started in 1922 by Abraham Levy and Morris Charin, while a 1990 account and company releases gave 1908 as the founding date. Louis L. Slater, Levy’s son-in-law, opened the first retail outlet in Newark in 1948. Channel had seven New Jersey locations in 1963 and 24 by late 1975. W. R. Grace and Company bought it from the Slater family in 1977. Expansion reached New York, Connecticut, and Delaware in 1978, then Maryland and Massachusetts in 1979. In 1986, executives acquired the company in a leveraged buyout that included 202 retail locations in 20 states, among them Handy City and Handy Dan stores. Channel later operated 89 outlets in nine states. It filed for Chapter 11 protection in 1991, closed stores, and emerged in March 1992. In 1994, a venture capital firm bought Channel and competitor Rickel and combined their operations under the Rickel name. Fifty-nine of Channel’s 60 stores were rebranded; the Totowa, New Jersey, store was the exception.
| XS | S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | |
| Width, in | 16.50 | 18.00 | 20.00 | 22.00 | 24.00 | 26.00 | 28.00 | 30.00 | 32.00 |
| Length, in | 27.00 | 28.00 | 29.00 | 30.00 | 31.00 | 32.00 | 33.00 | 34.00 | 35.00 |
| Sleeve length, in | 8.60 | 8.90 | 9.20 | 9.50 | 9.70 | 10.00 | 10.40 | 10.80 | 11.20 |
| Size tolerance, in | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 |
Product features
- 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton (lightweight 4.2 oz/yd²) for a soft, breathable feel
- Retail fit with crew neckline — neat, easy to layer
- Structural details: side seams, shoulder tape, and ribbed knit collar to retain shape
- Labeling and prints: tear-away label; DTF or DTG printing used for crisp chest and sleeve designs
- Ethically made blanks (Fair Labor Association, Platinum WRAP), REACH certified
Care instructions
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F)
- Non-chlorine: bleach as needed
- Tumble dry: low heat
- Iron, steam or dry: medium heat
- Do not dryclean