Ontario Discount Department Store Cotton Polo Shirt
S / Charcoal
$38.99
Sale price
$38.99
Regular price
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GhostCorp Apparel - resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.
Wear the name of a regional retailer whose story began in 1950s Lorain, Ohio, as Ontario Super Mart. After Cook Coffee Co. acquired its nine stores in 1964, Ontario became part of a wider family of discount department stores, serving communities across Ohio and Missouri. This polo shirt brings that mid-century general merchandise history into an everyday wardrobe, offering collectors and former shoppers a way to remember a familiar local name and its place in Ohio retail history.
Ontario began as Ontario Super Mart, a Lorain, Ohio-based retail chain in the 1950s, selling clothing, groceries, hardware, electronics and household goods. In 1964, Cook Coffee Co. of Maple Heights, Ohio, acquired the nine-store chain; the company later became Cook United Inc. Ontario was then operated as Ontario Discount Department Stores alongside several other Cook United retail brands. The chain expanded in Ohio, including into Toledo, and also opened stores in Missouri. By the 1970s, Ontario stores operated in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Dayton. Cook United acquired Clark's Department Stores in 1968, converting some locations to its Cooks name. In 1975, Cook United had 82 stores across its various brands, below its stated sales goal, and announced it would end Ontario operations in Missouri. Ontario had 23 stores at the start of the 1980s. After Cook United acquired Rink's Bargain City in 1981, it dropped the Ontario name in May and converted 19 stores to Rink's or Cooks. Cook United later entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984 and closed its remaining stores in 1987, then liquidated under Chapter 7.
Ontario Discount Department Store Cotton Polo Shirt
$38.99
Sale price
$38.99
Regular price
Wear the name of a regional retailer whose story began in 1950s Lorain, Ohio, as Ontario Super Mart. After Cook Coffee Co. acquired its nine stores in 1964, Ontario became part of a wider family of discount department stores, serving communities across Ohio and Missouri. This polo shirt brings that mid-century general merchandise history into an everyday wardrobe, offering collectors and former shoppers a way to remember a familiar local name and its place in Ohio retail history.
Ontario began as Ontario Super Mart, a Lorain, Ohio-based retail chain in the 1950s, selling clothing, groceries, hardware, electronics and household goods. In 1964, Cook Coffee Co. of Maple Heights, Ohio, acquired the nine-store chain; the company later became Cook United Inc. Ontario was then operated as Ontario Discount Department Stores alongside several other Cook United retail brands. The chain expanded in Ohio, including into Toledo, and also opened stores in Missouri. By the 1970s, Ontario stores operated in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Dayton. Cook United acquired Clark's Department Stores in 1968, converting some locations to its Cooks name. In 1975, Cook United had 82 stores across its various brands, below its stated sales goal, and announced it would end Ontario operations in Missouri. Ontario had 23 stores at the start of the 1980s. After Cook United acquired Rink's Bargain City in 1981, it dropped the Ontario name in May and converted 19 stores to Rink's or Cooks. Cook United later entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984 and closed its remaining stores in 1987, then liquidated under Chapter 7.
Product features - Durable double-pique fabric designed for crisp embroidery - Modern classic fit with side seams and vents for better shape - Contoured welt collar and cuffs with a clean, topstitched shoulder - Soft Sport Grey option (90/10 cotton/poly) and 100% ring-spun cotton varieties - Tear-away label, dyed-to-match buttons, and finished placket for polished comfort Care instructions