Waldenbooks Car Coaster
2.6'' × 2.6" / 1pc
$10.99
Sale price
$10.99
Regular price
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GhostCorp Apparel - resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.
Add a small reminder of bookstore history to your daily drive with a Waldenbooks car coaster. The company began with a modest rental library in Bridgeport in 1933, opened its first bookstore in Pittsburgh in 1962, and grew into a familiar presence in shopping malls across the United States. Its later transitions through Kmart, Borders-Walden, and Borders Express make this a meaningful accessory for readers and collectors of changing retail culture.
Walden Book Company began on March 4, 1933, when Lawrence Hoyt, a former Simon & Schuster sales manager, and Melvin T. Kafka opened a rental library inside a department store in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Named after Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, the business rented books for three cents per day during the Great Depression. By 1948, it had 250 rental locations. Lawrence Hoyt opened the first Walden bookstore in Pittsburgh in 1962, as affordable paperbacks helped shift the company from rentals to retail selling. Broadway Hale Stores acquired the company in 1969 and later became Carter Hawley Hale. During the 1970s, Walden Books gradually became Waldenbooks. Kmart acquired Waldenbooks in 1984. The company expanded into software, educational toys, larger book formats, and related brands, acquired U.S. Coles Book Stores locations in 1987, and operated Basset Book Shop stores before they became Borders locations. In 1994, Kmart combined Waldenbooks, Brentano’s, and Borders into the Borders-Walden Group. Many stores became Borders Express locations beginning in 2004. Borders Group entered liquidation in 2011, closing the remaining Waldenbooks stores.
Waldenbooks Car Coaster
$10.99
Sale price
$10.99
Regular price
| 2.6'' × 2.6" | |
|---|---|
| Width, in | 2.60 |
| Height, in | 2.60 |
| Thickness, in | 0.30 |
Add a small reminder of bookstore history to your daily drive with a Waldenbooks car coaster. The company began with a modest rental library in Bridgeport in 1933, opened its first bookstore in Pittsburgh in 1962, and grew into a familiar presence in shopping malls across the United States. Its later transitions through Kmart, Borders-Walden, and Borders Express make this a meaningful accessory for readers and collectors of changing retail culture.
Walden Book Company began on March 4, 1933, when Lawrence Hoyt, a former Simon & Schuster sales manager, and Melvin T. Kafka opened a rental library inside a department store in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Named after Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, the business rented books for three cents per day during the Great Depression. By 1948, it had 250 rental locations. Lawrence Hoyt opened the first Walden bookstore in Pittsburgh in 1962, as affordable paperbacks helped shift the company from rentals to retail selling. Broadway Hale Stores acquired the company in 1969 and later became Carter Hawley Hale. During the 1970s, Walden Books gradually became Waldenbooks. Kmart acquired Waldenbooks in 1984. The company expanded into software, educational toys, larger book formats, and related brands, acquired U.S. Coles Book Stores locations in 1987, and operated Basset Book Shop stores before they became Borders locations. In 1994, Kmart combined Waldenbooks, Brentano’s, and Borders into the Borders-Walden Group. Many stores became Borders Express locations beginning in 2004. Borders Group entered liquidation in 2011, closing the remaining Waldenbooks stores.
| 2.6'' × 2.6" | |
| Width, in | 2.60 |
| Height, in | 2.60 |
| Thickness, in | 0.30 |
Product features
- Made from 100% soapstone — naturally absorbent
- Available in 1, 2, or 4-piece sets with the same print on each
- One-sided full-color print with a matte finish
- 2.6″ × 2.6″ size fits most vehicle drink holders; notch for easy removal
- Removable “Made in China” sticker on the bottom
Care instructions
- Gently wipe the dirt or dust off with a clean, dry microfiber 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: Gently wipe the dirt or dust off with a clean, dry microfiber cloth