Waldenbooks Ceramic Ornament
Round / One size
$15.99
Sale price
$15.99
Regular price
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Mark a memorable chapter in American bookstore history with a Waldenbooks ornament. The company began in 1933 as a small rental library in Bridgeport, grew into a nationwide bookselling chain, and became part of the familiar shopping mall landscape. Its journey through paperbacks, new retail formats, Kmart ownership, Borders-Walden, and eventual liquidation gives this keepsake special meaning for readers, former employees, mall shoppers, and collectors of vanished brands.
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 Ceramic Ornament
$15.99
Sale price
$15.99
Regular price
| Heart | Round | |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter, in | 3.21 | 2.80 |
Mark a memorable chapter in American bookstore history with a Waldenbooks ornament. The company began in 1933 as a small rental library in Bridgeport, grew into a nationwide bookselling chain, and became part of the familiar shopping mall landscape. Its journey through paperbacks, new retail formats, Kmart ownership, Borders-Walden, and eventual liquidation gives this keepsake special meaning for readers, former employees, mall shoppers, and collectors of vanished brands.
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.
| Heart | Round | |
| Diameter, in | 3.21 | 2.80 |
Product features
- 100% white ceramic construction — strong and durable
- Double-sided print with matte finish option
- Golden hanging string included
- UV-decorated for lasting color
- Available in white or gold gift packaging (single ornament per pack)
Care instructions
- Use a microfiber cloth to gently remove any dust or dirt build-up. Avoid harsh chemicals or cleaners. Instead, dampen a cotton wool swab in warm water (just a few drops per liter of water) and gently roll the swab over the ornament and refrain from scrubbing
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: Use a microfiber cloth to gently remove any dust or dirt build-up. Avoid harsh chemicals or cleaners. Instead, dampen a cotton wool swab in warm water (just a few drops per liter of water) and gently roll the swab over the ornament and refrain from scrubbing