Waldenbooks Hoodie / Sweatshirt
S / Dark Heather
$39.99
Sale price
$39.99
Regular price
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GhostCorp Apparel - resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.
Celebrate a beloved chapter of bookstore history with this Waldenbooks Hoodie / Sweatshirt. The design connects to a company that started as a Depression-era rental library in Bridgeport, opened its first bookstore in Pittsburgh, and became a familiar part of shopping malls nationwide. Waldenbooks later passed through major ownership changes before its remaining stores closed in 2011, leaving behind a strong retail-history narrative. It is made for readers, former mall browsers, and collectors of remembered bookstore 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 Hoodie / Sweatshirt
$39.99
Sale price
$39.99
Regular price
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width, in | 20.08 | 22.05 | 24.02 | 25.98 | 27.99 | 29.92 | 31.89 | 33.86 |
| Length, in | 27.17 | 27.95 | 29.13 | 29.92 | 31.10 | 31.89 | 33.07 | 33.86 |
| Sleeve length from center back, in | 33.50 | 34.50 | 35.50 | 36.50 | 37.50 | 38.50 | 39.50 | 40.50 |
| Size tolerance, in | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 |
Celebrate a beloved chapter of bookstore history with this Waldenbooks Hoodie / Sweatshirt. The design connects to a company that started as a Depression-era rental library in Bridgeport, opened its first bookstore in Pittsburgh, and became a familiar part of shopping malls nationwide. Waldenbooks later passed through major ownership changes before its remaining stores closed in 2011, leaving behind a strong retail-history narrative. It is made for readers, former mall browsers, and collectors of remembered bookstore 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.
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | |
| Width, in | 20.08 | 22.05 | 24.02 | 25.98 | 27.99 | 29.92 | 31.89 | 33.86 |
| Length, in | 27.17 | 27.95 | 29.13 | 29.92 | 31.10 | 31.89 | 33.07 | 33.86 |
| Sleeve length from center back, in | 33.50 | 34.50 | 35.50 | 36.50 | 37.50 | 38.50 | 39.50 | 40.50 |
| Size tolerance, in | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 |
Product features
- 50/50 cotton-poly mid-weight (8.0 oz) for warmth and soft handfeel
- Tubular knit (no side seams) for cleaner lines and less waste
- Double-lined hood with color-matched drawcord and tear-away label
- Kangaroo pouch pocket for hand warmth and storage
- DTF/DTG printing and optional embroidery placements (chest, wrists) for durable graphic detail
Care instructions
- Tumble dry: medium
- Iron, steam or dry: low heat
- Do not dryclean
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F)
- Non-chlorine: bleach as needed
EU representative: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY
Product information: Gildan 18500, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC
Warnings, Hazard: For adults, Made in Bangladesh
Care instructions: Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F), Non-chlorine: bleach as needed, Tumble dry: medium, Iron, steam or dry: low heat, Do not dryclean