Watson's Vanity License Plate
12" × 6"
$17.99
Sale price
$17.99
Regular price
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GhostCorp Apparel - resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.
Give a vehicle a distinctive connection to regional retail history with this Watson's vanity license plate. Founded in Knoxville in 1907, Ira A. Watson Co. grew into a department store chain serving county-seat communities across the Southeast. Its story includes downtown storefronts, larger mall locations, centralized distribution, a 1992 Chapter 11 filing, and the 1998 purchase that led to the 1999 conversion of its stores. The design is a fun display piece for former shoppers, collectors, and fans of memorable local brands.
Ira A. Watson Co., commonly known as Watson's, was a department store chain based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1907, it expanded from one Knoxville operation into a regional network serving county-seat towns across the Southeast. The company first developed downtown stores and later opened substantially larger locations in shopping centers and malls. Its operations extended into Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois. Merchandise for the stores was purchased and distributed through a centralized warehouse at the Knoxville corporate offices. Watson's experienced financial difficulty in the late 1980s and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 1992 after it could not renew bank financing. At filing, it operated 31 stores in nine states. Profitability improved, and the company emerged from Chapter 11 in about half the expected six-year period, but it did not fully recover. Peebles purchased Watson's for $4.45 million in a transaction completed June 29, 1998, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. In 1999, all Watson's stores were converted to Peebles. Peebles was purchased by Specialty Retailers in 2003 and is now part of the Gordman's chain.
Watson's Vanity License Plate
$17.99
Sale price
$17.99
Regular price
| 12" × 6" | |
|---|---|
| Width, in | 12.00 |
| Height , in | 6.00 |
Give a vehicle a distinctive connection to regional retail history with this Watson's vanity license plate. Founded in Knoxville in 1907, Ira A. Watson Co. grew into a department store chain serving county-seat communities across the Southeast. Its story includes downtown storefronts, larger mall locations, centralized distribution, a 1992 Chapter 11 filing, and the 1998 purchase that led to the 1999 conversion of its stores. The design is a fun display piece for former shoppers, collectors, and fans of memorable local brands.
Ira A. Watson Co., commonly known as Watson's, was a department store chain based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1907, it expanded from one Knoxville operation into a regional network serving county-seat towns across the Southeast. The company first developed downtown stores and later opened substantially larger locations in shopping centers and malls. Its operations extended into Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois. Merchandise for the stores was purchased and distributed through a centralized warehouse at the Knoxville corporate offices. Watson's experienced financial difficulty in the late 1980s and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 1992 after it could not renew bank financing. At filing, it operated 31 stores in nine states. Profitability improved, and the company emerged from Chapter 11 in about half the expected six-year period, but it did not fully recover. Peebles purchased Watson's for $4.45 million in a transaction completed June 29, 1998, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. In 1999, all Watson's stores were converted to Peebles. Peebles was purchased by Specialty Retailers in 2003 and is now part of the Gordman's chain.
| 12" × 6" | |
| Width, in | 12.00 |
| Height , in | 6.00 |
Product features
- Durable 100% aluminum construction with silver backing
- High-definition, vibrant color printing on white front
- Standard size 12" × 6" (30.5 × 15.2 cm)
- Four pre-drilled holes for easy hanging or mounting
- Assembled in the USA from globally sourced parts (mounting hardware not included)
Care instructions
- Wipe with a damp cloth, air dry or use a soft, non-abrasive 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: Wipe with a damp cloth, air dry or use a soft, non-abrasive cloth