Friday, September 20, 2019

Remember Gold Circle?

1969 version of the logo
Remember Gold Circle? Sure you do, especially if you’re a Baby Boomer like me who grew up in this area.

It was a discount department store chain, based in Ohio, with an outlet across from Midway Mall on Midway Boulevard. (Marc’s uses part of the former Gold Circle building.)

Gold Circle was similar to Hills Department Stores, Kmart or Walmart. It was a division of Federated Department Stores.

Here's the Journal article from September 13, 1969 announcing the new store. (The photo is of a store in Columbus.)

Gold Circle was great because, like Walmart today, it had everything you needed – all in one store.  Perfect for lazy shoppers like me.
1975 version of the logo
According to the Gold Circle Wikipedia entry, Federated Department Stores was sold in 1988. The new owner consequently liquidated the Gold Circle stores. A few converted to other store brands, including Kmart or Hill’s.
Today, Walmart and Target continue to serve the shoppers that once patronized Gold Circle. Ironically, Target’s bullseye logo is vaguely reminiscent of Gold Circle.
The Columbus store (shown in the 1969 Journal photo) as it looked in 1989

11 comments:

Mike M said...

My Mom worked at the Gold Circle by the Mall in the Cash Room in the 70's. My brother and I used to have to call her at work in the Summer time for important stuff like what should we eat for lunch.

Dan Brady said...

Funny!

Mark said...

Loved Gold Circle - they had the best Toys, and bought my first Video Cassette there (Betamax, of course) - Start Trek II. Thanks for the memory.

-Alan D Hopewell said...

Don't forget Zayre's!

Anonymous said...

Don't forget Clarkins and Cooks and Gaylords too...Even Ames was good...Good times my friend....Now all that the little kiddies of today will have memories of is big ole Wal-Mart....1 place....Times were certainly much better in the old days or else this blog wouldn't have us all commenting on it.

KoHoSo said...

Gold Circle was also in California. I had never heard of it until my family and I moved to Sacramento in December 1977. It was our co-favorite store of its type next to Woolco.

Jay said...

I remember when Gold Cirlce remodeled shortly before they closed....the look remained until Kmart closed in 2000 as Kmart never did anything to the store, Gold Circle was the first discount store that I know of that had two entrances although the one where the Marcs entrance now stands was closed in the mid 80s in Elyria. The Gold Circle in North Olmsted that turned into Hills then Ames used both entrances until Hills remodeled the store in ‘96.

Aaron said...

If I was a good boy in that Gold Circle in 1984-1986, I would get a small ICEE. If I was not I did not get one. About all I can remember is that the ICEE stand was pretty close to the registers up front.

Anonymous said...

How were thier sub sandwiches made they were great

Anonymous said...

I wish I new they were great

Anonymous said...

Does any one how they made their sub sandwiches in the deli plz.they were the best.