The Hills Dept. Store in South Lorain closed back on July 31, 1982, replaced by a new store in Amherst.
But when exactly did the Lorain store first open? I had never really covered it on this blog. So I hit the
Journal's online archives to find out.
As it turned out, the Grand Opening was on August 18, 1960. There was quite a big build up in the Journal, as it really was a new kind of store. Here's some of the paper's coverage. Note that there are a few photos of the store. I had forgotten about those two large arrows with the blinking lights that seemed to memorize me as a kid.
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| August 15, 1960 |
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| August 17, 1960 |
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| August 17, 1960 |
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| August 18, 1960 |
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| August 18, 1960 |
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| August 18, 1960 |
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| August 18, 1960 |
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| August 18, 1960 |
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| August 23, 1960 |
Hills had a new concept for its time – a standalone department store. It was different from a downtown store or one occupying a space at a shopping center along with competitors. So it's not surprising that hundreds of Lorain area shoppers were in line for a half hour before the ribbon cutting took place.
It was kind of sad when the store closed in 1982. I had only come home from college about six months earlier, and it seemed like Lorain was falling apart, with Downtown stores closing and the steel mill laying off thousands. It was a depressing time indeed.
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| A 2011 view of the former Hills store on Route 57 |
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| A 2022 view |
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UPDATE
The Amherst Hills store opened the week of November 5, 1981. So it was open for about 8 months before the store in South Lorain closed.
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| Ad from the Journal of November 5, 1981 |
And
Ames Department Stores, Inc. purchased the Hills chain in mid-November 1998. Ames itself went out of business in 2002, although there are plans for a comeback in 2026.
