What chain of discount stores last operated in 1990 and used Mammoth Mart for their prototype?
Zayre Zayre was a chain of discount stores that operated in the eastern half of the United States from 1956 to 1990. The company's headquarters was in Framingham, Massachusetts. In October 1988, Zayre's parent company, Zayre Corp., sold the stores to the competing Ames Department Stores, Inc. chain, and in June 1989, Zayre Corp. merged with one of its subsidiaries, The TJX Companies, parent company of T.J. Maxx. A number of stores retained the Zayre name until 1990, by which time all stores were either closed or converted into Ames stores. (The TJX Companies, which also owns Marshalls, HomeGoods, and Sierra Trading Post, is still in operation as of 2017.)
Herman's World of Sporting Goods Herman's World of Sporting Goods was a sporting goods retailer in the United States. It was founded by Herman Steinlauf in 1916 as a music store. At one time, there was a gentleman's agreement with west coast competitor Oshman's Sporting Goods, that the Herman's chain would stay east of the Mississippi, while Oshman's would be dominant on the west coast. Later on, Herman's did expand west with the acquisition of Salt Lake City-based Sunset Sports Centers, although this was short-lived. The company entered bankruptcy in 1993, first closing the stores out of the New York metropolitan area, then the New York City stores. Herman's could not compete with the warehouse size stores of Dick's Sporting Goods and Sports Authority, as most locations were in malls or strip malls.