Ball Stores was a

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

based department store chain founded in November 1934. The original downtown store was located in the former W.A. McNaughton Company Building (predecessor of Ball Stores) at the corner of Charles and Walnut Street. The store operated as an independent department store specializing in high quality merchandise. In 1968, Ball Stores acquired Collegienne Shops, a retail outlet on University Avenue near

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

. In 1978, Ball Stores opened an outlet in

Muncie Mall Muncie Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Muncie, Indiana. Opened in 1970, it was developed by Melvin Simon & Associates, now known as Simon Property Group. The mall's original anchor stores were W. T. Grant, Britt's, Sears, and Ball Stores. I ...

. By the 1980s, the company started to experience financial difficulties. In 1986, the downtown store closed, in 1988, the Collegiene was closed and in 1990, the Muncie Mall store was closed.

References

* Magic Middeltown, by Dwight W. Hoover, copyright 1986. * Ball State University Archives and Special Collections, Ball Stores Record, 1984–90 Defunct department stores based in Indiana Muncie, Indiana Defunct companies based in Indiana