Sattler's was a regional department store chain headquartered at 998 Broadway,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, two miles (3 km) from the downtown core. They pioneered "bargain basement" retailing in the Buffalo area. Sattler's was founded in 1889 by 17-year-old John G. Sattler when he opened a one-room shoe store in his mother's home at 992 Broadway.Sattler's
''forgottenbuffalo'' Includes exterior streetscape photos, retrieved 2011-01-25. That store would eventually become Sattler's main store which, by 1950, covered and included the flagship store. In the late-1920s the store introduced a number of innovative marketing and promotional schemes to attract customers such as weekly automobile giveaways and high wire walkers. They also resold the contents of bankrupt stores purchased in railcar lots called the "Bargain Train". Starting in 1947, they sponsored an annual Santa Claus parade. Sattler's other Buffalo-area locations included stores in the Thruway Plaza (later Thruway Mall) in

Cheektowaga, New York Cheektowaga () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town has grown to a population of 89,877. The town is in the north-central part of the county, and is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. The town is the ...

(1957),

Boulevard Mall Boulevard Mall is a shopping center located north of the city of Buffalo at the western edge of the Town of Amherst in Erie County, New York, United States. The name derives from its location on Niagara Falls Boulevard (U.S. Route 62), which d ...

Amherst, New York Amherst () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. Amherst is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595. This represents an increase from 122,366 as reported in the 2010 census. The second ...

(1962), Seneca Mall in

West Seneca, New York West Seneca is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 44,711 at the 2010 census. West Seneca is a centrally located interior town of the county, and a suburb of Buffalo. West Seneca, Orchard Park and Hamburg form the ...

(1969), and Main Place Mall in downtown Buffalo (1973). In 1962–63, a store operated in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. In 1969, the company opened stores in

Chautauqua, New York Chautauqua ( ) is a town and lake resort community in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,017 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. It is the home of the Chautauqua Institution and the birthplac ...

, and in

Olean, New York Olean ( ) is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County and serves as its financial, business, transportation and entertainment center. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern ...

. In September 1965, Sattler's opened an innovative home furnishings and food merchandising concept store in an old industrial plant that covered at Elmwood and Hertel avenues in Buffalo. The $5 million, store operated as Sattler's Wonderful World of Food, Inc., and Home Furnishings City U.S.A. The store closed in 1979. Starting in 1963, Sattler's also operated eight drug stores, including four free-standing units. These stores closed in 1979. The Sattler's chain, then owned by United Department Stores, closed in 1982. The flagship store was razed in 1989, and replaced with a

Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...

, which subsequently closed in 2003.

References

External links

- Forgotten Buffalo's Sattler's Page

Photo Essay - "Once Upon a Time in Buffalo," by Karl Josker (accessed 08/17/08).
Defunct department stores based in New York State Defunct discount stores of the United States Retail companies established in 1889 American companies established in 1889 1889 establishments in New York (state) Retail companies disestablished in 1982 1982 disestablishments in New York (state) Companies based in Buffalo, New York {{US-retail-company-stub