Value City was an American discount

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

chain with 113 locations. It was founded in 1917 by Ephraim Schottenstein, a travelling salesman in central

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. The store was an off-price retailer that sold clothing, jewelry, and home goods below the manufacturer

suggested retail price The list price, also known as the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), or the recommended retail price (RRP), or the suggested retail price (SRP) of a product is the price at which its manufacturer notionally recommends that a retailer ...

. The chain focused on buyout and closeout merchandise, and occasionally irregular apparel and factory seconds. The stores were branded Schottenstein's in the

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, market. The Schottenstein name was dropped in 2008. Also, three stores in

Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...

were co-branded as Crowley's Value City. From 1984 to 1995, Schottenstein also owned Shifrin-Willens, a jewelry store. The first store was located in

, at 1887 Parsons Avenue on the corner of Parsons Avenue and Reeb Avenue, and has been closed since 2006. It was formerly affiliated with

Value City Furniture American Signature, Inc. is a privately owned furniture company based in Columbus, Ohio. It is the parent company of the retail brands American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture, and the manufacturer brand American Signature. Ame ...

, which has 130 stores and was founded in 1948. (VCF is corporate sponsor of

Value City Arena Value City Arena is a multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1998 and is currently the largest by seating capacity in the Big Ten Conference, with 19,049 seats, wh ...

, home of the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

women and men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

programs.) They entered the

St. Louis, MO St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

market in 1995, opening in

Webster Groves Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census. The city is home to the main campus of Webster University. Geography Webster Groves is located at ( ...

in St. Louis County. At that time, Value City had 79 stores. They acquired the ''Grandpa's'' discount chain in 1999, which included 15 stores in the St. Louis area.

Retail Ventures Retail Ventures was a holding company originally created in 2003 for DSW (NYSE: DSW), Filene's Basement, and Value City Department Stores. The retailer's initial public offering was in 1991 under the Value City name. Value City went on to purchase ...

originally sought to sell the Value City operation to focus on its more profitable brands. The chain announced its intention in 2007 to sell up to 24 stores to

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

. However, on January 23, 2008, Retail Ventures announced it was selling an ownership stake in Value City to newly formed VCHI Acquisition Company. The company continued to close selected stores through 2008 while revamping and reorganizing the merchandise approach in those which were retained. On October 27, 2008, Value City announced that the chain was filing for bankruptcy and that all remaining stores would close.Marla Matzer Rose
Value City Department Stores files for bankruptcy
, ''Columbus Dispatch'', October 27, 2008 The sales were completed on December 23, 2008.

References

{{commons cat Defunct department stores based in Columbus, Ohio Companies based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area Retail companies established in 1917 Retail companies disestablished in 2008 1917 establishments in Ohio 2008 disestablishments in Ohio Defunct companies based in Columbus, Ohio Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008