Ann & Hope
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Founder | Martin Chase |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Cumberland, Rhode Island , United States |
Area served | Northeastern United States (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut) |
| Products | Home fashion, garden supplies, dollar merchandise |
Ann & Hope was a retail company based in Rhode Island that introduced innovations now standard in contemporary big box store formats. Named after the 1798 vessel Ann and Hope, associated with notable Providence merchants, the business operated from 1953 until 2001 throughout the Northeastern United States. It ran a series of stores specializing in home fashion, garden supplies, and dollar merchandise across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Early Development
Martin Chase, born in 1906 in Kiev and relocated to Providence at age six, was the visionary behind Ann & Hope. Unlike his siblings who remained in the family’s automotive repair trade, Chase pursued retail early on, gaining experience at Fintex and Howard's Clothes before founding Chase Clothing in 1933. His competitive advantage stemmed from reducing operational expenses by cutting out services like alterations and utilizing low-cost fixtures.
With World War II disrupting the apparel industry, Chase redirected his efforts. In 1946, he purchased the Ann & Hope Mill complex located in Lonsdale, Cumberland, Rhode Island, which he then subdivided for leasing purposes. Around 1953, leveraging surplus ribbon stock from one of the tenants, the Chases established a small retail outlet within the mill. This grew into a larger store relocated to the mill’s ground floor by spring 1954. Expanding merchandise selections fueled rapid growth; by 1969, Ann & Hope reported annual revenues of $40 million (equivalent to approximately $ today), solidifying its market position.
Impact and Innovations
Ann & Hope was among the first to implement self-service department store concepts that allowed shoppers to select items independently without sales assistance. It also pioneered the use of large basket shopping carts during the 1950s. The initial mill location featured unusually large parking facilities for that era and included a basement stocked with additional products accessible via a staff-operated shopping cart conveyor system. The chain further innovated through centralized checkout counters and customer-friendly return policies.
Additional features that have become hallmarks of big-box retailers were introduced by Ann & Hope, such as on-site cafeterias and leasing spaces to subtenants with separate entrances—a strategy later embraced by Walmart. Although tenant leasing met with limited success, many leased areas were eventually converted into garden centers managed directly by the store prior to its closure in 2001.
Significantly, Walmart founder Sam Walton visited Ann & Hope in 1961 and drew inspiration for his own retail approach. Likewise, Harry Cunningham examined Ann & Hope’s operations when preparing to launch the inaugural Kmart outlet.
1989–2007 Period
Following a disappointing holiday season in 1989–90, layoffs were implemented at the Seekonk, Massachusetts location within key departments—an early indicator of difficulties faced amid increasing regional competition throughout the 1990s. By spring 2001, all Ann & Hope department stores had shuttered except for two Rhode Island sites: the original Cumberland location and Warwick. High-value properties in Massachusetts were sold.
The surviving stores were scaled down and repositioned as off-price "outlet" formats. Subsequently, new outlets under the Ann & Hope name—such as Curtain & Bath Outlet—were launched often near former department store locations, reflecting a strategic pivot toward outlet retailing within the company’s business model.
2007–present
In 2007, the original Cumberland location featured an Ann & Hope Curtain and Bath Outlet alongside an outdoor Garden Outlet. The proprietors revealed intentions to transform the Cumberland mill store into a development combining retail spaces with residential units.
Currently, the mill building accommodates the Bargain City Galleria, which operates as a flea market, food court, and auction venue.
By 2010, Ann & Hope Curtain & Bath had expanded by opening additional outlets in Vernon and Newington, Connecticut. The following year, two more Massachusetts stores launched in Raynham and Weymouth after acquiring Curtain Factory Outlet businesses, increasing the total to 11 outlets across Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Another store commenced operations in Westborough, Massachusetts in 2013.
After temporarily closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, several Garden Outlet locations resumed business on April 27, including those in Cumberland, Warwick, Seekonk, and Millis. This reopening was facilitated by regional government initiatives aimed at safely restarting commercial activities under health guidelines. However, interior sections of the stores remained closed to adhere to social distancing requirements.
In June 2020, although three stores in Weymouth, Raynham, and Westborough were shuttered, company representatives initially affirmed that the chain would continue operating. Nevertheless, by late June it was declared that all remaining outlet stores would cease operations, with only certain garden centers potentially remaining open.
In 2022, Ann & Hope sold its Warwick property to Crossroads Capital Fund VI LLC and transferred ownership of the Cumberland mill complex to Hartford Holdings LLC, a real estate company based in Providence.