Value Village
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Department & Discount) |
| Founded | 1961 in Dolton, Illinois |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Fate | Liquidated |
| Headquarters | Dolton, Illinois |
Key people | Henry Horney |
| Products | Apparel, footwear, bedding, jewelry, hardware, toys, records, school supplies, electronics, and household goods. |
Number of employees | 400 |
Value Village Stores, Inc. was a regional discount department store chain operating primarily in the Midwestern United States. Established by Henry Horney, formerly with F.W. Woolworth Company, the business began in 1961 and expanded throughout Wisconsin and Illinois until ceasing operations in 1989.[1] Horney also managed a real estate firm and frequently developed small shopping centers adjoining the discount outlets.[2] This enterprise was entirely separate from the Savers Value Village thrift store chain.
History
The inception of the Value Village brand dates back to 1961 when Henry Horney opted to transform six of his existing eight-year-old smaller-scale variety stores—known as Horney Dime Stores and Horney Variety Stores—into considerably larger "big box" retail formats.[3] Having previously worked at Woolworth’s, Horney observed the launch of Woolco’s initial big box store in 1961; simultaneously, competitors like S.S. Kresge and W.T. Grant were preparing to introduce their own large-format stores—Kmart and Grant City—in 1962. A Wall Street Journal article from that year highlighted the sweeping changes underway within the variety and dime store sector as Horney revamped his portfolio.[4]
The initial pair of Value Village stores debuted in Illinois at Harvey and Homewood during August and November of 1961 respectively.[5] Both locations occupied former Kroger grocery sites that had closed in 1960. A third outlet in Dolton replaced an existing Horney Variety Store; uniquely constructed from scratch, this Dolton store became the flagship model for subsequent locations.
The architectural design was described as Swiss-inspired featuring thatched wooden facades.[6] All newly built stores following Dolton adhered to this standardized plan. The triangular entrance canopy symbolized a dual meaning aligned with the chain’s marketing theme during the 1980s: “Value Village: The peak of value.” Certain departments were subleased to specialized operators; for example, hardware sections were managed by HWI (later rebranded Do It Best), while pharmaceutical services were provided by a company based in Indiana.[7]
By the late 1960s into the early 1970s, Value Village extended its footprint to smaller communities across Wisconsin and added two more Illinois stores. These included locations in Portage, Monroe, Watertown, Sun Prairie, Elkhorn, and Muskego within Wisconsin as well as Watseka and Macomb in Illinois. Small-scale shopping centers were constructed adjacent to outlets in Monroe, Watseka, Portage, Dolton, and Macomb.[8] Leasing responsibilities were managed by Value Village Real Estate Corporation.[9] Store sizes within these malls varied from approximately 600 square feet up to about 3,500 square feet.[10] Meanwhile, Horney maintained operations of his remaining variety dime stores located in Indiana and Illinois.
Decline and Shutdown
The initial closure within the Value Village chain occurred at the Harvey, Illinois location. Although the flagship store in Dolton was reconstructed, it suffered a devastating fire in 1977.[11] The chain’s last store launch took place in Muskego in March 1980.[12] During the 1980s, Value Village struggled to remain competitive against major retail giants like Kmart, Target, and Walmart.[13] In 1983, the Sun Prairie outlet was shut down by local law enforcement due to outstanding debts.[14] By 1985, the last of the smaller Horney Variety Store branches had ceased operations. Columnist Matt Figi analyzed the competitive environment in Monroe, Wisconsin, to shed light on Value Village’s decline there and similar trends across other locations. The Monroe store had debuted as the town’s first big box retailer in 1970; however, following Kmart’s arrival in 1976 and Walmart’s opening in 1985, neither Value Village nor other variety dime stores could sustain their business.[15]
As competition intensified across various markets served by Value Village, store closures took place throughout the mid to late 1980s. Gradual liquidations diminished the chain one outlet at a time until all stores had shut down. The final two closures within the eleven-store network were the Portage branch and the reconstructed Dolton flagship store, both ceasing operations by late 1989.[16] Several surrounding malls were repurposed following these shutdowns. For instance, the Macomb Value Village Mall was converted into a joint campus for Spoon River College, while the Monroe location was reconfigured to accommodate a larger retail tenant. The Dolton Value Village Mall remained operational under that branding until its closure in 1998, at which point the Value Village Real Estate Corporation was formally dissolved.[17]
- ↑ Obituaries: Henry J. Horney. Chicago Tribune, 31 January 2001, p. 2, Sec. 2.
- ↑ Value Village Business nearly "at Par:" Manager. Portage Daily Register, 28 August 1977, p. 21.
- ↑ "Clinton Variety Store Sold." Daily Clintonian, 22 October 1953, p. 1 & 3 and "Value Village in Dolton." The Pointer (Riverdale, Illinois), 15 November 1962, p. 7.
- ↑ Mathewson, Joseph. "Five and Tens Running Scared, Change Their Ways." Tulare Advance-Register, 24 June 1961, p. 6 (reprinted from the original article in the Wall Street Journal).
- ↑ "Value Village Grand Opening: Homewood Store." Chicago Tribune, 26 November 1961, p. S-12.
- ↑ "Value Village Going Up in Monroe." Wisconsin State Journal, 9 November 1970, Sec. 2, p. 1.
- ↑ "Value Village Business Nearly 'at Par': Manager." Portage Daily Record, p.21.
- ↑ Thornton, Dennis. "Work Begins on Shopping Center." Portage Daily Register, 30 April 1976, p. 1.
- ↑ Howlett, Michael. Certified List of Domestic and Foreign Corporations for the Year 1974. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, p. 1356.
- ↑ Thonton, p. 1.
- ↑ "$1 Million Damage in Fire." Daily Leader (Pontiac, Illinois), 13 July 1977, p.1.
- ↑ "Grand Opening Sale." Waukesha County Freeman, 31 March 1980, p. 33.
- ↑ Figi, Matt. "Back in the Day: The Rise of Monroe Variety Stores." Monroe Times, 28 May 2023.
- ↑ Hesselberg, George. "Sun Prairie Value Village Forced to Close." Wisconsin State Journal, 12 November 1983, p. 4.
- ↑ Figi, Monroe Times.
- ↑ Spelbring, Bill. "Dolton Site of Largest Expo Center." Southtown Star, 23 June 1991, p. C2.
- ↑ "Expo Center's Fate in Judge's Hands." The Times (Munster, Indiana), 13 October 1998, p. B3.