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Neisner's was called 'one of the nation's greatest mercantile enterprises.' What happened?
Alan Morrell
Updated 4 min read
Back when downtown Rochester was lined with retail stores, Neisner's was one of the most affordable shopping options.
Lumped in with stores like Woolworth's and Kresge's, Neisner's was known as a five-and-dime. But there was lots of money to be made in those nickels and dimes (although prices actually were slightly higher) — by 1968, for instance, Neisner's reported record sales of $100 million.
Neisner's relied on a merchandising policy of lower profit margins and large volume of sales. The Neisner chain, which later included Big N stores, operated 192 outlets throughout the U.S. at its peak in 1967, according to a 1978 Times Union story. And it all started in downtown Rochester.
Brothers Abraham and Joseph Neisner, natives of New Hampshire, opened their first store at 200 E. Main St. in 1911. They followed with a second store in Worcester, Massachusetts, two years later and a third in Philadelphia in 1915.
Neisner's was never as flashy as its Rochester contemporaries like Sibley's and McCurdy's. Instead, it was a comfortable place to get a bargain and a bite to eat. The "five-and-dime" policy ended after World War I, when the upper price range increased to a dollar, but thrifty shoppers continued to scour Neisner's for its low prices and wide selection of goods for decades.
"The firm now calls itself a 'variety-junior department store,' " stated a 1961 Times Union story noting the company's 50th anniversary. "Even before 1925, when it was called a 'five and dime,' the merchandise was in a slightly higher bracket than goods in stores of the same category."
Neisner's stressed a "family" atmosphere and, as Bob Marcotte noted in a 2010 Democrat and Chronicle story, longtime employees confirmed that the feeling was mutual. A 1951 Times Union story said Neisner's pioneered retail-employee profit sharing, extended vacations, bonuses and group insurance and retirement plans. A 1955 news story noted that 25-year employees got $1,000 bonus checks, a lot of money back then.
The flagship store on East Main was greatly expanded and renovated by the late 1940s. A Times Union story from November 1949 outlining the seven-month remodeling project stated, "Today was Neisner Day on Main Street." The article noted an "eager crowd" that witnessed "one of the most modern and complete establishments of its kind in the country."
The story's headline called Neisner's "one of the nation's greatest mercantile enterprises."
Neisner's sold all kinds of goods. A full-page ad from 1949 listed the first-floor offerings, including a luncheonette, a delicatessen, candy, gloves, hair goods, jewelry and "cut up chickens." The second floor was where you could buy clothing, luggage and shoes or visit the beauty shop. The basement had a cafeteria, glassware, hardware, toys and a pet shop. The ad encouraged customers to "ride the new escalators to the second floor."
In Marcotte's 2010 series on local five-and-dimes, readers recalled the pet shop had "little monkeys in a cage" and live chicks for sale at Easter time in the 1950s — dyed in colors like pink, lavender, green and blue. Longtime Neisner's shoppers reminisced of a piano player in the sheet-music department and the "family discount shopping night" held for employees every Christmas season.
Neisner's was never big on national promotion, even as its retail empire stretched throughout the U.S. As Melvin Neisner, son of one of the founders, said in a May 1961 Times Union story, "Many Rochesterians, including some of our friends, don't know the scope of the business."
A 1967 story noted that Neisner's was the only one of the 15 largest variety chain stores in the U.S. that was headquartered in upstate New York (Neisner's offices were on East Avenue). But as Neisner's continued to open more Big N stores, its five-and-dimes were struggling. By 1975, when the company had a net loss of $10.6 million, Neisner's began closing stores.
Neisner's declared bankruptcy in 1977 and closed 31 stores the following year. The chain operated under bankruptcy law for nearly a year before it was taken over by Ames, another retailer, and then McCrory's. The East Main Street store, long a staple of the downtown Rochester retail scene, closed in 1980.
The reaction to the closing was not as emotionally heartfelt as the subsequent closings of Sibley's and McCurdy's. But, as Marcotte wrote in the 2010 series, Neisner's earned its place in local retail lore.
"For lots of kids," Marcotte wrote, "the five-and-dimes were where they first began to make the decisions — what to spend that allowance on — that are an integral part of
Morrell is a Rochester-based freelance writer.
Editor's note: This story was originally published in May 2014 as part of the Whatever Happened To series.
