tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post2924995194239164838..comments2024-03-21T01:17:34.038-05:00Comments on Pleasant Family Shopping: Matchless Memories of Mammoth MartDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-70396196595653091462023-06-25T13:54:28.437-05:002023-06-25T13:54:28.437-05:00There was another Mammoth Mart that was located in...There was another Mammoth Mart that was located in a strip shopping center in East Hartford. Mammoth Mart was in the plaza with a beauty salon, hardware store, and Finast. The store closed and it became a Mars Department Store. then after Mars closed it was vacant until Big Y Supermarket moved it. The plaza is still there, but Big Y closed about 10 or 15 years ago. Now I heard it is a gym.Arthurnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-13101034860079104432022-12-31T15:35:02.601-06:002022-12-31T15:35:02.601-06:00I was the store manager there and Gerry Poirier th...I was the store manager there and Gerry Poirier the district manager had his home store there. Best regards to all, Al Cuccorelli.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-11252807335003616642020-05-23T19:44:48.202-05:002020-05-23T19:44:48.202-05:00Mammoth Mart's jingle ... "The store with...Mammoth Mart's jingle ... "The store with a heart, with a heart, Mammoth Mart, Mammoth Mart, Mammoth Mart, Mammoth Mart.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-15320935287840778562020-05-22T13:22:44.747-05:002020-05-22T13:22:44.747-05:00I worked for Mammoth Mart for seventeen years, I r...I worked for Mammoth Mart for seventeen years, I resigned when King's took over. I was the youngest Store Manager in Mammoth's history and proud of it. I helped open many stores in the chain. I got promoted to the District Manager for New England. I remember Max & Henry very well also, Erwin Stone, Stanley Sonnenfeld my my regional Gerry Poirier. What a great company Max and the executives treated everyone like family. I moved to Caldor as a Store Manager, opened four stores in RI & Mass. Was recruited by Burlington Coat Factory Stores. Stayed 23 years and was SVP of Store Operations. Now retired since 2008 and living in Arizona with my family. Mammoth gave me my start in retail and I always smile when I think about those great days. Hello to all my Mammoth friends. Best regards to all. Al Cuccorelli.Al Cuccorellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04815861558845863760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-36978168876920591122020-04-01T10:14:38.785-05:002020-04-01T10:14:38.785-05:00Joe, thankyou for the kind words about my grandfat...Joe, thankyou for the kind words about my grandfather. Joel CoffmanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-26804304411165574602020-04-01T10:13:47.566-05:002020-04-01T10:13:47.566-05:00As the grandson of Max Coffman, I want to thank yo...As the grandson of Max Coffman, I want to thank you for this article. I remember my Father Jeff Coffman, telling me the story of Sam Walton. My father was 20 and I was just born. Fun fact, when I was a kid, my dad Jeff reopened two toy stores called Boston Baby and later two more called PlayMart. Anyways, thankyou for the great articleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-60942026275162050892016-11-20T13:41:48.009-06:002016-11-20T13:41:48.009-06:00My father Joe Rabel worked for Mammoth Mart when t...My father Joe Rabel worked for Mammoth Mart when the bankruptcy was going on. He was a purchasing agent in the West Bridgewater Offices. While all that was going on Mr. Coffman took care of the my dad by keeping him on the books. He was a great man. Things would have gone badly without his compassion.<br /><br />Joe Rabel Jr.<br /><br />Sorry for the necropostJ. Rabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14839251245384235043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-85097795216425650012013-06-08T20:28:25.650-05:002013-06-08T20:28:25.650-05:00We used to shop at the Mammoth Mart in the Gansett...We used to shop at the Mammoth Mart in the Gansett Shopping Center in E. Providence, RI, next door to the old Narragansett Horse Racing Track. I worked at the Star Market in the same shopping plaza, and spent many a lunch break leafing through Mammoth Mart's record bins. Got a rare Yardbirds album for $1 (worth about $200 today). Thanks Marty! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-1589145401899858452013-05-07T19:21:22.450-05:002013-05-07T19:21:22.450-05:00Great memories of Mammoth Mart. Worked at North Ha...Great memories of Mammoth Mart. Worked at North Haven, Ct, Marlboro, Ma and Waldorf, Md. Remembered transferring a bunch of trash shoes to Waldorf, only to be greeted by it when I was transferred there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-36757650263600768242013-04-14T23:32:56.184-05:002013-04-14T23:32:56.184-05:00A small correction to my post above: Mammoth Mart ...A small correction to my post above: Mammoth Mart / King's was located in the Putnam Square shopping center, on Route 6 on the Mahopac-Baldwin Place border, NOT the Putnam Plaza shopping center, which is in Carmel. But there was another King's in Putnam Plaza! It was originally a Barker's, then King's, then Ames, and is now a Hannaford supermarket. The former Mammoth Mart / King's in Putnam Square where I worked is now an A&P Fresh Market.Jeff M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01717274408158635013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-83978997219974907132013-04-14T02:17:19.851-05:002013-04-14T02:17:19.851-05:00To bring this tale to a sad end, within six months...To bring this tale to a sad end, within six months King's came in, fired Mr. Silverstein (who promptly got a job with Caldor and told me "when you're ready, come join me, I'll have a spot for you" -- which he did), brought in their own people and began ripping the place apart. (Silverstein lamented, "That was a beautiful store - look what they've done to it!) "Electronics" per se did not exist in King's; I was moved to, of all places, Domestics, where I was made Department Manager of something I knew absolutely nothing about. Luckily I had a full-time employee who did, but did not want to be a manager for some reason, and she helped keep me sane -- but I spent a couple of months feeling like I was drowning under huge cases of Mammoth Mart brand yarn that did not match the King's yarn in the sale circulars, and Mammoth Mart brand curtains that did not match the... well, you get the picture. The new King's store manager sneered at me a lot, told me he thought I was "hen-pecked" and when I finally had enough and told him I was leaving (and he guessed I was going to Caldor), he sneered some more and told me that I was making a big mistake because Caldor managers were nothing but "key carriers". Within four years, I was working in Caldor's main buying office, and King's was out of business.Jeff M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01717274408158635013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-39694728858742507932013-04-14T02:04:19.693-05:002013-04-14T02:04:19.693-05:00Anyway, we didn't find out about the sale unti...Anyway, we didn't find out about the sale until some time later, when there were rumors circulating that the company had been sold to King's. In the meantime, I was in charge of a department that included portable TVs, cameras, clock-radios, records, and two new and hot selling items: CB radios and video games. The video games were basically Pong-type early Ataris and a couple of other brands, and the CB radios sold like hotcakes and were returned just as quickly, because they were all apparently defective. The TVs turned out to be a pain in the ass because people also kept bringing them back to be serviced (imagine that today!) and I had to schlepp them over to a local TV repair outfit with which I set up a contract. (We also had one of those TV tube testers and stocked replacements.) My fondest memory is of the time a man wanted to buy a video game for his kids. He had an odd accent, and I spent a lot of time showing him the various games and after he'd decided on one, he gave me his credit card, and he turned out to be Jan Hammer -- and he was dumbstruck that I knew who he was. (He was, for those too young to remember, the composer of the Miami Vice theme and former keyboardist for John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra.) He lived in nearby Kent. Oh, and that record department of which you were so fond? It was actually run by Pickwick International. A guy named Harley would come in once every week or two to restock and merchandise it.Jeff M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01717274408158635013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-49447595324262097602013-04-14T01:49:35.125-05:002013-04-14T01:49:35.125-05:00Dave, one of my first jobs was with Mammoth Mart. ...Dave, one of my first jobs was with Mammoth Mart. I was hired to be the Electronics Dept. Lead Clerk (there was no "department manager") for the opening of a new store in the Putnam Plaza on Route 6 in Mahopac, NY. My only previous retail experience was as an assistant manager with Fayva Shoes, a job I took straight out of college and where I worked for about six months the previous year. I walked in to the still-unfinished store, where an employment table was set up at the front. Sheldon Silverstein, the new store manager, seemed to be thrilled to find somebody with any retail management experience at all and hired me on the spot. Two other guys and I spent a week carpooling up to Kingston, NY to be trained in the store there. What I didn't know at the time was anything at all about Mammoth Mart, because I'd never even heard of them. The Kingston store was old style, with the Marty mascot on the sign, but the new store was completely different: a modern, sans-serif rounded font with no capital letters was the new store logo and sign, and the interior was all cream colored with brown accents. Once we got back, we spent another week or two setting up the merchandise before the Grand Opening. Mr. Silverstein was a rotund, jovial guy who had come down from Massachusetts; his two assistant managers, Mr. Watring and Mr. Horrigan, as well as the whole set up crew seemed to be from Maine and other points north. It was an exciting time, but the timing couldn't have been worse: our opening was in August 1977 - which, in your account above, is the exact month when "Mammoth Mart was no more."Jeff M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01717274408158635013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-40164415511333864712013-02-27T17:27:52.644-06:002013-02-27T17:27:52.644-06:00I worked for MMI for several years starting by cle...I worked for MMI for several years starting by cleaning the West Bridgewater offices after school. From there I went to Canton#19. I went on to work at East Providence briefly then to Marlboro (some time in both stores there). I went back to Canton and then Brockton until I changed careers. We were like gypsies but we were young and enjoyed it. I met some wonderful people and made some life long friends including my first wife. Thanks for the article, it was enjoyable. Still have that mad crush on Maureen S. from the Brockton store and I voted for Todd Gornstein on merit alone. Being Henrys family is a bonus. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-46450601245597915912012-07-20T19:49:55.618-05:002012-07-20T19:49:55.618-05:00Again, thanks for the memories! The Mammoth Mart i...Again, thanks for the memories! The Mammoth Mart in Johnston RI was a godsend, as there weren't any other stores around and we had to go to Providence to shop. I bought a Frankie Valli and the 4 seasons album there that apparently was very rare..they tried Country Western...and 30 years later sold it at a yard sale after my mom passed away. The snack bar was great, and once I got my license, I had to take my 2 younger brothers there at least twice a week.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-23554025724928481862012-07-15T07:53:30.776-05:002012-07-15T07:53:30.776-05:00There was a Mammoth Mart in Brunswick,ME too.There was a Mammoth Mart in Brunswick,ME too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-85854870392262918082012-05-11T15:14:44.317-05:002012-05-11T15:14:44.317-05:00When I was a young boy of 5-6 I used to go to the ...When I was a young boy of 5-6 I used to go to the MM in New Bern NC. Me and my friends would cut through a path in wooded area behind our neighborhood and come out beside the parking lot. I remember there was a "Big Star" grocery store next door. We would play the pinball machines at the front of the store. (Only a dime) and sometimes get icees and popcorn from the snack bar at the front of the store. Thanks for the memories. I found your site after seeing Marty hanging on the wall on an episode of American Pickets.@gsoltowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10665393958505105842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-45248645967804299422012-02-15T10:51:34.285-06:002012-02-15T10:51:34.285-06:00I recently found out that a home that I will be mo...I recently found out that a home that I will be moving into was once owned by Max Coffman.Its an amazing home with most of its original features. It was built in the late fifties, I think, and it was state-of-the-art. Most of the original appliances still work as if they were brand new.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-85039072425030852602011-11-03T17:53:58.228-05:002011-11-03T17:53:58.228-05:00my great grandfather, Max Coffman, was an exceptio...my great grandfather, Max Coffman, was an exceptional man. He new what he was doing with his life at a young age. We use too spend alot of time together in his home in Hollywood, FL. He was an awesome great grandfather and he has inspired me to take on the family values at a very young age. RIP papa MAx, you are missed everyday <3tcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-14431678280526327812011-09-22T23:20:53.286-05:002011-09-22T23:20:53.286-05:00Todd – Great to hear from you! I wholeheartedly ag...Todd – Great to hear from you! I wholeheartedly agree - they were true retail pioneers. And their stores were fun to shop, which makes the memories even fonder. Thanks again!<br /><br />Anonymous – Hey, you were just doing your job! I have a feeling he appreciated your looking out for the company’s interest, whether he expressed it or not! ;)Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-87335587646504462422011-09-05T19:45:14.409-05:002011-09-05T19:45:14.409-05:00I worked at Mammoth Mart in Canton, Mass in the ea...I worked at Mammoth Mart in Canton, Mass in the early '70's. I remember one night a group of men in long black coats and black hats came into the store. One asked me to cash a check for him, but he didn't have the correct credentials. I refused. It got very, very quiet in the front of the store. My manager came and told me to cash the check. Turns out, it was one of the owners himself!! I thought I was fired, but I was on the schedule the next week.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-7799565397721508722011-08-19T20:43:56.234-05:002011-08-19T20:43:56.234-05:00My Grandfather was Henry Gornstein and together wi...My Grandfather was Henry Gornstein and together with my cousin Max, they did great things. Mammoth Mart was their baby and they did a great job in their time being the only ones able to do it. True retail pioneers. <br />Todd M. GornsteinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-84596575847928413732011-06-06T05:29:57.296-05:002011-06-06T05:29:57.296-05:00Ooops, I said I worked at Walmart and meant to say...Ooops, I said I worked at Walmart and meant to say I worked at Mammoth Mart. <br /><br />I remember hearing the flip flops of the customers in the summer coming from the beach and how it would get very busy on rainy days. <br /><br />Appreciate the history of Marty and Mammoth. I always thought that Sam Walton must have based his ideas on Mammoth Mart and now the evidence is there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-22809138710998681532011-06-05T08:20:59.478-05:002011-06-05T08:20:59.478-05:00Thank you so much for this walk down memory lane. ...Thank you so much for this walk down memory lane. I used to work at the Walmart when I was a teenager. My first job in 1971. First I worked in the women's department and then as a cashier. I remember working the cash register at Christmas and my tape would run out and there would be a lady yelling at me "you need to get one of those managas to change that faw yah so the line can go fastah." <br /><br />I remember a polyester top (fully fashioned) was $2.99 and skirts were $4.99. I can't remember what the Princess Anne nylons were. I think my pay was $1.85 an hour something like that. <br /><br />I had such good memories and when I walk into a Walmart I think of Mammoth Mart. It is not quite the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-11324759080747850322011-01-19T10:17:40.496-06:002011-01-19T10:17:40.496-06:00Are there websites for former employees of Mammoth...Are there websites for former employees of Mammoth Mart...I worked for about 6 years in Henderson, N.C. and 'it's a small world'....i am now located in MA...would like to try to connect....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com