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Gemco was an American, particularly California chain of membership department stores that was owned by San Leandro-based Lucky Stores, a California supermarket company which has since been acquired in the 1980s by American Stores Company, which was later acquired by Albertsons in 1999. It operated from 1959 until closing in late 1986. A number of the west coast stores were sold to Target which fueled their entry into California. Gemco had a version called Memco, also owned by Lucky Stores that operated stores in Chicagoland and the Washington, D.C. areas. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links GemCo. ... A discount store is a retail store offering a wide range of products, many branded, at discounted prices. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anaheim redirects here. ... Drawing of a self-service store. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... This article is about the U.S. state. ... The interior of a typical Macys department store. ... San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. ... Lucky Stores first began in San Mateo County, California when Charles Crouch expanded his lucky stores to the East Bay in 1935. ... Packaged food aisles in a Fred Meyer store in Portland, Oregon A supermarket is a departmentalized self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... American Stores was the name of a United States chain of supermarkets. ... A typical Albertsons store. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the United States retail company. ... Chicagoland is an informal name for the Chicago metropolitan area, used primarily by copywriters, advertising agencies, native residents, and traffic reporters. ...

History

Gemco was first established in Anaheim, California in October 1959. A year later, the company was purchased by Lucky Stores, which added the supermarket element and expanded Gemco into a chain. Business and profitability continued to be healthy for over 20 years until a series of unsuccessful leveraged takeover attempts from other companies were made on its parent company, Lucky Stores. Lucky, to avoid such hostile takeover attempts, eventually decided it was best to liquidate Gemco entirely. This liquidation occurred in early 1987. Target has since taken over and remodeled many of Gemco's former prime business locations. Anaheim redirects here. ... A leveraged buyout (or LBO, or highly-leveraged transaction (HLT), or bootstrap transaction) occurs when a financial sponsor gains control of a majority of a target companys equity through the use of borrowed money or debt. ... Hostile takeover can refer to: For the business usage see takeover. ... This article is about the United States retail company. ...

Name, colors and logo

Memco logo

"GEMCO" never was an acronym, despite rumors ("Government Employees' Merchandising Company," etc.) to the contrary. The letters were simply an easily pronounced and remembered name. Brown (with tan accents) was Gemco's original main exterior background color, and the letters "GEMCO" were originally in red. An early 1980s redesign changed the chain's main exterior background color to blue (with light blue accenting), and its letter coloring in its logo to white (adding a yellow diamond on top of the "M"). Image File history File links GemCo. ... Image File history File links GemCo. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...

Offerings and innovations

An early example of what would become a hypermarket, Gemco offered one stop shopping for everything from garden supplies to groceries, and regular department store offerings as well. Its concessionaires included gasoline (located outside and away from the front entrance) and jewelry. One innovation the store offered - found nowhere else at the time - was the storing and delivery of already purchased groceries when the member was through shopping the rest of the store. A numbered plastic card was placed on the cart(s) and its match was given to the customer. When the member was done shopping and ready to leave the premises, the member merely needed to drive to the side of the store where the plastic card was given to the security guard. The guard would call for a courtesy clerk to deliver the groceries, and the clerk would load them into said member's vehicle gratuity-free. Niceties such as this won many new members to Gemco, and created repeat business, adding to Gemco's success. Packaged food aisles of Fred Meyer in Portland, Oregon In commerce, a hypermarket or multi-department store is a superstore which combines a supermarket and a department store. ...

Gemco was a preferred employer in many of the locations in which it did business. Unlike may other "discount" chains (e.g. Payless) Gemco employed union members of the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers.) The benefits and wages offered to Gemco employees helped it attract and retain a more highly qualified workforce than was typical of "discount" stores at that time. Vestiges of the longer-tenured employees of Gemco can still be found today at many Costco stores (also a membership department store)in the San Francisco Bay Area, where management includes many former Gemco management employees.

Gemco also offered a credit department to help increase sales. It was particularly busy each year during the Christmas shopping period. For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ...

As a trial few Gemco stores offered free babysitting while an adult was shopping in the store. The adult would drop of the child in the designated area of the store and would be given a ticket with a number on it. When the adult is done shopping they would give the cashier ticket who in return called the babysitting dept and a clerk would bring the child out to the parent. The parent could also pick the child up directly as well. After about 1 year of trial Gemco ceased operation of this trial. California law required a caregiver in a commercial operation to be licensed and insured as a daycare.

In the Eastern United States, Memco membership department stores would honor Gemco membership cards, and Gemco stores would likewise honor Memco cards. These were two different Lucky Store chains, however.

Memco entered the Washington, DC market in 1969 with a store on Little River Turnpike in Annandale, VA and a store on Allentown Road in Camp Springs, MD. When the chain exited the DC market around 1982 there were about 15 stores and most converted to Bradlees. Several of the former locations are currently open as Home Depot or Kmart.

Former Locations

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Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...

Arizona

• Phoenix: 4 locations

• West Thomas Road store, which sat vacant for nearly a decade is now an indoor swap meet
• Northwest corner of 43rd Avenue and Thunderbird Road; store was converted to office space as a regional accounting center for Albertsons
• Northeast corner of McClintock and Baseline in Tempe; now a Target
• Southeast corner of 19th Ave and Glendale; later a Smitty's, then Smith's and now a Fry's Marketplace

• Tucson, Arizona: 2 locations

• Speedway and Kolb North East corner; torn down and now a Lowes
• Oracle and Limberlost South East corner; torn down and now a Lowes

Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... Swap Meet is a song by the grunge band, Nirvana. ... Tucson (pronounced ) is the seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles (98 km) north of the U.S.-Mexico border. ...

California

• Alhambra: Now a Target. Maintained same layout as Gemco until mid-1990s renovation.
• Anaheim: Located on Lincoln Ave. Expanded and converted into a Home Depot until it (the Home Depot) moved to its current location on Brookhurst St. Became Daniel's Home Center (Furniture-Appliance-Electronics). Demolished 2004-2005, now Housing Tract.
• Bakersfield: Now Target. Still mostly in Gemco configuration.
• Cerritos: Now a Target. The store was remodeled and slightly expanded in the early 2000s.
• Chico: Now a Target.
• Chino: Later a Pavilions, Vons, and Pak & Save. Now a Superior Super Warehouse.
• Colma: Now a Target. In the mid-1990s, the store was expanded and extensively remodeled, removing any trace of the former Gemco.
• Culver City: Now an Albertson's/Sav-On location (formerly Lucky).
• Cupertino: Now a Target.
• Downey: This Gemco building became a Sams Club in the 1990s. Location closed in the late 90s and is now a House of Decor.
• Duarte: This store has been remodeled as a Target, but still sports the original blue Gemco tile.
• Dublin: Now a Target. In the early 2000s, the store was expanded and heavily remodeled, virtually eliminating any traces of its original incarnation as a Gemco.
• El Cajon: Now a Target. In the mid eighties, the building was gutted and the front entrance was relocated, but there is still and indenture where the original entrance was.
• Encinitas: Became a Target, then when Target moved down the street, became an LA Fitness.
• Escondido: Torn down and rebuilt as an Advantage and later became an Albertson's. Building is now vacant (2007).
• Fountain Valley: Became a Sams Club store.
• Fremont: The former Gemco became a Target in 1989, however in the early 1990s Target moved to a new location. Strangely enough Gemco's parent company would move into the space and open a Lucky/Sav-On combo store. As of April 2006 the store operates as an Albertsons.
• Fresno: The former Gemco has been remodeled and is now a Target. Located on the northeast corner of First St. and Shields Ave.
• Fullerton
  • Harbor Boulevard: Most of the property converted to a Lucky supermarket in 1987. Smaller niche shops and Staples office supply are utilizing the remaining space. Supermarket portion later converted to an Albertson's store in the mid 1990's.
  • Yorba Linda Boulevard: Now a Target store.
• Gardena: Now a Target.
• Glendora: This store was converted to a HomeBase, then into a House2Home, only to stand vacant for several years upon the demise of that chain. In 2005, the facade was demolished, revealing the original Gemco sign underneath. Since then, the building has been converted into a Los Angeles County Family Services office complex.
• Huntington Beach: Became a Lucky's Supermarket (now Albertson's) and a Toys-R-Us. Albertsons closed the supermarket October 2007.
• Indio: Now a Community college extension ( College of the Desert ) although the shell of the building remains, the interior of the building has been drastically remodeled.
• Lancaster: Now divided between Toys "R" Us and a HomeTown Buffet.
• La Mirada: A Home Depot now sits at that location.
• La Puente: The second Gemco store in the company and was issued store number 502.
• Long Beach: Now a Target.
• Los Angeles
  • Arleta: The former Gemco building was used by a private company for over a decade along with the 76 gas station and a coin-op laundromat within the lot still in operation until 2003 when the land was bought by the Los Angeles Unified School District to be used to construct Arleta High School.
  • Granada Hills: Now a Target. Target closed this store in 1/07 and will demolish the existing building and build a brand new Target slated to open in 10/07.
  • North Hollywood: Now a Target. Extensively remodeled and added on to in 2005 removing any trace of the original Gemco.
  • Northridge: Now a Target.
  • Pacoima: Now a Target.
  • Woodland Hills: Now a Target.
• Mission Viejo: Now a Target.
• Modesto: Now a Target.
• Mountain View: Now a Target.
• National City: Lucky converted the GEMCO location into a high-end prototype supermarket called Advantage. The store remained operational for many years until it was converted into a low-end Super Saver Foods in the late 1990s. The Super Saver Foods closed in 2003. Mervyn's is the new occupant as of July 2006.
• Oceanside: Now a Target.
• Pleasant Hill: Now a Target.
• Pomona: Remodeled into a Vons and split withBig Lots, Vons became Expo (Vons warehouse style market) before being demolished and turned into condominiums.
• Rancho Cucamonga:Was turned into a Target discount outlet [had a different name] then and currently an Orchards Hardware
• Redwood City: Building was demolished and a strip mall inclusing a Target, and Marshall's was built.
• Unincorporated Los Angeles County: Rowland Heights: Remodeled into a 99 Ranch Market and mall, removing any trace of the original Gemco.
• Riverside:Now a Target store
• Sacramento: All but one location in the Sacramento area are now operating as Target stores. The Mack Road location (the last store built in Sacramento) was converted to a Target, which later closed. It is now an Asian seafood store.
• San Diego
  • Balboa Avenue: Converted into an Advantage. Now is an Albertson's store.
  • Mira Mesa Boulevard: Now a Target store.
• San Gabriel: Became a Target in the late 1980s, but since the late 1990s has become the San Gabriel Superstore anchored by a Shun Fat Supermarket.
• San Jose: Now a Target.
• San Lorenzo: The exterior of the former Gemco remains largely intact despite becoming a Target store in 1989. Building is currently unoccupied.
• Santa Ana: Now a Target.
• Santa Maria: Now a Target store on Betteravia Rd. off Highway 101.
• Simi Valley: Now a Vons.
• South Gate: This store is now a Target.
• Stockton: Now a Target.
• Torrance: This store sat abandoned for almost a decade wearing the Gemco brand. (Local urban legend claims that the site was used for Satanic rituals, thus hindering the site's sale to another vendor.) It has since been reopened as a Best Buy and OfficeMax.
• Vallejo: Now a Target.
• Ventura: On Main Street. Now a Target.
• Victorville: Exterior was orangle tiles. Located on Palmdale Ave., between Park Ave. & Anacapa Rd. Now a Target, though exterior is not greatly changed. The exterior was the same for many years, but they remodeled it and it looks like your basic Target.
• Visalia: Was reopened in 1986 as Target; after Target opened an all-new facility in 2005, building was renovated for new tenants Jo-Ann Fabrics, dd's Discounts, Petco, Anna's Linens, and Professor Toy.
• Walnut Creek: The store was demolished in the mid-1990s after Target decided to make way for a new store.
• Yuba City: Now a Target.

Alhambra is a city located in United States. ... Anaheim is a city in Orange County, south_west California, a part of the greater Los Angeles conurbation to the east of Long Beach. ... Bakersfield redirects here. ... City nicknames: The Geographic Center of Southern California The Freeway City County: Los Angeles County, California Mayor: Paul W. Bowlen (re-elected 2003) Mayor Pro Tem: Laura Lee (elected 2003) City Council: Jim Edwards (elected 2005) Gloria A. Kappe (re-elected 2003) John F. Crawley (re-elected 2005) Mottos: A... Nickname: Location of Chico in California Coordinates: , Country State County Butte Settled 1843 Founded 1860 Incorporated January 8, 1872 Government  - Mayor Andrew Holcombe  - City Council Scott Gruendl Steve Bertagna Larry Wahl Ann Schwab Mary Flynn Tom Nickell  - City Manager Area  - Total 27. ... Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... Colma is a small town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula next to Daly City and South San Francisco. ... Motto: The Heart of Screenland Location of Culver City in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1917-09-07 [2] Government  - City Manager Jerry Fulwood [1] Area  - City  5. ... Location of Cupertino within Santa Clara County, California. ... Location of Downey in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Founded 1800s Incorporated 1956 Government  - Type Council-Manager government  - City Council David R. Gafin Mario A. Guerra Rick Trejo (Mayor) Anne Marie Bayer Kirk Cartozian Area  - City  12. ... Sams Club, spelled by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ... Duarte is a city in Los Angeles County, California, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 21,486. ... The public library in Dublin Dublin is a suburban city of the East (San Francisco) Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. ... El Cajon (IPA pronunciation in English: ; Spanish: ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. ... Location of Encinitas within San Diego County, California. ... For the album by J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton, see The Road to Escondido Escondido is a city located in northern San Diego County, California just north of the city of San Diego. ... Fountain Valley is a city located in Orange County, California. ... For the unincorporated community in Yolo County, California, see Fremont, Yolo County, California. ... A typical Albertsons store. ... Fresno redirects here. ... Location of Fullerton within Orange County, California, U.S. Coordinates: , Country State County Orange Government  - Mayor Shawn Nelson Area  - City  22. ... Seal of Gardena Gardena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Location of Glendora in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1911-11-13 [3] Government  - Mayor Ken Herman [1]  - City Manager Eric. ... For other uses, see Homebase (disambiguation). ... Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in southern California. ... The Indio Fashion Mall. ... Lancaster, California, USA, is the eighth-largest city in Los Angeles County and the 9th fastest growing city in the United States. ... Toys R Us (currently typeset as Toys Я Us in the logo) is a toy store chain based in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, South Africa, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. ... Buffets, Inc. ... Motto: Dedicated to Service Location of La Mirada in California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1960-03-23 [2] Government  - Mayor Steve Jones [1]  - City Manager Andrea Travis Area  - City  7. ... Motto: Where the Past Meets the Future Location of La Puente in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1956-08-01 [2] Government  - Mayor Louis R. Perez [1] Area  - City  3. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles County Government  - Mayor Bob Foster Area  - City  65. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Arleta is in the northeastern San Fernando Valley, surburban section of Los Angeles, California, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Mission Hills, North Hills, Sun Valley, Panorama City, and the City of San Fernando. ... The Los Angeles Unified School District (the LAUSD) is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. ... Arleta High School is a secondary school located in the Arleta section of Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley. ... Granada Hills is a district of the City of Los Angeles located in the San Fernando Valley. ... North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, California. ... Northridge is a community in the City of Los Angeles. ... Pacoima is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, in the northeastern San Fernando Valley. ... Woodland Hills is a community within the City of Los Angeles. ... “Mission Viejo” redirects here. ... Modesto is the county seat of Stanislaus County in the U.S. state of California. ... Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. ... National City is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. ... Super Saver is a United States price-impact grocery franchise. ... Mervyns is a neighborhood department store based in Hayward, California. ... Oceanside is the third largest city in San Diego County, California. ... Pleasant Hill is a city located in Contra Costa County, California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Nickname: Location in Los Angeles County and the State of California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Government  - Mayor Norma Torres Area  - Total 22. ... Vons is a Southern California supermarket chain, and is a division of Safeway Inc. ... Big Lots, Inc. ... There are two meanings of condominium In international law, a condominium is a territory in which two sovereign powers have equal rights. ... Rancho Cucamonga is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... Redwood City is a suburb located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. ... Map of California showing Los Angeles County. ... Location of Rowland Heights in Los Angeles County, California. ... 99 Ranch Market (also called Tawa Supermarket in its Chinese name, sometimes called Ranch 99 due to confusion based on its logo) is one of the largest Asian American supermarket chains in the United States. ... Nickname: Location in the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Riverside Government  - Mayor Ron Loveridge Area  - City  78. ... Sacramento redirects here. ... San Diego redirects here. ... San Gabriel City Hall San Gabriel is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Shun Fat Supermarket (Traditional: 順發超級市場; Simplified: 顺发超级市场; Pinyin: Shùnfā Chāojíshìcháng; Vietnamese: Siêu Thị Thuận Phát; also known as SF Supermarket) is a small, but growing, Chinese Vietnamese American supermarket chain in the San Gabriel Valley region in California, Sacramento, California, San Pablo, California, and... For other uses, see San José. Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... The location of San Lorenzo highlighted within Alameda County San Lorenzo is a census-designated place located in Alameda County, California, United States. ... Location of Santa Ana within Orange County, California. ... Santa Maria is the largest city in Santa Barbara County, California. ... Simi Valley is an incorporated city located in the extreme southeast corner of Ventura County, California, bordering the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles in the Greater Los Angeles Area. ... Location of South Gate in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1923-01-20 [2] Government  - Mayor Bill De Witt [1] Area  - City  7. ... Nickname: Motto: Stocktons Great, Take A Look! Location in San Joaquin County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County San Joaquin Incorporated 1850 Government  - Mayor Edward J. Chavez  - City Manager J. Gordon Palmer, Jr. ... Location of Torrance in the County of Los Angeles Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Government  - Mayor Frank Scotto Area  - Total 20. ... For the defunct chain of catalog showrooms, see Best Products. ... OfficeMax (NYSE: OMX), is an office supplies retailer founded in 1988 and headquartered in Naperville, Illinois. ... Vallejo (pronounced IPA: in English; in the original Spanish) is a city in Solano County, California, United States. ... Coordinates: Country United States State California County Ventura Mayor Carl Morehouse Area    - City 84. ... Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of western San Bernardino County, California, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureaus 2000 census, the city has a total population of 64,029. ... Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately 230 miles southeast of San Francisco and 190 miles north of Los Angeles. ... Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. ... PETCO is a chain of retail stores that offers pet supplies and services such as grooming and dog training. ... Walnut Creek is a largely affluent suburb several miles east of Oakland in Contra Costa County, California, USA, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Town Square located in downtown Yuba City. ...

Colorado

• Englewood:

Englewood is a city in Arapahoe County, Colorado, USA. As of 2005, the city is estimated to have a total population of 32,350. ...

Nevada

• Reno: Became a Target after buyout, when Target Greatland opened, store remodeled and is now Ashley Furniture and Sportsman's Warehouse.
• Sparks: Now a Target. Store was recently remodeled.
• Las Vegas: W. Sahara Ave. near Jones Blvd. - Now a Burlington Coat Factory.
• Las Vegas: E. Tropicana Ave. at Eastern - Now a Burlington Coat Factory.
• Las Vegas: Boulder Highway at E. Sahara Ave. Was re-opened for some time as "GEMCO Indoor Swap Meet". Has sat closed for nearly a decade along the a gas station and former fast food establishment in parking lot.

Reno redirects here. ... Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 360 stores in 42 states (as of 2006). ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 360 stores in 42 states (as of 2006). ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...

Texas

• Houston: 5 locations, 1 location became a Fiesta Mart, and another location became a Sam's Club, later a Wal-Mart. The building now houses a Houston ISD facility.

Houston redirects here. ... Fiesta Mart is a Texas supermarket chain. ... Sams Club is a membership-only warehouse club owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ... Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ...

Virginia

• Alexandria: 1 location at 6555 Little River Turnpike. The building is now a Home Depot.

Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - City  15. ... The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. ...

Lore and legend

The store manager of each Gemco was always referred to over the intercom system as "Number 1," and the assistant manager was called "Number 2". The lowest paid staff member, the courtesy clerk, was called "29" or more frequently "29C" (C for shopping cart retrieval). There were not 29 levels of employees, however. The paging of "10 variety" meant help was needed at the check out registers. The paging of a "99" meant a janitor was needed, i.e., "99M" meant a mop to clean a spill or 99B" meant a broom to sweep up a mess.

Karen Carpenter, of the Carpenters singing duo, lived about a quarter mile from the Downey Gemco. Legend states that she was getting ready to go to this particular store on the morning of February 4, 1983, when she suffered a heart attack in her parents' home and died. Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was a highly successful American singer and drummer. ... For other uses, see Carpenter (disambiguation). ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

The East Coast stores were called Memco instead of Gemco. This was to avoid confusion with an already existing chain that operated in the area called GEM. Memco stores in Washington, DC had a blue color scheme on its walls and signage.

External links

• Gemco Department Stores nostalgic website
• Lucky Stores entry at Groceteria