NYANZA Discount Department Store
- Several Locations
- Providence, Branch Avenue, - Warwick, Post Road
- Providence, Branch Avenue, - Warwick, Post Road
- Woonsocket, Singleton Street,
- Bristol, Hope Street.
- Bristol, Hope Street.
Nyanza also had a place in 'The Shipyard" in Providence...
ReplyDeleteNo Nyanza was owned by Bo and Zelda. Atlantic Mills was in The Shipyard.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember what year they closed the Bristol Store? Did they all close at once?
ReplyDeleteI think the Bristol store closed in 1975
DeleteThere was also a Nyanza on East Main Rd in Middletown. Marshall's is there now.
ReplyDeleteYes, and between when it was Nyanza and Marshall's it was K-Mart.
DeleteI remember Nyanza as a kid. I remember it was the only department store that had a TON of floor to ceiling poles all over the sales floor, so a lot of the clothes bins had to be strangely placed. In 2003, I was working for Tom Ricci at Norwood Chevy parts department, and he wanted me to go over to the back of the Kia building, the old Nyanza, to sort out some unidentified truck bed liners. I started pulling them off to the side to check them out, and holy crap, on the floor was like a 10 ft. by 10 ft. oval logo from the Nyanza store on the floor made of black and white small square ceramic tiles like you would see in an old house bathroom! I'm sorry I didn't have a camera at the time. It was PRICELESS! Talk about memories.
DeleteNyanza was on Post Rd. where Balise is. Atlantic Mills was in Olneyville. Something was at the Shipyard but can't recall what though I had been in there.
ReplyDeleteAtlantic Mills also had a location at the Shipyard. First in one of the WWII buildings, and later in the 60s-vintage bowling alley.
DeleteDoes anyone remember the store next to Nyanza? We are trying to think of the name.
DeleteNyanza Was A Cheesy Store...About 5 Levels Below K Mart :)
ReplyDeleteI worked at all the stores except the one in Woonsocket. I also new Bob, Zelda,and Eddy Kudish very well. They were friends of my family for years. I started as a stock person, and worked my way up to assistant manager.And they were not cheesy stores.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to the one in Woonsocket it was in an old Mill what a great store used to get my 45’s there when I was kid
DeleteDoes anyone know the name of the bowling alley that nyanza took over?
ReplyDeleteFreeway Lanes
DeleteI worked on the demolition crew, taking the bowling alley apart we cut sections of each lane between the arrows on the lane and turned them into table. Top stacked them outside with a sale sign on them,
DeleteThere was also one in the Granite Street Shopping Center in Westerly...
ReplyDeleteYes I remember it well!
DeleteSaw Bobby Or there around 1971
ReplyDeleteMy mother got held up at gunpoint in the Bristol store when she was working as a cashier.
ReplyDeleteOh no! Sorry to hear - I used to visit this store regularly when I was a teen (early 70s)
DeleteWhat year did they open in Woonsocket?
ReplyDeleteWhen did Nyanza in Woonsocket close? What year?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know who the owner was of the Nyanza Discount Department Stores in RI?
ReplyDeleteT,hé Kudish, family
DeleteI used to ride my bike from Barrington to Bristol-Nyanza had the best records and models. As a matter of fact I still have an unopened Beach Boys album from the store!
ReplyDelete