It Turns Out Ames Department Stores Won’t Be Returning to Pennsylvania After All

If you're feeling nostalgic, this news hurts a little. It looks like we all got duped or at least... it was all a bit of a "fib" late last year.

Here's what happened:

AMES Appears To Tease Comeback in Pennsylvania & Nationwide in Late 2023

In late 2023, media outlets across the country (including us at 94.5 PST covered the news that the popular '90s retailer, Ames could be returning to the area. It would have marked their first stores in the state since 2002.

The news sparked from a message posted on the Ames Department Stores websites saying that they were returning in 'spring 2023.'

The states that were named by a spokesperson for a return were: Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania.

AMES Website & Plans Seemed to Fizzle

We won't bore you with too many of the details, but published reports from other outlets this year have covered the bizarre twists and turns for the retail chains potential comeback.

For much of early 2023, they were still promising to come back.

By the summer, WJAR reported that their website had gone dark, and essentially the internet called the whole thing a bit of a hoax.

The company posted a statement saying they were making changes to their board of directors. As part of those changes, they had even reappointed Shannon de Molyneux as their president.

That same statement doesn't mention ANYTHING about any physical stores reopening anytime soon (or ever for that matter).

So, Pennsylvania, it doesn't sound like AMES is going to be opening soon.