{{Short description|Former American discount store}} {{Infobox company | name = Yellow Front Stores | logo = <!-- Insert logo here --> | type = Discount store | industry = Retail | foundation = {{circa|1950s}} Phoenix, Arizona | founder = Jim Kelly | defunct = 1990 | fate = bankruptcy | location = Phoenix, Arizona | areas_served = Arizona and western United States | num_locations = {{ubl|104 (1987)<ref name=lat-1987feb19 />|68 (1990)<ref name=pc-1990feb18 />}} | products = clothing, footwear, sporting goods, automotive }}

'''Yellow Front''' was an American discount store<ref name=pc-1990feb18>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=886&dat=19900218&id=-0dNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4018,3809011&hl=en |title=Employees Say Store Will Close |newspaper=Prescott Courier |date=February 18, 1990 |page=1D |first=J.W. |last=Casserly |quote=For the second time in less than a month, an area Yellow Front discount department store is closing. Only 68 of the original 152 Yellow Front stores in the western United States are still open.}}</ref> that original started as a single Army surplus store before evolving into a sporting goods chain and later a discount chain.

In the 1950s, Yellow Stores opened in Phoenix as a small store selling Army Surplus items.<ref name=ar-2010mar13>{{cite news |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/azcentral/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=140660526 |title=Jacob Edward Henegar Obituary |newspaper=Arizona Republic |date=March 13, 2010 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> Jake Henegar bought the company from Jim Kelly in 1960. Henegar led the enterprise until his retirement in the early 1980s.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In the 1960s, Yellow Front Stores added more variety to their stock and increased their locations. By the 1970s, they had stores all over the Southwestern United States. They were, by then, selling outdoor gear such as hunting, camping, and fishing supplies, as well as work clothing, such as Levi Strauss jeans.

Presidents of Yellow Front Stores after Henegar's retirement were Sean Lee, Robert Bove, and David Stoup.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

After a quick expansion, Yellow Stores was forced to close all of their Pacific Northwest stores in 1977.<ref name=sdc-1977jan10>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19770110&id=CPpLAAAAIBAJ&pg=4261,1717455 |title=7 Yellow Front Stores Going Out Of Business |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |date=January 10, 1977 |page=5 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref>

Yellow Front Stores were acquired by Lucky Stores in 1978 for $45.9 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=45900000|start_year=1978}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}), but continued to operate as Yellow Front.<ref name=wsj-1978mar31>{{cite news |title=Lucky Stores, Valley Distributing Agree On Merger Proposal |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=March 31, 1978 |page=36 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/134360071|url-access=subscription |id={{ProQuest|134360071}}}}</ref>

In 1987 there were 104 Yellow Front Stores in 8 states. Lucky sold the Yellow Front chain for $50 million during a hostile takeover by Asher B. Eshelman, a New York investor.<ref name=lat-1987feb19>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-19-fi-4199-story.html |title=Lucky agreed to sell its Yellow Front Stores unit |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=February 19, 1987 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref><ref name=mdm-1987mar02>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=943&dat=19870302&id=OjFTAAAAIBAJ&pg=5562,7332741 |title=Yellow Front Stores Sold To Kenmare Capital Corp. |newspaper=Mohave Daily Miner |date=March 2, 1987 |page=2 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref><ref name=nyt-1987feb19>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/19/business/company-news-lucky-to-sell-chain.html |title=Lucky to Sell Chain |newspaper=New York Times |date=February 19, 1987 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> The purchaser was a corporation owned by Kenmare; a private company owned by Daniel J. Sullivan.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

A few months later, Yellow Front purchased the Renton, Washington-based 64 unit Bonanza Stores.<ref name=erg-1987sep29>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19870929&id=R-ZVAAAAIBAJ&pg=2104,7054328&hl=en |title=Bonanza Chain To Be Purchased |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |date=September 29, 1987 |page=1B |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref><ref name=edr-1987dec11>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19871211&id=MoxUAAAAIBAJ&pg=4393,9344715&hl=en |title=Bonanza Sold |newspaper=Ellensburg Daily Record |date=December 11, 1987 |page=18 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> No records have been found if Yellow Front was able to convert these stores to the Yellow Front banner before it was forced into bankruptcy.

Yellow Front Stores filed for bankruptcy in 1990 and eventually liquidated all of its stores.<ref name=dnr-1990jul06>{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-9196449.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610183123/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-9196449.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 10, 2014 |title=Yellow Front asks OK on sale. (family clothing store in bankruptcy) |magazine=Daily News Record |date=July 6, 1990 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> }}</ref><ref name=mdm-1990feb26>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=943&dat=19900226&id=wMRPAAAAIBAJ&pg=2100,7188465 |title=Local Yellow Front Remains Open Despite Corporate Woes |newspaper=Mohave Daily Miner |date=February 26, 1990 |page=1 |first=Toni |last=Page}}</ref><ref name=dnr-1990mar15>{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-8811167.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610183121/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-8811167.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 10, 2014 |title=Yellow Front gets OK on liquidation loan. (family clothing store chain) |magazine=Daily News Record |date=March 15, 1990 |last=Diennor |first=Richard }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

Category:Companies based in Phoenix, Arizona Category:Defunct discount stores of the United States Category:Defunct companies based in Arizona