Remembering Benny’s Department Store which served Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut

PROVIDENCE, RI – A former local department store chain is being remembered.

Benny’s was a beloved New England-based discount retail chain founded in 1924 by Benjamin Bromberg in Providence, Rhode Island. It started as Benny’s Auto Store, focusing on car parts and accessories, and expanded over the decades into a regional icon with 31 stores across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut by the time it closed. The chain offered a wide range of goods—everything from auto parts and tools to toys, lawn furniture, and holiday decorations—making it a go-to spot for generations of families. Its first Massachusetts store opened in Taunton in 1931, and the last store opened in Killingly, Connecticut, in 2005. The company’s headquarters were in Esmond, Smithfield, Rhode Island, after moving to the Esmond Mill in 1965.

Benny’s was family-run for its entire 93-year history. After Benjamin’s death in 1966, his son Malcolm Bromberg took over, followed by Malcolm’s children—Arnold, Howard, and Judy Rosenstein—after his death in 2014.

The stores were known for their quirky, nostalgic charm and personal touch, with employees often treating customers like neighbors. However, on September 8, 2017, Benny’s announced it would close all 31 locations, citing the family’s desire to retire and the inability to compete with online retailers like Amazon and a changing retail landscape. The final store, in Greenville, Rhode Island, closed on December 11, 2017.

The Carpionato Group, a Johnston, Rhode Island-based developer, bought 29 of the 31 store locations and has since leased about 75% of them to chains like Dollar General, Ocean State Job Lot, and Ace Hardware, or converted them into medical offices and urgent care centers. Some locations, however, have fallen into disrepair—like the East Wareham, Massachusetts, store, where the roof collapsed in January 2018, and the Seekonk, Massachusetts, store, which had a fire in May 2018. The Plymouth, Massachusetts, location remains vacant and dilapidated as of mid-2024, reflecting broader challenges in redeveloping retail spaces in the online shopping era.

Benny’s left a cultural mark on southern New England. A musical, Benny’s: The Musical, was performed in Providence in 2018 as a tribute, and a documentary by filmmaker Dante Bellini Jr. is in the works as of early 2024, aiming to capture the store’s history and the personal stories of its customers.

Despite its closure, Benny’s remains a nostalgic touchstone, with its legacy living on through initiatives like vintagebennys.com, where fans can share memories and purchase branded memorabilia.