Barbara Moss Watertown, N.Y. Location Was One of Its Four Original Stores

Opening in August 1955, Barbara Moss was first located at 71 Public Square, later the home to Wing Wagon for many years. The chain store began in 1939 in Yonkers, N.Y., and grew to 70 stores before changing its name to B. Moss in the 90s. It later phased out its brick-and-mortar stores after filing for bankruptcy in 2008 and became an e-commerce retailer, which lasted until 2012. 

The original Barbara Moss location from 1955 – 1965 was at 71 Public Square, shown at the very left, in the same building that Wing Wagon occupied for many years. Photo: Watertown Daily Times.

When the first store appeared in Watertown, the only other locations besides the original in Yonkers were Binghamton and New Britain, Connecticut. Mrs. Helen Fassett of Adams Center, who previously worked at the Globe Store on Court Street and was in charge of the sportswear department there, was chosen to manage the new Watertown location.  Carrying a complete line of woman’s clothing, from dresses, suits, coats, and sportswear, Barbara Moss also featured clothing for girls and pre-teens, becoming one of the most popular stores in downtown Watertown.

By 1965, Barbara Moss had outgrown its original location and took advantage of W. T. Grant’s departure from their location at 35 Public Square, next to J.R. Miller Co., relocating there in August of that year. Renovated by A. Friederich and Son, general contractors, the store was located on the main and basement floors, allowing them to expand their offerings to include a budget and children’s wear departments. At the time of their move, Barbara Moss, led by owner Irving Moss, had expanded to ten stores, and a three-day celebration was planned at the Watertown location to include a weekend parade.

The location on the north side of Public Square would be short-lived, the store then moving to the new City Center Plaza on Arsenal Street underneath the recently relocated Woolworth store in 1973. The move came at a time when Public Square was in a state of decline, a row of stores from Barbara Moss to Enrico’s disappearing over a short period while many of the storefronts in the Woodruff were empty. The move proved successful, but thirteen years later, another factor led to the uncertainty of the downtown location.

Opening in 1986, the Salmon Run Mall started another departure of many of the remaining downtown stores. J.C. Penney and Sears led the most notable names departing for the ever-expanding outer Arsenal Street shopping sprawl. Still, other stores, such as the locally owned Boys’ and Men’s Specialty Shop, moved as well, changing its name to Pellman’s Specialty Shop (it later returned to the downtown area in 1990 before closing for good.)

Barbara Moss, however, would decide to do something unexpected. Instead of moving to the Salmon Run Mall, the owners decided to open a new store there while keeping their City Center Plaza store, giving the city two locations. The Watertown Daily Times reported of the new store in its November 20, 1986 edition–

Barbara Moss opened the newest of its chain of 47 women’s apparel stores today at Salmon Run Mall, while reaffirming its commitment to downtown Watertown.

Barbara Moss President Richard Moss traveled to Watertown to participate in the store’s grand opening, then planned to visit the City Center Plaza operation.

Mr. Moss said his father, Irving Moss, opened the third of the chain’s stores in Watertown. He said the company has done business in Watertown for about 35 years, moving 13 years ago to its City Center Plaza location—where he said the company plans to stay.

“We felt that downtown is a viable district,” said Mr. Moss. “We’ve been downtown for…13 years and we’re still committed to our store.” 

The new 5,000 sq. ft. facility at the mall was described by Paul J. Kairis, director of visual presentation, as serving as a prototype for future construction and renovation of Barbara Moss stores across the country.

While the company was confident that both stores would remain profitable while catering to both the downtown and mall shoppers, the chain may have bitten off a little more than it could chew as the City Center Plaza store closed rather abruptly, at least from the employees’ perspective, in 1994. The 1990s overall were not particularly strong for a number of retail chains that ultimately closed during that time, the decade starting with a recession that lasted through March 1991. Job losses and unemployment, however, would continue and peak at 7.8% in June 1992.

Despite this, The 1990s were the longest period of economic growth in American history, and, according to The Times article published Dec. 8, 1994, the reasons for Barbara Moss’s City Center Plaza store closing were unclear–

Kathy Reardon, the store’s manager, referred most questions to the owner of the Barbara Moss chain, Richard Moss, who was not available for comment at his New Jersey office.

A vice president for finance declined, through a secretary, to answer questions.

Ten people work at the store, including the manager. All will be laid off, said Mrs. Reardon, who has worked for Barbara Moss for more than 20 years.

As with other store closings downtown, the news left merchants questioning the vitality of downtown and reaching for solutions to rejuvenate the city’s central business district.

The article further went on to contrast the costs for leasing space at the plaza vs. the mall, with some spaces available downtown for as little as $400 a month. Edward H. Krupkin, owner of Apex Army & Navy on Public Square and President of the Downtown Business Association, stated the mall could cost as much as $3,000 to $6,000 monthly, a fact that led to the owner of one store at the mall closing their location there and opening a similar store, Bare Elegance, a year later in the plaza.

The news was said to have been especially hard for employees, many of whom had worked for and been a part of Barbara Moss’s long history in the city. Most of the employees were said to have transferred to this particular location from others, and their inability to transfer again and stay within the company was a harbinger of bigger issues to come.

A little over two years later, Barbara Moss at the Salmon Run Mall announced that it was going out of business at the end of 1996. The announcement was made after Christmas with a going-out-of-business sale. No reason was given, and employees would not comment on when or why it was closing. The closing of the store in Massena followed in 2001 after it had become B. Moss Clothing Co.

The company would continue under its new name, filing for bankruptcy in 2008 and continuing as an e-commerce store until 2012, when the company announced on its Facebook page, “We are sad to inform you that we are taking some time away from the B. Moss e-commerce business. For the past three years, we have tried at all times to provide the same quality, value, and the fashion direction that you had come to expect from the B. Moss stores.”