Rodgers was a chain of

five-and-dime A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, auto parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, furniture, and a selection of groceries. It usually sells th ...

stores based in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, which was in business for 60 years, from 1938 to 1998. The chain's largest store was believed to be the largest independent

variety store A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, auto parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, furniture, and a selection of groceries. It usually sel ...

on the

U.S. West Coast The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. states of Cali ...

at the time of its opening in 1955."Teeples to Build Rodgers Store" (January 23, 1955). ''The Oregonian''. Section 2, p. 38. It occupied a newly constructed three-story, building in Portland's Hollywood District and replaced two successive previous stores in that area. The company was founded by Kenneth E. Rodgers and his brother, Frederick A. Rodgers, who were its co-owners and presidents until Fred died in 1960 and Kenneth retired in 1972. Regina Rodgers, wife of Frederick Rodgers, continued to operate several stores after his death. Kenneth opened the first store in 1938, added a second store in 1944 (in the Hollywood District),"Hollywood Store Changes Hands" (February 18, 1944). ''The Oregonian''. p. 19. and by 1953 he and Frederick had expanded to six locations, all in Portland at that time. Until the late 1950s, the chain was known as Rodgers' 5, 10, and 25 cent stores, or alternatively as Rodgers Five and Ten, before becoming simply Rodgers. The new building that opened in 1955 in the Hollywood District also housed the company's headquarters until the 1980s. A Rodgers store opened in the Cedar Hills Shopping Center, just west of Portland, in 1955,"Cedar Hills Hub to Open" (April 3, 1955). ''The Sunday Oregonian''. Section 2, p. 7. and the chain had eight stores in mid-1961."Rodgers Stores Plan New Unit" (May 6, 1961). ''The Oregonian''. Section 2, p. 5. Over the years, some locations closed while others opened. By 1964, the eight stores in the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metropolitan area, metro area with its urban area, core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Man ...

included ones in

Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Population in 2020 was 40,731, an 11.2% increase since 2010, making it the ...

, and in central Beaverton."Lake Oswego Grand Opening" (Rodgers advertisement). (November 5, 1964). ''The Oregonian''. p. 24. The Beaverton store, which had opened in 1958, closed in 1983. Meanwhile, the Cedar Hills store moved to Cedar Mill, another unincorporated area west of Portland. By the late 1980s, Rodgers was finding it increasingly difficult to remain profitable in the face of competition from larger, national chains, and even

chains with nationwide coverage, such as

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and

Newberry's J. J. Newberry's was an American five and dime store chain. It was founded in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, United States, in 1911 by John Josiah Newberry (1877–1954). J. J. Newberry learned the variety store business by working in stores for 17 ...

, were succumbing to competition from chains featuring larger stores, such as

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

and

Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...

. The company closed its Hollywood store and sold the building in 1984. Rodgers' Cedar Mill store closed in 1988, the space being taken over by an expanded Cedar Mill Library.Ostergren, Jack (March 3, 1988). "Cedar Mill Library to triple its floor space". ''The Oregonian''. West Zoner section, p. 1. The last three stores in the chain, in Portland's Menlo Park Shopping Center (at NE 122nd & Glisan), in the Westmoreland neighborhood, and in Lake Oswego, closed in early 1998.

References

{{Reflist 1938 establishments in Oregon Companies based in Portland, Oregon Retail companies established in 1938 Defunct companies based in Oregon Defunct discount stores of the United States Five and dimes 1998 disestablishments in Oregon Retail companies disestablished in 1998 History of Portland, Oregon