The Grand Opening of a J.M. Fields Department Store in 1964

J.M. Fields stores (then called Enterprise Stores) stared in Massachusetts around the turn of the century, the same as Marshall Fields stores (no relation) were getting started in Chicago. By the 1950s J.M. Fields expanded from New England and had reached Florida and many Southern states by the 1960s. The chain of grocery stores, Food Fair (which also owned Pantry Pride), bought J.M. Fields in 1961 and so future stores often had attached grocery markets. This was long before the supercenters we know today and the stores had everything from electronics to pet gear to lawn items and clothes.

Sadly, the chain didn’t last long. By 1978 they had filed for bankruptcy and J.M. Fields stores’ stock was liquidated and the buildings closed until the if/when day that another retailer like K-mart or Bradlees’s might move in.

And, just for good measure, here’s some color footage of a J.M. Fields store in the 1960s at Christmas time. Enjoy!