TurnStyle was a
Brighton, Massachusetts-based discount department store chain that was founded by Harold Sparks who had opened his first store in
Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1957.
Lawrence (1960), and
Medford (1961). Jewel acquired the TurnStyle brand in 1961 and began rapidly expanding the chain. Sales for the 1961 year were listed as $14 million (~$ in ) U.S. dollars with four stores, with headquarters in
Brighton, Massachusetts. The first Turnstyle Family Center was opened in Racine in March 1962 (with Jewel Tea filing for service mark as a single word and one capital letter). At its peak, the chain operated throughout the Midwest, as well as in the
Boston, Massachusetts, area. Within three years of having opened a store in
Racine, Wisconsin, profits as measured on a ROI basis were the highest within Jewel Companies. Rapid expansion, the corporate decision to incorporate a catalog type store within its four walls, and an unrealistic divisive venture into the "
hypermarket" business, all caused profits to suffer. The economy also caused Jewel to rethink its growth strategy and the decision was made to sell Turn-Style (hyphenated in its trademark from 1964 until selling the division) in order to concentrate its growth within its core businesses, which were food stores and drugstores. In 1978, 19 out of 22 of the existing stores were sold to
May Department Stores and converted to the
Venture format. Other stores were converted to large Osco Drug Stores, and some were closed entirely. ==References==