Rickel

Rickel (known as Rickel Brothers in its early years, Rickel Supermarts in the 1960s, and Rickel Home Centers in later years) was a chain of home-improvement centers based in northern New Jersey. The Rickels' first store opened in 1953 and for three decades Rickel was the leading hardware, plumbing, heating and electrical retailer in its region. At its peak Rickel operated over 90 stores, but competition from Home Depot and money problems resulting from both a merger with Channel Home Centers and debt problems with its former parent led to a 1996 bankruptcy filing and eventually the closure of the entire Rickel chain in 1997.