TOMS RIVER, NJ – If you have ever been to Kohl’s on Route 37 in Toms River, you might not realize it, but you’re stepping into somewhat of a time machine that has seen the town grow from a small rural town to a bustling community.
Before it was Kohl’s, it was Caldor. Before Caldor, the popular 80s and 90s retailer, the location was home to one of the state’s most famous department store brands of the 1960s and 1970s, Two Guys.
It was technically called Two Guys from Harrison.
Founded in 1946 by Herbert and Sidney Hubschman in Harrison, New Jersey, Two Guys from Harrison, later known simply as Two Guys, was a discount store chain that initially specialized in selling major appliances like televisions. The chain began by capitalizing on an opportunity to sell scratched-cabinet TV sets from the Radio Corporation of America at a marked-up price. Their success led to the opening of their own store, spurred on by competitors’ complaints, famously quipped as “those two bastards from Harrison.”
Two Guys expanded rapidly after acquiring the Vornado appliance brand in 1959 and went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1962. At its height, the chain boasted over 100 locations across the United States, including in upstate New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California, Maryland, and Virginia. The 1960s saw further diversification and an attempt to merge with a West Coast retail giant, Food Giant Markets, Inc. However, this merger failed to deliver the desired stability and growth.
The company’s fortunes began to decline in the late 1970s, with unsuccessful attempts to adapt to regional market differences blamed on both management and strategic misalignments. The 1980s marked a significant downturn for Two Guys, with Vornado, under the control of real estate investor Steven Roth and his company, Interstate Properties, Inc., deciding to liquidate the chain’s retail operations. By 1982, Two Guys was defunct, leaving a legacy impacted by ambitious expansions and strategic missteps.
Two Guys’ store operations were notable for their variety, typically including a supermarket alongside departments for hardware, major appliances, and automotive services. Promotions like trading stamps were popular with customers, providing merchandise credits in exchange for completed books of stamps. Some locations also featured unique additions such as attached liquor stores and bars or large arcade sections, catering to a diverse clientele.
The Two Guys chain is succeeded by Vornado Realty Trust, a real estate management company that now deals with the commercial spaces where Two Guys stores once stood. This transition marks the end of an era for a chain that once was a staple of American retail.