Benjamin Bromberg was born in Russia to Max and Zlata Bromberg. Bromberg immigrated to the United States in 1910, settling in Providence, Rhode Island. His wife, Flora Bromberg, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Moses and Anna Wolfe and was one of the first graduates of Bryant & StrattonBusiness School. Prior to opening Benny's, Bromberg worked for the American Auto Supply Company as a manager. Benjamin Bromberg founded Benny's Auto Store on November 9, 1924, in Providence. In 1929, a second store was opened in East Providence, Rhode Island, and in 1931, Benny's opened its first Massachusetts store in Taunton. The Providence Journal building exists on the site of the first Benny's store. In 1965, the Esmond Mill became the corporate headquarters for Benny's. After Benjamin Bromberg's death in 1966, he was succeeded as company president by his son Malcolm Bromberg. In 1968, a fire burned down the store located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Throughout the 1960s to 1970's, Benny's began to expand further into Massachusetts and Connecticut, with stores opening as far as Cape Cod. The last store to open was in 2005 in Killingly, Connecticut. Malcolm Bromberg was succeeded by his children—Arnold and Howard Bromberg, and Judy Rosenstein—as the company owners following his death in 2014.
Closure
On September 8, 2017, Benny's announced that it would be closing all 31 stores. This stirred minor controversy among its employees, as a portion of them found out by indirect means such as social media and claimed that they received no formal notice from corporate. The oldest store at the time of the company's closure was located on Park Avenue in Cranston, Rhode Island, having been operating since 1938. The final Benny's store, located in Greenville, Rhode Island, closed on December 11, 2017. Twenty-nine of the 31 Benny's store locations were purchased by the Carpionato Group, a development company based in Johnston, Rhode Island. Following the final store's closure, the company faced minor controversy regarding a lack of severance pay for its former employees. Since the company's closure, several former store locations have fallen into disrepair. The roof collapsed on the former Benny's in East Wareham, Massachusetts, in January 2018. In May 2018, a fire broke out at one of the former Benny's in Seekonk, Massachusetts. Some of the former stores were sold by the Carpionato Group to other retail chains, including Dollar General and Ocean State Job Lot. An auction was held at the Benny's corporate offices in June 2018. Store-use machinery, shelving units, delivery trucks, and returned defective merchandise were among the items auctioned.
Legacy
The announcement of the company's closure shocked many customers, as Benny's was considered a southern New England icon. As a near century-old local retail store, customers shared their nostalgia for the store online. Local businesses expressed their condolences for Benny's closure. A musical titled "Benny's: The Musical" was produced in tribute to the company and was performed in Providence in March and May 2018. Benny's was used as a film location in Labor Day and The Polka King.
Locations
During its 93-year period of operations, Benny's had stores in the following locations:
