Venture Stores
Venture Stores was an American discount department-store chain that operated primarily in the Midwest before entering bankruptcy and closing in 1998.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Venture Stores, Inc. was an American discount department-store chain established in 1968 by John F. Geisse and Dave Babcock. Geisse had been associated with the development of Target Stores, while Babcock was an executive vice president of May Department Stores Company. Venture was created partly in response to May's need to compete with the rapidly expanding discount-store sector. An antitrust settlement had restricted May from acquiring additional retail chains, encouraging the company to pursue a new internally developed discount format instead. The first Venture store opened in Overland, Missouri, on January 29, 1970. The chain expanded through the Midwest and established particularly strong positions in the St. Louis, Chicago, and Kansas City markets. It eventually operated more than 70 stores and at one point became the largest discount chain in Chicago. Its merchandise mix broadly covered apparel, home goods, household products, electronics, and other general merchandise. Venture sought to distinguish itself from purely price-driven competitors by presenting an apparel- and presentation-oriented version of discount retailing, reflected in its 1980s slogan, "Save at Venture, Save With Style." Geisse left the business in 1976, when the chain had reached approximately 20 stores. In 1978, Venture acquired 12 Turn Style locations in Illinois and Iowa and reopened them under the Venture name. The company remained connected to May until 1990, when it separated from the department-store group and became a private corporation. During the 1990s, Venture faced increasingly intense competition from Kmart, Target, Walmart, Kohl's, and other discount and department-store operators. Management attempted to reposition the chain as a more upscale discounter and remodeled most of its more than 90 stores. The remodeling program was accompanied by the slogan "See What's New For You!" Venture also broadened its geographic ambitions, entering Texas in 1993 with stores in the Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth areas. In 1996, it tested a lower-price format called Venture Dollar in nine locations across Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. The expansion and repositioning efforts did not restore the chain's competitive strength. Venture sold its Texas stores to Kmart in 1997 and closed its distribution center in Corsicana, Texas. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 20, 1998, but an effort to continue operating with a reduced store base failed. The company announced its liquidation on April 27, 1998. Inventory liquidation continued through July of that year, bringing the retail operation to an end. Many former Venture buildings were subsequently reused by retailers including Kmart, Kohl's, Shopko, and Burlington Coat Factory. The chain's final slogan was "See What A Little Money Can Buy," but the brand is now defunct.
History
Venture Stores originated in 1968, when John F. Geisse and Dave Babcock developed a new discount-retailing business connected to May Department Stores. Geisse had previously been involved with Target Stores, while Babcock served as a May executive vice president. May was constrained by an antitrust settlement that prevented it from acquiring additional retail chains, yet it needed a way to respond to the growth of discount retailers. Creating a new chain offered a route into the segment without buying an established competitor. The first Venture location opened in Overland, Missouri, on January 29, 1970. The business expanded steadily in the Midwest, building substantial market share in St. Louis, Chicago, and Kansas City. By the time Geisse retired in 1976, Venture had grown to 20 stores. Its format offered broad general merchandise, including apparel, home-related goods, electronics, and household products. The chain attempted to present discount shopping with a more polished and style-conscious identity than a purely low-price operator. Its 1980s advertising line, "Save at Venture, Save With Style," expressed that positioning. Venture expanded its store base in 1978 by purchasing 12 Turn Style locations in Illinois and Iowa. Those stores reopened as Venture units in August of that year. The chain continued operating under the May umbrella until 1990, when it separated from May and became a private corporation. Independence gave Venture greater autonomy, but it also left the retailer to compete directly in an increasingly crowded market without the same corporate relationship. The competitive environment became particularly difficult during the 1990s. Kmart, Target, Walmart, Kohl's, and other retailers competed for overlapping discount, apparel, and household-goods shoppers. Venture responded with an attempt to move back toward its original upscale-discount concept. It remodeled most of its more than 90 stores and promoted the changes with "See What's New For You!" The company also pursued expansion outside its traditional Midwest base, entering Texas in 1993 with ten stores in the Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth areas. In November 1996, it opened what would be its final new Venture store, in St. Peters, Missouri. Venture also explored a lower-price retail concept. In December 1996, it began testing Venture Dollar, a format with nine stores in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. The experiment did not prevent the parent chain from deteriorating financially. In 1997, Venture sold its Texas stores to Kmart and closed its Corsicana distribution center, signaling a retreat from the expansion strategy. On January 20, 1998, Venture entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company attempted to continue with fewer stores, but the restructuring did not succeed. On April 27, 1998, it announced that the chain would close. Liquidation sales continued through July 1998. After the shutdown, many Venture buildings were reused by other retailers, especially Kmart, which adopted some sites for Big Kmart stores, as well as Kohl's, Shopko, and Burlington Coat Factory. Venture's final advertising slogan was "See What A Little Money Can Buy." The brand is now defunct, but it remains an example of a regional discount chain that struggled to survive consolidation and intensifying national competition.
- 1998
Bankruptcy and closure
[1]Venture filed for Chapter 11 in January, announced its closure in April, and completed liquidation during the summer.
- 1996
Venture opens its final new store and tests Venture Dollar
[1]The last Venture store opened in St. Peters, Missouri, in November, while a nine-store Venture Dollar test began in December.
- 1993
Texas expansion begins
[1]Venture entered Texas with ten stores in the Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth markets.
- 1990
Venture separates from May Department Stores
[1]The chain became a private corporation after separating from May.
- 1978
Turn Style locations are acquired
[1]Venture purchased 12 Turn Style stores in Illinois and Iowa and reopened them under its own name in August.
- 1976
John Geisse leaves Venture
[1]Geisse retired from the chain after Venture had expanded to approximately 20 stores.
- 1970
First store opens in Overland, Missouri
[1]The first Venture store opened on January 29, establishing the chain's initial Midwest base.
- 1968
Venture Stores is founded
[1]John F. Geisse and Dave Babcock established Venture as a new discount-retailing business associated with May Department Stores.
Products and positioning
A regional discount department-store chain that combined general-merchandise pricing with a somewhat more styled, apparel-oriented presentation than a basic bargain retailer.
Clothing · 1970
Apparel
Apparel was an important part of Venture's discount-department-store assortment and supported the chain's effort to appear more style-conscious than a basic low-price retailer. The company's advertising emphasized shopping for clothing alongside general merchandise, helping define its "Save With Style" positioning.
Home goods · 1970
Home and household merchandise
Venture sold a broad range of home-related and household products typical of a general-merchandise discount chain. These categories complemented apparel and helped the stores serve routine family-shopping needs across the Midwest.
Consumer electronics · 1970
Electronics
Consumer electronics formed part of Venture's general-merchandise offer. The category enabled the chain to compete for discretionary spending with other department-discount retailers, although the available reference material does not identify specific product models or proprietary electronics lines.
Discount retail format · 1996
Venture Dollar
Venture Dollar was a lower-priced store concept tested by Venture beginning in December 1996. The test involved nine locations in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas and represented an attempt to address price-sensitive shoppers through a separate format.
Marketing campaigns
- 1998See What A Little Money Can Buy
United States
Venture used this price-focused slogan in the period immediately preceding its closure.
Outcome. The campaign was the brand's final documented advertising positioning before liquidation.
- 1990See What's New For You!
United States
This slogan accompanied a companywide remodeling initiative intended to make Venture stores more comparable in presentation to Kohl's.
Outcome. The remodeling and repositioning did not prevent Venture from losing ground to larger competitors during the 1990s.
- 1980Save at Venture, Save With Style
United States Midwest
Venture used this slogan during the 1980s to communicate a combination of discount savings and a more stylish shopping experience.
Outcome. The slogan became associated with the chain's effort to differentiate itself from more utilitarian discount retailers.
Brand decisions
1998
Proceed with liquidationOtherBackground
After entering Chapter 11, Venture attempted to continue with a reduced store base.
Action taken
The company announced on April 27 that it would close, followed by liquidation of store inventory.
Aftermath
Liquidation continued through July 1998, ending the Venture retail operation.
1996
Test the Venture Dollar formatStrategyBackground
Venture explored a lower-price format as it faced pressure from large discount chains and sought additional ways to reach price-sensitive shoppers.
Action taken
It test-marketed nine Venture Dollar stores in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas.
Aftermath
The experiment did not avert the company's subsequent bankruptcy and closure.
1993
Expand into TexasStrategyBackground
Venture attempted to grow beyond its established Midwestern markets while competing in the national discount-retail sector.
Action taken
The company opened ten stores in the Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth areas.
Aftermath
The Texas operation was later sold to Kmart in 1997, and Venture closed its Corsicana distribution center.
1978
Acquire Turn Style locationsM&ABackground
Venture sought to increase its Midwest store base through the purchase of established Turn Style locations in Illinois and Iowa.
Action taken
It acquired 12 locations and reopened them as Venture stores in August.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Venture's presence in two Midwestern states.
Sources1 sources
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