EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — On Dec. 11, 2017, the Benny’s on Route 44 in Smithfield closed, marking the end of an era in local retail.
From outdoor supplies and tools to games and toys, there wasn’t much that Benny’s didn’t offer.
The family-owned retail chain spent 93 years in business and had more than 30 locations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Smithfield store was the last domino to fall after the owners announced it would be shutting down every location, citing a desire to retire and a changing retail landscape.
So now that it’s been five years since the last Benny’s closed, what have some of the locations become?
Bristol, Metacom Avenue: Vacant
Cranston, Atwood Avenue: Ocean State Job Lot
Coventry, Tiogue Avenue: Northern Thrift
East Providence, Pawtucket Avenue: Dollar General
Middletown, West Main Road: Vacant (previously served as COVID-19 vaccination site)
Providence, Branch Avenue: Chipotle/Jersey Mike’s
Seekonk, Central Avenue: Rocky’s Ace Hardware
Seekonk, Taunton Avenue: Dollar General
Smithfield, Putnam Pike: Chipotle/Panera Bread
Wakefield, Kingstown Road: Ocean State Job Lot
Warwick, Warwick Avenue: Ocean State Job Lot
Warwick, West Shore Road: Dave’s Fresh Marketplace, Citizen’s Bank
Westerly, Post Road: Vacant
Additional locations in Rhode Island included Cumberland, and East Greenwich, while Massachusetts had stores as far out as the Cape, but several close by in Fall River, Mansfield, North Attleboro and Taunton. The Connecticut locations included Danielson, Groton, South Killingly, Norwich, Old Saybrook, Waterford, and Willimantic.
