The Popularity of Chess King

If you frequented the malls in the 80s as a teen, you probably have heard of Chess King. It was a popular fashion store for young men between the ages of 12 and 20 (teenagers) who were searching for some trendy clothes on a budget in the 80s. Everything from acid-washed jeans to denim jackets, Chess King carried it. In fact, this store had something for jocks, nerds, bad boys, preps and every young guy in the 80s. Perhaps one of the factors that made Chess King so popular was the fact that the clothes were cheaper than the big name brands like Calvin Klein. But one of my personal favorite aspects of this store was that it did not try to mimic the styles of the celebrities; at least not directly.

The History of Chess King

The store may not have been as popular as Macy’s, Sears or even another store called Today’s Man, but it had some spunk during the 80s. It was created by the Melville Corporation in 1958, growing to over 500 locations by the middle of the 80s before their sales declined to the point of bankruptcy in 1995.

Starting in 1967, a few sales people from Melville’s Thom McAn shoe store discovered a “wide open market” for young men’s clothing, which led them to open their own store. They also found that both chess and auto racing were popular among young men at the time, which was how they chose the name Chess King.

Opening of the Store

The first branch of Chess King opened in the Dedham Mall in Dedham, MA, just outside of Boston in March 1968. By 1970, The New York Times described its concept as “teen-male apparel dress shops whose stores are highly identifiable, with bold coloring and designs aimed at appealing to the 12-to-20 male market.” The store grew from 1 to 500 locations by 1984, before its sales started to decline.

In attempts to keep the brand afloat, Chess King experimented with three spin-off specialty stores in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first was called “FreeFall”, in which carried designer labels for both men and women, targeting more expensive designer brand names. The second was called “The B Club” that offered activewear to men and women. The third store was called “Garage” that focused on selling ‘50s inspired clothing, displaying a Nash Metropolitan car in most of its locations. While these new stores helped to keep Chess King financially strong during the 1980s as the “go to spot for men’s fashion”, it did not survive past this point; it failed to meet the demands of the ever-changing world of fashion, which led to the beginning of its end in the early 1990s.

In March 1993, Melville agreed to sell Chess King to Merry Go Round Enterprises (MGRE), although it wasn’t long before that MGRE filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 1994. By November 1995, Chess King would close its doors forever.

What the Chess King Store Looked Like

Many of the store’s locations had a varying appearance, but many of them had little lighting, some with a red floor. Some also had a backwall that looked like a checkerboard with the name printed in the center. Also similar to other clothing stores, many would have a display case while others had a large, inviting opening with an open display of the myriads of available clothing on sale. But perhaps the most common feature was the checkerboard design displayed throughout the stores that was unique to the brand of course.

One version of the logo featured a “CK” in a black and white rectangle, with the white C overlayed on black background and the black K overlayed on a white background. The most common logo was a simple icon of a king’s head with a crown to the left of the “chess king” lettering.

80s Men’s Fashion Trends

Remember that 80s men’s fashion trends included quite a variety of styles, depending on the guy’s personal style. Some wore bomber jackets and loose light denim jeans (sometimes ripped), like Tom Cruise while others preferred leather jackets and pants with large jewelry, like Billy Idol. Regardless, celebrities had a bit of a different trend than your average joe, with the joes having more of a relaxed sense of style and the celebrities more…loud.

But everything from mullets to huge and even fluffy hair as well as patterned shirts, high top shoes, power suits, ear rings, parachute pants, logo and phrase t-shirts and even track suits. Some of these trends were even common among women, like the bomber jackets, leather jackets and logo, printed and phrase t-shirts.

Popular 80s Trends that are Back in Style Today

While some 80s trends were a bit extreme like mullets, power suits and double denim, some of these trends are back in style again today, like the leather jackets, t-shirts (those never go out of style) and ripped denim jeans.  Tie-dye shirts are still popular at county fairs and carnivals as well as airbrushed designs where you can also buy them at popular tourist traps like beaches, boardwalks and piers.

For the men who aren’t afraid to draw attention to themselves, some will wear neon to school or incorporate it into their own personal style. Acid washed jeans are also a huge trending item that guys love to wear to give them an edgy look. Motorcycle jackets with combat boots and graphic tees aren’t as popular as they were before, but some goths and bad boys may wear them around school and on motorcycles.

Nevertheless, if you’re looking to incorporate some fashion trends from the 80s into your own personal style, it is recommended to keep it to one clothing item, such as some high tops with a plain white tee and blue jeans. Otherwise you might look like you’re going to an 80s party.

What Do You Remember from the Chess King?

Did you ever shop at Chess King? Have you ever walked by and remember seeing something interesting or even extreme? Do you still have any clothes you used to wear from the 80s? I’d love to hear your thoughts and fun memories in the comments below!