'As Kress closes its doors forever, I can only think I was lucky enough to witness a Puerto Rico where local stores were part of the memories we created with our clothes,' writes Frances Solá-Santiago (frances_sola).
, Kress’s closure represents yet another loss of the prosperous life Puerto Ricans were promised as the archipelago industrialized in the mid-20th century. Opened in 1963, Kress was one of the main fashion retailers in Puerto Rico by the 1970s. With its catchy slogan, “Kress, la moda que es,” the retailer provided men’s, women’s, and kids’ clothing, intimates, and school uniforms that covered what Puerto Ricans call the three B’s: bueno, bonito, y barato .
described Paseo de Diego as “chaotic and depressive.” Somehow Kress, along with all the memories it helped clothe throughout our lives, had made it out of this mess. Until it didn’t. When I got the news that the retailer was folding, I couldn’t help but think of that red two-piece set my mom bought there for me. As a fashion-minded kid in Puerto Rico, I loved visiting Kress stores with her. I still remember the silver racks packed with tube tops, asymmetric skirts, and low-rise jeans.
Emma Morales, 54, who worked at Kress during college in the 1980s, says that she has searched for any remaining stores throughout the archipelago since the announcement was made last month to check what’s left. “I’ve even looked online to see which ones are still open and nothing,” she says. The memories of those few years she worked as a sales associate in the accessories department at Kress starting in 1985 are still fresh.
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