Topeka (store)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Tiendas Topeka (Topeka Stores) was a Puerto Rico discount department store chain founded in 1967 by Julio Estrella, a Cuban immigrant who began retail in Santurce, San Juan after running a wholesale business. The first store opened on Loíza Street in Santurce, and sales grew quickly as the stores offered affordable home goods. The origin of the name Topeka is unclear; one story ties it to a Cuban nightclub, another to a sign idea from a former Kimbo store.

The chain expanded to Hato Rey, Río Piedras, Caguas, Carolina and Arecibo. In 1988, a store opened at the Carolina Shopping Court. The Arecibo store was destroyed by Hurricane Georges in 1998 and was not reopened. By 2001 Topeka reported about $34 million in revenue, and by 2015 it operated seven stores with more than 175 employees, under the ownership of Almacenes Yakima Inc.

Topeka was one of Puerto Rico’s top discount chains but became defunct in the 2010s. In January 2015, the company announced a plan to invest about $4 million, add three new stores, remodel existing locations, and create 53 permanent jobs (plus 36 indirect construction jobs), with the goal of refreshing the brand and reaching seven stores by 2016. As part of the plan, the Loíza Street store on Santurce would be closed, with its 11 employees considered for openings in other locations.