S. S. Kresge in 1962 in Garden City, Michigan. Kresge died in 1966. In 1977, the S. S. Kresge Corporation changed its name to the Kmart Corporation. In 2005, Sears Holdings Corporation became the parent of Kmart and Sears, after Kmart bought Sears, and formed the new parent. In 1924, Kresge established The Kresge Foundation, a non-profit organization whose income he specified simply "to promote the well-being of mankind". By the time of his death, Kresge had given the foundation over $60,000,000. A strongly committed prohibitionist, he organized the National Vigilance Committee for Prohibition enforcement and also heavily supported the Anti-Saloon League financially,
L.A. Joe Department Store L.A. Joe Department Store L.A. Joe Department Store was a chain of Charleston, West Virginia based discount department stores that existed until June, 1992. L.A. Joe was the retail brand name of Retail Acquisition Corporation which at its peak owned 70 discount department stores throughout West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Retail Acquisition Corp/L.A. Joe purchased the struggling Heck's Department Store chain in 1990. The company experienced $19.5 billion in losses between 1990 and 1991, and in 1991 liquidated 22 of its stores under Chapter 11. By June 1992, the remainder of the stores had been liquidated. Creditors