Long before the "big-box" retail corporate giants dominated the consumer market, there were traditional "brick-and-mortar" destination shops like Uncle Milty's Stoughton Army Navy Store in Stoughton center.

The marketing concept back then was simple: provide high-quality products at competetive prices, and superior service free of charge.

Rob Kushner, owner and manager of the Stoughton Army Store since 1989, said he has stood by that time-honored maxim, handed down by his father and mother, Milton and Anita Kushner, who established the business in 1977.

"My dad was always in retail. He just felt in 1977 he had had enough of big industry," Kushner said.

In 1977, Stoughton center was a much different place, Kushner said. Small businesses thrived in the bustling commercial district. Kushner remembers it had three retail women's stores, a popular five-and-dime, and two hardware stores.

All that has changed over the past 33 years. Gone are the small "mom-and-pop" stores that catered to the customer's every need. In fact, Kushner said the Stoughton Army Navy Store is perhaps the last retail store in the downtown.

"There is no simple answer to it," laments Kushner, seated at the cash register as a handful of customers trickled in. "Big box stores, people's habits have changed. Now, there is online shopping."

Worse, the economy has gone sour. And there is no saying when it will rebound.

All this has spelled bad news for the traditional destination store and Kushner said he is no exception.

He hopes he can turn things around with an online retail store he plans to launch to expand his business presence.

For Kushner, the one constant for his busines are the staple products he has sold over the decades. They are tailor-made clothes for the working man and women - jeans, coveralls, thermal underwear, socks, boots, leather belts, work gloves.

While he prefers products Made In America - or at least, the North American continent - with so much of the nation's economy having been shipped overseas, some of the products he sells reflect that reality. But the quality still remains high, he said.

Kushner said the collapse of the home construction industry has put a dent in the sale of work clothes. There are also big-box stores like Target, IKEA, and Walmart to contend with.

"I think the economy is so bad for everything right now," he said. "It is the worst I have seen in my life."

While the big-box store battle it out for market share, Kushner does have the upper hand in one respect. None of his mammoth competitors can boast of having in stock authentic dummy practice hand grendes, or a 1,000-pound military practice bomb, gas masks, or vintage military clothing.

"I always joke that this store sells more hand grenades than all the Walmarts in Massachusetts," Kushner said.

Kushner, an Easton resident who also owns two hardware stores, said the traditional Army Navy store got its start at the end of World War II when the nation retooled its production capacity to peacetime operation.

That left a huge surplus of military items to be sold to the public, he said.

Kushner said he has strived to keep the old-style look and feel of his 1,000-square-foot store as a destination place like no other in Stoughton. 

Hanging on the wall behind the cash register is a vintage 48-star flag and World War II memoribilia. The isles are packed with shelves filled with cold-weather socks, underwear, gloves, and wool hats. There are tight racks of winter coats, military jackets and wool Navy peacoats.

And, strategically placed throughout the store, are mememtos of past wars - an authentic World War II U.S. Army helmet, a replica World War I Prussian spiked helmet, working gas masks and a Cold War aviator's helmet.

 "I enjoy being here. I wouldn't want to be at a computer making sales all day," Kushner said.

Stoughton resident Richard Downs said he has been a loyal customer of Kushner's since 1995. During that span of time he has purchased numerous jackets and other clothing items that he eventually gave to charity.

"I don't go to department stores because I don't get my size," Downs said.

Kushner said there is no missing his storefront. It is the only one in Stoughton center with its own cigar-store Indian mascot that he purchased 20 years ago. He affectionately named it "The Chief." 

The Chief can be found each day donning a raincoat or a pink poncho. Kushner credits the mascot with boosting sales.

"He has sold a lot of ponchos ove the years for us. I try to have fun with it. I am trying to reinvent (the business)," Kushner said.

A few weeks ago, Kushner forgot to bring in The Chief when he closed shop and realized his mistake while having dinner.

When Kushner returned to his store, the mascot was gone. He filed a report with the police.

Fortunately, an attentive next-door business neighbor - Fairy Tales Formals - adopted the mascot for a few hours so it wouldn't be stolen and quickly returned it to its owner.

At 58, Kushner hopes to continue the business and is pinning his hopes on his new online retail business, but still plans to offer the same personalized service in his storefront. 

"I don't particularly like technology. I like the hands-on. I like to be helpful to people," Kushner said.