small stores

American  

plural noun

Navy.

1. personal articles of regulation issue sold to sailors by a supply officer and charged to their pay, as extra clothing.

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small stores British  

plural noun

1. navy personal items, such as clothing, sold aboard ship or at a naval base Compare slop chest

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Etymology

Origin of small stores

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

The island’s cities are dense and highly urbanized, making it easy for small stores to capture heavy foot traffic.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

They had some success selling the game to small stores, at local events and online through a company website “Fitz and the PEA,” named after Persy and her cat Fitzgerald.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

They say that raising the 5-cent deposit to 10 cents will hurt sales, and that many small stores and distributors will suffer from the bill expanding the kinds of containers that can be redeemed.

From Slate • Nov. 27, 2024

The strategy builds on Macy’s plans, announced in August, to add four small stores in the West and Northeast in the coming weeks.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 3, 2023

A tangle of old homes and shacks clustered around small stores and buildings that had seen better days.

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech