The End Of Filene's Basement

This Black Friday will be the last for bargain hunters to shop at the discount retailer Filene's Basement.

The chain recently declared bankruptcy and will soon shutter 21 locations.

But for many people, the Basement has been gone since 2007 when its original flagship store in Boston's Downtown Crossing closed.

That store first opened in 1909, beneath Filene's Department store, as a place to sell off extra stock.

Filene's Basement became famous for the brawls it would incite over bargains, especially during the one-day "Running of the Bride" sales.

"I remember these chaotic scenes with these women participating in these scrums," one shopper recalled in the 2010 documentary "Voices from the Basement," by Michael Bavaro.

The documentary was the brainchild of Sue Edbril, a Boston psychologist whose grandmother worked at the original Filene's Basement for 40 years.