40 Iconic Stores You Grew Up With That Are No Longer Around
Boston Public Library, Print Department
Blame it on companies that couldn’t adapt to changing tastes or the ease of searching out for to your PJs. However, sadly, many once-iconic stores are if reality be told a ways-off recollections. Whereas some merged with varied companies, a handful beget tried to reinvent themselves as on-line stores. However many simply closed their doors forever and surrendered to the march of time.
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F. W. Woolworth Firm
Based in 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth, the firm’s first stores in Utica, Original York, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania sold general merchandise and were called “five-and-dime’s” because the whole lot sold for 10 cents or much less. The chain grew at this time, and by 1905, Woolworth invited rival retailer chains (two were owned by his relatives!) to merge with him. By 1929, there were 2,250 stores. The firm purchased varied chains over the years, including Footlocker, although Woolworth fluctuate stores closed in 1997.
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Mervyn’s
Started by Mervin G. Morris in 1949 in San Lorenzo, California, the firm grew to almost 200 stores, largely within the West. The mid-label chain boomed within the ‘70s, but when it began increasing out of doors of California, it stumbled. Stores began closing throughout the country within the early 2000’s. The firm filed for financial peril in 2008, shuttering all of its stores.
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Gimbel Brothers
Is called Gimbels, the vital retailer used to be based in 1842 by Adam Gimbel in Indiana. In time, the family opened stores in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Original York Metropolis. Apparently, they sponsored the 1920 Gimbels Thanksgiving Day parade in Philadelphia to spur holiday searching (an thought Macy’s copied in 1924!). The retailer even played a job within the typical Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Boulevard. Sadly, the firm eventually used to be purchased, and the doors closed for upright in 1986.
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A&P
The Broad Atlantic & Pacific Tea Firm, better recognized as A&P, began as a mail deliver industry around 1859. By 1930, the firm operated bigger than 15,000 grocery stores and used to be the ideal chain within the U.S. The chain filed for financial peril in 2010 and 2015, with the final retailer closing in 2016. Its legacy: The chain created Woman’s Day magazine within the ‘30s to showcase recipes and method accessible in-retailer.
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1st viscount montgomery of alamein Ward & Firm
Aaron 1st viscount montgomery of alamein began his firm in 1872 as a mail-deliver industry promoting to farmers in rural areas shut to Chicago. The first retail stores opened in 1926, growing to bigger than 500 in five years. In 1985, the firm ended its catalog industry. Facing competition from unusual good purchase stores within the 1990s, the retailer filed for financial peril in 1997. The final retailer closed in 2001 but relaunched as an on-line firm in 2004.
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S. S. Kresge Firm
Sebastian Spering Kresge and a accomplice based the five-and-dime, Kresge’s, in Detroit in 1897. He soon changed into sole owner, and by 1935, Kresge’s grew to 745 stores within the Midwest and East. In 1962, the firm decided to enterprise into the good purchase market and opened the vital Kmart out of doors Detroit. They expanded aggressively, and the company name used to be changed to Kmart in 1977. The final Kresge stores were sold off by 1987.
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Kinney Shoes
Based by G.R. Kinney in 1894 in Waverly, Original York, the firm grew to bigger than 300 stores by 1929. In 1963, the firm used to be sold to Woolworth (we already know what came about to them). The firm used to be got by Footlocker and closed about 500 Kinney Stores by 1998.
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Kaufmann’s
Kaufmann’s used to be based in Pittsburgh in 1871 as a males’s tailoring and ready-to-build on retailer by two brothers. Two extra brothers joined about a years later. The retailer grew into a series of with regards to 60 stores within the East. The firm used to be got about a situations before Macy’s purchased and rebranded it in 2006. Sadly, many Macy’s stores, including the genuine Kaufmann’s flagship retailer, beget since closed.
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Hills Department Store
Based by Herbert H. Goldberger in 1957 in Youngstown, Ohio, the chain pushed into many Midwestern and a handful of Southern states. In 1987, the retailer went public and changed into the nation’s eighth-biggest good purchase retailer. By the 1990s, the stores were floundering and filed financial peril. Taken over by Ames in 1995, neither firm had survived by 2002.
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Nationwide Narrative Mart
Based in 1937 by Hyman Shapiro and his sons in Pittsburgh, the firm specialized in weak 78 RPM files from jukeboxes. Loopy, upright? However it completely changed into the vital song retailer chain within the U.S., and in 1964, the retailer helped raise the Beatles to metropolis for a concert. The firm had bigger than 160 stores, as a ways-off as Hawaii and Guam, by 1998. However gross sales suffered within the ‘90s, and all stores closed by 2002.
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Bonwit Teller
Paul Bonwit based a luxurious department retailer in Original York Metropolis in 1895, partnering with Edmund D. Teller in 1897. The retailer changed into recognized for its upscale goods and eventually opened in key areas similar to Miami Seashore and Boston. The firm changed hands several situations within the ‘80s and eventually filed financial peril in 1989. However look to traditional motion photography where the retailer has had many roles: Katherine Hepburn mentions the retailer in Desk Negate; it’s viewed within the hole of Breakfast at Tiffany’s; and Marcie from Oliver’s Yarn is an heiress to the firm fortune.
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W. T. Grant 25 Cent Store
In 1906, W. T. Grant opened the W.T. Grant Co. 25 Cent Store in Lynn, Massachusetts with $1,000 he had saved from his work as a salesman. The firm grew at this time nationwide with 1,200 stores by 1972. Sadly, the chain went bankrupt in 1974, making the fall down the then-second-greatest in U.S. historic past. Thankfully, the foundation he created in 1936 to revenue young folks restful exists this day.
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Sprouse-Reitz
Started by Robert Allen Sprouse and Fred Reitz as a five-and-dime in 1909 in Tacoma, the headquarters moved to Portland in 1919. In its heyday, the retailer had almost 400 stores in 11 western states. However by the 1980s, fluctuate stores were losing ground. The chain tried to rebrand itself as Sprouse! within the leisurely ‘80s. However the firm soon began promoting off stores, closing the final of them in 1994.
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Zayre
Brothers Max and Morris Feldberg based a firm in Boston in 1919 to offer undergarments to malls. However within a decade, they figured out a ladies’s area of expertise retailer used to be the style to trail. By the end of World War II, their stores expanded into Original England, growing continuously within the ‘50s and ‘60s. Within the ‘70s, Zayre tried to capture Marshalls but failed. Their solution used to be to assemble a Marshalls clone, TJ Maxx, in 1977. Ultimately, Zayre used to be sold off to Ames Department Store, but Zayre’s one-time subsidiary TJX (which now owns TJMaxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods) is thriving.
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Jacobson’s
The first retailer used to be opened by Abram Jacobson in Reed Metropolis, Michigan in 1838. By the 1930s, the chain grew and expanded at some level of the verbalize and to neighboring states similar to Ohio and Indiana. The chain integrated fully 25 stores at its top, but the indisputable reality that the firm thrived for bigger than a century and a half is impressive, by anybody’s standards. But by the ‘90s, the chain used to be suffering and filed for financial peril in 2002. All stores closed by 2011.
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Bon-Ton
Based in 1898 as Grumbacher and Son in York, Pennsylvania, the retailer first sold hats and dry goods. The firm expanded at some level of World War I, and stores were later opened out of doors Pennsylvania. The firm grew in successive decades, especially within the ‘90s. Nonetheless, after a big selection of CEOs failed to rescue its languishing presence, the chain filed financial peril in 2018. All stores were liquidated, although the firm restful operates a web-based predicament.
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Fotomat
Relieve when folks took genuine photography with accurate cameras, you had to get them developed someplace. Enter Fotomat, based by businessman Preston Quick in California in 1968. The firm’s gold-roofed kiosks soon popped up by the hundreds in parking heaps throughout The usa, and also it’s doubtless you’ll perchance perchance drive up and rob up your done photography the following day. Most Fotomats shut down by the leisurely ‘90s when one-hour movie growing made the industry conventional.
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RadioShack
RadioShack used to be based in Boston in 1921 by the Deutschmann brothers to offer instruments for ham radio operators. The firm used to be the predicament for electronics, once had 7,300 areas, and could perchance whine to beget a retailer within three miles of each American household. Now, now no longer so grand. The firm filed for financial peril in 2015 and in 2017. Though or now no longer it’s technically now no longer long gone (there are about a stores and a web predicament final), or now no longer it’s no longer the most main retail player it once used to be.
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Blockbuster
Blockbuster, which used to be created in 1985, once had over 9,000 areas. It used to be a video rental retailer, where prospects could perchance rent videos and DVDs. In 2013, the chain announced it might perchance perchance perhaps well inaugurate closing all of its stores. Now, fully a single Blockbuster stays in Bend, Oregon.
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Borders
Borders used to be based in Michigan in 1971 and changed into one amongst the end booksellers of the early 2000s. However when electronic book readers got here into play, the firm had to shutter all 511 areas and filed for financial peril in 2011.
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Circuit Metropolis
Circuit Metropolis once had a whopping 567 stores at its top, where it’s doubtless you’ll perchance perchance capture anything from TVs and computer systems to audio instruments and automobile stereos. Nonetheless, in 2008, after 59 years, the chain declared financial peril and started closing all of its areas.
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CompUSA
CompUSA used to be created in Addison, Texas in 1984 and used to be before the whole lot named Soft Warehouse. Nonetheless, it used to be changed in in 1991 when the firm went public. The retailer specialized in computer utility and computer products. In 2007, the chain couldn’t preserve with Circuit Metropolis and Ultimate Steal, so 126 stores closed. Now, fully a web-based predicament stays.
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Discovery Channel Store
The Discovery Channel stores first opened in 1995 and featured tutorial video games, items, videos, books, and extra that mirrored the message it’s doubtless you’ll perchance perchance look on the channel. By 2007, the Discovery Channel announced it might perchance perchance perhaps well shut all of its standalone stores — 103 of them, to be accurate – and focal level on on-line retail fully.
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Gadzooks
Gadzooks used to be a T-shirt retailer that originated in Mesquite, Texas and used to be based in 1983. The chain grew exponentially to 422 stores and selected to focal level extra on teenage clothing. But, Gadzooks used to be forced to file for financial peril in 2004. On the extraordinary facet, the chain used to be sold to stylish clothing label Eternally 21 in 2005 for $33 million.
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Hhgregg
Hhgregg used to be an appliances and electronics retailer that used to be based in 1955 in Princeton, Indiana and, at one level, expanded into 20 states. However in 2017 the retailer closed over 130 stores and laid off bigger than 5,000 folks. A pair of months later a web-based predicament for the firm remerged on-line to assassinate a comeback for the electronics empire.
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KB Toys
KB Toys used to be based in 1922 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The story toy retailer had 1,324 areas originate as of 1999 and would perhaps be found in all 50 states. Despite its once booming success, KB Toys declared for financial peril twice, and closed all of its stores in 2009. Toys “R” Us got the rights to its name at some level of the the same year.
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Linens ‘n Things
Linens ‘n Things used to be based in 1975 in Clifton, Original Jersey and used to be once a homeware and dwelling accessories staple. The chain operated 571 stores throughout the United States and Canada, and moreover did industry as a large field retailer. Ultimately, the industry struggled and all stores closed in 2008. In February 2009 a web-based predicament used to be relaunched to sell dwelling goods.
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Sharper Image
The person and electronics retailer, Sharper Image, used to be based in 1977 in San Francisco, California. Within the event you ever traveled via a searching mall and sat in a comfortable rub down chair internal an electronics-stuffed retailer, it used to be doubtlessly a Sharper Image. Nonetheless, the firm filed for financial peril in 2008 and closed every single retailer. In 2009 the name used to be sold and a peculiar web predicament used to be relaunched.