The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsStores that were and are no more. Mine are Kaufmann's, Hornes. Gimbels. Kroger,. What once popular stores
are no longer in your are. RiteAid is the next to go. It's a drug store.
CincyDem
(6,363 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:18 PM - Edit history (1)
Indykatie
(3,697 posts)For the past 20+ years I've done all my clothes shopping at Macys, TJ Max and Marshalls but none of them compare to the stores that closed. When Macys bought Ayres it stop carrying Ralph Lauren for plus sizes in most of their Indiana stores. That is a problem for me.
debm55
(25,218 posts)LakeArenal
(28,820 posts)Eugene
(61,900 posts)Famous for their Running of the Brides sale.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:23 PM - Edit history (1)
yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)My friend taught me how to get over to The Basement from Harvard Square, shop and be back to work in 45 minutes. She knew exactly which car to get on in the subway, so you would be at the door which opened right into the basement entrance. We took peanut butter sandwiches to eat on the subway.
Incidentally, she got her wedding dress at the Running of the Brides. She was a PRO
debm55
(25,218 posts)Near my High School. Had the best chocolate ice cream sodas. And cherry 🍒 coke. Would shop for clothes there with my mom. I can still remember how the store smelled. Thanks for the memories Deb.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 05:47 PM - Edit history (1)
MyOwnPeace
(16,928 posts)had the Tic-Tox Shop that made the best ice cream sodas! And the chocolate-covered strawberries from Kaufmanns were to die for!
And Christmas - you HAD to go dahntahn to see the decorated windows in each store - always saving Kaufmanns for last (think Ralphie at the window in The Christmas Story!)
debm55
(25,218 posts)strawberries as I waited for the 61C , I would buy some, I live near Century Three used to be Mall. Nothing is being done to it, even though it has been closed for quite some time.
Is in big legal trouble - crime scenes, safety hazards, loss of property values - a big mess
debm55
(25,218 posts)WestMifflin, Pleasant Hill who own The property but it a mess. and dangerous
MyOwnPeace
(16,928 posts)Michele Matoff (not to be confused with Mayor Sophie Madoff!) had a bet with somebody about kissing someone under that clock!
debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 11:58 PM - Edit history (1)
Squaredeal
(398 posts)As a boy, I would take the NJ Central to Gimbels in Mahatten once a year to buy last years album pages for my stamp collections. I believe that Mr. Minkus himself waited on me.
cloudbase
(5,520 posts)Foley's, Joske's, Weingarten's.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:30 PM - Edit history (1)
TexasBushwhacker
(20,202 posts)Then I worked there part time for several years. The stores were tidy and the fixtures/displays were spaced so you could get around easily. When Dillard's took over, they believed in having as much merchandise on the sales floor as possible. They jammed in more fixtures full of merchandise, making it all look less tidy. It made it harder for customers to get through the department too.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Stuart G
(38,436 posts)My brother and I were talking about purchasing stock in department stores maybe 15 years ago or 20.
He said buy ....Sears & Roebuck ..............and I said............I will buy ....a different one........Walmart.....
got the Walmart stock for $28.00 a share now it is over 125.... or MORE..
sinkingfeeling
(51,460 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)LakeArenal
(28,820 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)LakeArenal
(28,820 posts)I always thought Penny s has the best white goods. But I loved Wards.
Eugene
(61,900 posts)Lechmere was where I tended to go first for electronics or small appliances.
debm55
(25,218 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)mobeau69
(11,145 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:32 PM - Edit history (1)
Fla Dem
(23,691 posts)Jordan Marsh was taken over by Macy's. Filenes also taken over by Federated Department stores and became Macy's if there wasn't already a Macys in the area.
May itself was ultimately acquired by Federated in 2005; the Filene's brand was retired and most stores were converted into the Federated-owned, Cincinnati-based Macy's nameplate by September 2006. Federated itself was renamed Macy's, Inc., in 2007. The former Filene's flagship store at Downtown Crossing in Boston is listed in the National Register of Historic Places; its current tenants include advertising agencies Arnold Worldwide and Havas Media, and fast fashion retailer Primark.
This building was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 2006.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filene%27s
debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:32 PM - Edit history (1)
ificandream
(9,373 posts)Fla Dem
(23,691 posts)to see it.
PJMcK
(22,037 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:35 PM - Edit history (1)
lapfog_1
(29,205 posts)It was a Bay Area Tradition (well more of a Silicon Valley tradition).
take a trip to Fry's and drool over all the parts they had for you own system build. and then browse the rows of actual capacitors and resistors and circuit chips for doing your own hobbyist bread board designs.
And, as you were standing in the long check out line to get to one of the 36 or so cashiers... grab a snack or two for the afternoon or evening.
Plus they had a decent selection of computer books... though not near as many as Computer Literacy. And there is usually a Togo's sandwich place nearby to grab a sub for lunch or dinner. In the Lawrence Expy location all three stores plus used computer equipment store were all together in Santa Clara. But there were locations in Palo Alto, Milpitas, San Jose, etc
Coventina
(27,121 posts)It was a long way away from where I lived, but you could find everything there.
lapfog_1
(29,205 posts)and found a Grocery store... no electronics! Then I remembered that this was how Fry's got started, long before the electronics stores.
Coventina
(27,121 posts)We would say "Incredible Fry's" to distinguish the electronics store from the grocery store.
(The business that was in the space Fry's Electronics took over was previously Incredible Electronics)
ificandream
(9,373 posts)But the customer service stunk, as I recall. But it was fun walking through there.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Basic LA
(2,047 posts)Ohrbach's, Bambergers, Woolworth, & Kresge's.
LoisB
(7,206 posts)If I am not mistaken, they became Macy's didn't they?
Here in Philly area we lost Wanamakers, Gimbels, Strawbridge & Clothier, and the one I really miss, Clover, the discount branch of S & C. Great sales and the best-ever hot soft pretzels at the snack stand. Most Clover stores became Kohls but theyre not the same.
And even back then I think everyone compared it to Macy's.
The Wizard
(12,545 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)50 Shades Of Blue
(10,011 posts)Macy's took over Hecht's but Woody's and Hahn's are long gone.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Coventina
(27,121 posts)Oh yeah, Woolworth's and other dime stores.
My family was so poor, we spent most of my childhood homeless, so those cheap stores is where we bought stuff, when we could buy stuff.
LoisB
(7,206 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)I think it may have been Southern CA only. Also Robinson's (Robinson's-May).
debm55
(25,218 posts)Permanut
(5,610 posts)Kress and Newberry's.
(Portland Oregon area).
debm55
(25,218 posts)getagrip_already
(14,764 posts)Both very local ny stores.
Also crazy Eddie's, but that was just comic relief.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Ocelot II
(115,735 posts)Donaldson's, Montgomery Wards, Sears, Radio Shack, The Golden Rule, Young-Quinlan
unc70
(6,115 posts)Ocelot II
(115,735 posts)yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)I know of 5 or 6 in the farmlands of Kentucky
debm55
(25,218 posts)Ocelot II
(115,735 posts)But most of the downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul department stores, even the one that used to be Dayton's, gradually moved after the big suburban malls were built in the '60s and '70s, or disappeared altogether.
debm55
(25,218 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Diamond_Dog
(32,006 posts)Strouss department store. If your mom took you there with her while she shopped and you behaved yourself, she would take you down to the basement where they made the most delicious malts and get you one. Kind of like a Wendys frosty only better. My husbands mom worked in the toy dept. there when he was a child.
exboyfil
(17,863 posts)Graduated high school from Girard High in 1980.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Aristus
(66,388 posts)I was too young to have any real critical appreciation for their inventory. But I liked their TV commercials. Very 1970's chic.
maspaha
(222 posts)The father of the family that lived across the street from the house I grew up in worked at Ayr Way. When the stores started closing in the mid 70s, the company transferred him to Terre Haute, IN and the family moved. It was actually very traumatic for our tight knit neighborhood. We were so innocent back then.
debm55
(25,218 posts)AllaN01Bear
(18,261 posts)if u cant find it at mundorfs . it dosent exist. you could find all kinds of fancy things at mundorfs that the other hardware stores didnt carry.
debm55
(25,218 posts)MadLinguist
(790 posts)K&B (Katz and Bestoff) Drugstore
Schwegmann's Grocery
A&P Grocery
Masion Blanche Department store
Winn Dixie (not quite gone, but almost)
TG&Y General Store
debm55
(25,218 posts)Freddie
(9,267 posts)I have wonderful memories of Mom taking me grocery shopping while my brother was at school, just her and me. I can picture how the store was laid out and smell the fresh ground coffee.
ificandream
(9,373 posts)I'm originally from the Boston area. I think they were the ones my folks went to more often. I do like the fact the Red Sox games are still sponsored by Star Market, another place we used to go to often.
Freddie
(9,267 posts)All the ones in my area closed around 1980.
bucolic_frolic
(43,182 posts)Wooden floors, high tin ceilings, meat and fish counter about 8 feet long, real butcher, yes fresh ground 8 o'clock coffee (still going if China owned), Ann Page, purple vegetable dye price stamps, checkouts with wooden counters no belts. The whole store was no larger than a small bank branch today, and the layouts were fairly uniform from state to state.
debm55
(25,218 posts)produce section. Ours had a book section for kids to buy books , but I read the one I wanted while my family was shopping. Didn't need to buy.
debm55
(25,218 posts)agingdem
(7,850 posts)Joske's...Zayre...Pantry Pride...A&P...May Co....Foley's..
debm55
(25,218 posts)PittBlue
(4,226 posts)Now everything is gone. We moved to a suburb in Cleveland a few years ago and all the big department stores are gone there, too. The malls killed our small downtown in PA and now they are closing.
debm55
(25,218 posts)South Hills Village and the Monroeville Mall. but that one is going the way of Century III
Dulcinea
(6,639 posts)It's mostly in the Midwest & Southeast. I shop at my local Kroger for the fuel points. Publix is much nicer, IMHO.
yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)They are everywhere! I feel like they own the market out there.
WalMart, Safeway, WINCO are the other major stores.
I think they have another chain in a different region.
ificandream
(9,373 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)Keepthesoulalive
(91 posts)Korvetts, S Klein Nediks, Howard Johnsons and Alexanders
debm55
(25,218 posts)pdxflyboy
(678 posts)H L Green's (dime store). Genung's Dept. Store which turned into Howland's and disappeared in the 1980's. Also the A & P grocery stores. Can't forget Sears and Roebucks.
debm55
(25,218 posts)montanacowboy
(6,093 posts)Because I can remember Kaufmann's and Hornes, Gimbels when I was a kid.
I can also remember Stone & Thomas, where my mother drug me each fall for a new pair of Buster Brown shoes for school.
debm55
(25,218 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,182 posts)Kroger is still in business, maybe not where you're at, but they own Turkey Hilll now.
Gimbel's, Sears, Wanamakers, Bambergers (was a Macy's affiliate), Kmart of course, Thrift Drug (bought by Eckerd bought by RiteAid). There was also Hess's and Hechinger, Builders Square, Sports Authority, Circuit City. Many more can't remember the names.
Macy's had a buyout offer last week, albeit a low ball one.
debm55
(25,218 posts)closing stores left and right around here.
bucolic_frolic
(43,182 posts)In one nearby town it was a Thrift franchisee. That closed so they built a huge new RiteAid across town. Walgreens moved to the opposite corner so the RiteAid closed. It's been empty about 6 years. Not looking good for RiteAid.
debm55
(25,218 posts)closed. It was the size of super market. I wished they would turn it into a food store. as the small town has none. When they built the new one, they bragged about it being the largest Rite Aid in western PA. Now it sits empty. So we go to another Rite Aid. . How long that will stay open is anyone's guess.
Freddie
(9,267 posts)They closed the smaller one downtown and built a huge new store on the strip and closed it 10 years later. Now another big store sitting empty in a prime commercial spot.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Different Drummer
(7,621 posts)I think Walgreens acquired a bunch of Rite-Aid stores and closed some of them. Mine was one of the ones that closed.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Like that is more important than getting your scripts filled???
Different Drummer
(7,621 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)another but we may be looking for our 4th. Thank you Different Drummer. Our Rite Aid were like convience stores but larger.
Mz Pip
(27,451 posts)Emporium. First place I worked when I came to CA in 1969. There was a Capwells near us that was a terrific department store. Both were owned be the same company.
debm55
(25,218 posts)patphil
(6,182 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)happybird
(4,608 posts)Ive been going through a box of old photos and found one of me and my high school BFF and hes rockin a Commander Salamander tshirt. That, and Smash, were must-visit stores in Georgetown when I was a teenager.
Addition:
Found and article from a few years back:
https://wtop.com/lifestyle/2018/06/forget-the-wonder-woman-reboot-locals-wax-about-the-real-commander-salamander/
Apparently Smash is still open but they moved to Adams Morgan.
debm55
(25,218 posts)It's really hard to find a good cafeteria any more. I used to love to eat at Wyatt's, Furr's, Morrison's, Piccadilly. There are still a few Piccadilly cafeterias around, but none anywhere near where I live. I REALLY miss them.
-- Ron
debm55
(25,218 posts)Tiny Tabby
(22 posts)The Emporium, I Magnin, Joseph Magnin, The White House, City of Paris, z Ransohoff's, Roos/Atkins, Podesta Baldocchi, Borders, Tower records.
Many stores featured in Movies! Can you guess which Hitchcock films feature which stores?
debm55
(25,218 posts)leftieNanner
(15,124 posts)Remember the rotunda in the City of Paris at Christmas? The enormous tree! After having lunch at Townsend's.
I also miss Vanessi's restaurant in North Beach.
iamateacher
(1,089 posts)All in the past few years
happybird
(4,608 posts)My mother and I stopped by there a year ago Christmas to do some shopping and were shocked and saddened it was gone.
debm55
(25,218 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)iamateacher
(1,089 posts)For classes and for myself.
LakeArenal
(28,820 posts)Piggly Wiggly, Pierces Grocery Store.
Famous Footware.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Ocelot II
(115,735 posts)We always shopped there when visiting my grandmother. I think it was near the Piggly Wiggly.
exboyfil
(17,863 posts)My grandma who had paranoia was convinced until her death in 2016 that they were coming after her (she had been terminated for either theft (which is unlikely but might have been the stated cause) or proselytizing at work (which would get my vote but I was only five when it happened) sometime around 1974.
I remember playing an early shooter "video" game in the front of the store around 1968 (my grandma was watching me which also seems to be a problem).
Her persuasion was so good she almost had me believing it when she explained it to me.
debm55
(25,218 posts)have alot of choices.
Deep State Witch
(10,429 posts)I grew up in the Pittsburgh area.
Also, Children's Palace. Hills. Murphy's and Murphy Mart.
debm55
(25,218 posts)then Kids R Us. They couldn't compete with the Wal-Mart up the street.
Ritabert
(668 posts)ToysRUs, Filene's,
debm55
(25,218 posts)MLAA
(17,298 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)MLAA
(17,298 posts)greymattermom
(5,754 posts)Downtown Louisville
maspaha
(222 posts)I used to go with my Grandmommy when she and Granddaddy would visit.
Other stores from Louisville, Bacons and Ben Snyder. From Lexington, McAlpins
debm55
(25,218 posts)Raven123
(4,849 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Jrose
(827 posts)during the late 50's.. Mom took my sister and me there to shop almost every Saturday, for toys, clothes and sometimes to get haircuts in their busy kids' salon.
I still remember playing with wooden alphabet blocks in the waiting area!
I think they had a cafe/ice cream parlor on another floor, which was a great treat before the three of us took the subway to the Bronx.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Raven123
(4,849 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Niagara
(7,627 posts)Retail: Bon Ton, Fishers Big Wheel, Merry-Go-Round, Marshall Fields, Schultz Family Store. I believe Schultz was regional and not an actual chain retail store.
Grocery: A&P, Farm Boy, and Scott's
Entertainment: Blockbuster, On Cue, Musicland, Sam Goody, and Family Video
I'm not sure if it's still around, but I remember Coast to Coast Hardware Stores. I haven't seen or heard of one in years.
Also, The Christmas Tree Shops and Hayneedle. Hayneedle was purchased by Walmart. Boo! Hiss! Growl!
debm55
(25,218 posts)Texasgal
(17,045 posts)while in High School. Early 80's, Great job!
Niagara
(7,627 posts)I never applied to places like that as my paycheck would have been spent as new merchandise came in!
No, they weren't as good as Fry's but they were decent.
debm55
(25,218 posts)DBoon
(22,369 posts)and other music related items.
debm55
(25,218 posts)calimary
(81,321 posts)Tower Records. The BIG one on the Sunset Strip. You might see a stray celebrity in there, every now n then, too.
And usually with a traffic jam out front, with people waiting for a place to park.
doc03
(35,348 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)everywhere around here and Aldis.There may be some further away but not in my area.
Tetrachloride
(7,847 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Bullocks, Bullocks Wilshire, May Co,, Buffums, Orbachs, JW Robinson, The Broadway, Hensheys, Henshaws.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Saks, Neimans, Fred Segal, Bloomingdales, Macys, Nordstrom. But theyre not the same.
debm55
(25,218 posts)claudette
(3,578 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)no_hypocrisy
(46,122 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Duncanpup
(12,860 posts)Hills Woolworth also if they were not mentioned.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 11:50 PM - Edit history (1)
been mentioned either. Loved their Christmas commercial: I can't remember if they took over Zazyre or Ames. Excuse the spelling but I just took my meds. Nickels is doing okay. but I like my pastry fresh.
bedazzled
(1,765 posts)Used to buy my records at korvettes or woolworths. Vintage vinyl closed recently. Sob!
Bambergers made a great turkey club.
I liked Bradlees for kids things and housewares.
Little professor and borders for books
We certainly have worse options now.
You start terrific threads, btw.
debm55
(25,218 posts)home ware store took it;s place. They always had tons of business and brought kids into reading. B &N is borning. and empty when I go.
Squaredeal
(398 posts)Even on my meager allowance, I could afford model planes, of which they always had a large selection. Summer afternoons we boys would sometimes ride our bikes on Route 22, in a direct line from Middlesex to North Plainfield, NJ, to GEM, where it was located. We rode our bikes in the car lane, when there were very few cars on the highway in that time of the day.
debm55
(25,218 posts)GP6971
(31,168 posts)in NYC Metro area in the 70s to mid 80s.
debm55
(25,218 posts)GP6971
(31,168 posts)good prices. But it turned out they were corrupt as h*ll. They were under numerous investigations in the late 80s when I relocated to the WC.
Now, Costco at times, but mostly at the PX at the nearby Joint Base.
Mr.Bill
(24,303 posts)Although they are pretty obsolete now, I spent a lot of money at Tower Records in the 70s and 80s.
debm55
(25,218 posts)calimary
(81,321 posts)Upscale L.A. department stores. They hired cute guys in the mens department at the Westwood store and they knew how to flirt. Must have been good for business.
Ahhhhh
flirting with cute sales guys. Those were the days
debm55
(25,218 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)Bonwit Teller, Altmans, Lord and Taylor, Bendels and Balduccis in New York.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Jeebo
(2,025 posts)There's one just six or seven blocks up Ash street from my house in Columbia, Missouri. I buy groceries there all the time. It's called Gerbes, but it's still part of the Kroger chain. Most of the store-brand products bear the Kroger label. Some of the stores and store-brand products are called Safeway, too. They're all part of the same chain.
-- Ron
debm55
(25,218 posts)dem4decades
(11,296 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)thucythucy
(8,069 posts)Founded by German immigrants in the early 20th century.
Went bankrupt, I think in the early '80s.
debm55
(25,218 posts)thucythucy
(8,069 posts)Jeebo
(2,025 posts)I miss being able to go into a store that rented DVDs and VHS tapes. There was a mom-and-pop one here for many years that was owned and operated by two middle-aged women. Their store stopped renting videos about eight or nine years ago. I think those women just got tired of doing that and decided to start doing something else. Their store put up all their videos for sale and, when the videos were all sold, the store started selling music instead, lots of vinyl records especially. We had a Blockbuster here, too, but it closed some years before the mom-and-pop store did, and I didn't rent videos at the Blockbuster very often anyway. Now, if you want to rent a video, your only option here is one of those RedBox machines that are outside the grocery stores. I think RedBox is what they're called. I rarely use them.
-- Ron
debm55
(25,218 posts)Alexanders -Fordham road in the Bronx plus the one in New Jersey that had the giant mural. I read not too long ago that the mural was saved and is in a warehouse.
Times Square Stores aka TSS- they had a bank of gumball machines at the entrance/exit. Drove my mom crazy asking for change. Plus we used to jiggle the handles for free gumballs.
Pergament - in its later years it was strictly like a mini Home Depot selling paint and stuff but in its early years I recall it was more
Like a general dept store.
Rickels - a home store that had all
Kinds of home stuff but also some electronics and oddly watches! I still have my
Mickey Mouse watch that my parents got me from that store. I got into a fight with my brother and sadly the watch crystal cracked. We were horseplaying my wrist hit his knee. Crack went the face but I think the watch still works. A winder; no batteries.
Korvettes - I watched the USA hockey team win at the store in the tv section.
Whites Dept Store - they used to stock their goods like shirts and other clothing on table counters that were on top of shelves or drawers. So if you didnt see your size on the table, youd just open a drawer or reach under the counter and pull your size from the shelf. Thats when shoes were tied together with a plastic thing. My dad used to get frustrated and would rip them apart so we could try the shoes on.
Someone mentioned Two Guys - they had an arcade and also a snack area that sold roasted cashews, white and red pistachios and other good stuff. I havent seen red pistachios in decades now. I kind of miss my fingers getting stained! It was part of the fun of eating them. My mom had a soft spot for getting roasted nuts. It was a real luxury back then. I also remember the supermarket section in the store, similar to the current model in todays larger WalMarts.
Service Merchandise - what a concept! Had a thick catalog and some stores as well. You could order with a form, call or go to the store. If you went to the store you could look at the merchandise through the glass display cases. Each item had a code and youd fill out what you wanted on a form and the clerk would retrieve your item. There was another store that had the same model and it was called Brand Names. I gotta say, these stores had some decent stuff. It was like old school Amazon.
Mays department stores. Not very memorable for me, except the nice blue exterior of the store.
Thom McAnn - this was a great shoe store. We used to get our earth shoes at this store. They had the best suede shoes. I miss those styles!
Lord and Taylor - still online but stores no more. Huge loss. If you needed a dress or business shirt, that was the place to go.
Sibleys and AM&As - like Macys
Gold Circle - like Hills, they had good stuff for college dorms!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
debm55
(25,218 posts)for sharing all your memories with us.
ificandream
(9,373 posts)I spent hours in those stores. I loved looking through the CDs. Oh, the memories, sniff, sniff.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Onthefly
(169 posts)Great stores with friendly staff! Both gone by 1990.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Onthefly
(169 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Emile
(22,789 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Ohio Joe
(21,758 posts)Actually It was more of a murder suicide pact. Ames bought them without somehow knowing that most of their stores were in direct competition with each other. Each company had around 360 stores with just under 300 in direct competition (within 1 mile of each other). So while Ames doubled in size, it was less than a year before they were under 350 total stores and in chapter 11. They dragged on for I think about 7 years and they are now gone as well.
debm55
(25,218 posts)They eventually got liquidated. Though I did see an article last summer that some group had bought the name and were going to try and bring the company back. They did own a lot of their buildings though so Murphys may have purchased some as they closed down.
debm55
(25,218 posts)malthaussen
(17,204 posts)... between them, they got 90% of our shopping. Wanamaker's, too, but they were generally too pricy.
-- Mal
debm55
(25,218 posts)kimbutgar
(21,163 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)outfits that were casual. Do you know if J .Jill is still around. I liked their clothing too. TY
kimbutgar
(21,163 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)ironflange
(7,781 posts)A Western Canadian thing.
debm55
(25,218 posts)I loved it for fishing gear, wool socks.etc. After 7 years the building still sits there empty.
barbaraann
(9,151 posts)Mitt Romney killed that chain and Toys R Us.
https://nypost.com/2017/09/21/bain-capital-has-now-plunged-two-toy-retailers-into-bankruptcy/
debm55
(25,218 posts)Mall by mall hunters. It was sad to watch it.
Pucks mom
(18 posts)What a place, so sad it is gone.
debm55
(25,218 posts)captain queeg
(10,208 posts)I used to love going there, they had such a variety; all kinds of outdoor stuff like camping, fishing and hunting. Various guns, and you could buy shotgun shells for 12 cents apiece.
debm55
(25,218 posts)AllaN01Bear
(18,261 posts)a local owned and operated hardware store that had unusal items u couldnt find elsewhere .toys r us . radio shack
debm55
(25,218 posts)orangecrush
(19,572 posts)No more blue light
debm55
(25,218 posts)Wicked Blue
(5,834 posts)4 of my favorites:
Borders
Christmas Tree Shops (which I'm REALLY upset about losing)
Tuesday Morning
Value City (the department store)
others:
Two Guys from Harrison
PathMark (supermarket)
Shoe-Town
KMart
Ames
Caldor
Montgomery Ward
Sears
Hechingers (hardware, home improvement - DC area)
There are so many more stores that have gone out of business in my lifetime.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Hechingers is now Lowes and Busy Beaver is now Builder's Square. Go Figure.
Different Drummer
(7,621 posts)YMMV
Department Stores: Zayre, Gibson, Treasure Island, Kresge, Ben Franklin, BuyWise, McCrory, TG&Y, K-Mart, Service Merchandise.
Grocery Stores: Big Apple, Piggly Wiggly, Food Giant, Winn-Dixie (don't know if there are still some of these around in other places), A&P.
Book Stores: Waldenbooks, Bookland, B. Dalton.
Drugstores: Phar-Mor, Drug Emporium, the aforementioned Rite-Aid.
Fast Food: Burger Chef
I may think of others later.
debm55
(25,218 posts)PS. what does YMMV mean?? TY
Different Drummer
(7,621 posts)Yeah, of all the stores I mentioned, I was the most upset about Phar-Mor closing. Absolutely loved it! As far as grocery stores, we have a Publix and one called Quality Foods (not sure if that one is national). Also, Wal-Mart sells grocery items and they get the lion's share of sales around here. That's pretty much it where I am.
Different Drummer
(7,621 posts)in my original response, Heilig-Meyers (furniture store that may not have been national).
debm55
(25,218 posts)3catwoman3
(24,007 posts)Rather on a par with Marshall Fields in many ways.
debm55
(25,218 posts)3catwoman3
(24,007 posts)I 1994, we moved to the greater Chicago area, and I loved Marshall Fields. I was very sad when Macys bought it, and I never shop at Macys in protest. I thought Macys should at the very least have kept the Fields name alive by calling the elegant downtown flagship store either Marshall Fields a Macys or Macys at Marshall Fields to honor the history of that iconic Chicago realtor - founded in 1852.
That sort of longevity is worthy of being honored and preserved.
captain queeg
(10,208 posts)Fishing, camping, guns (back when you could mail order guns). The best prices. Theyve been gone a long time.
GoodRaisin
(8,924 posts)It was a very popular ice cream chain in Virginia, not sure where else.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Conjuay
(1,392 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)Zambero
(8,964 posts)debm55
(25,218 posts)yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)It had this funky little coffee spot in the front with all sorts of 1950s Formica tables and chairs and other similar furniture. Nothing matched and nobody cared. There were games available too. You really felt welcomed there, like they really wanted you to just hang out.
They also had these big comfy couches and chairs all over the store where you could cuddle up and read. It was so much fun to go there. After enjoying Borders so much, Barnes and Noble always seemed so cold and sterile.
In the pre internet days, my daughter and I would go there to figure out what to do on our vacations. THey did not care if you took a bunch of books to the couch to compare a subject.
Vogon_Glory
(9,118 posts)Tiches department store and Sanger-Harris were mid-range department store, not as classy as Neiman-Marcus, but up from JC Penneys. Tiches was acquired by Joskes and Sanger-Harris was taken over by Foleys.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Vogon_Glory
(9,118 posts)over Sanger Harris.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Vogon_Glory
(9,118 posts)They either merged with somebody or went out of business.
The name has been recycled by somebody else, but I doubt they have any connection to the original Volks Department Store chain.
JT45242
(2,280 posts)I do miss real Sears.
debm55
(25,218 posts)A HERETIC I AM
(24,370 posts)Both Strawbridges (PA, NJ & DE) and Burdines (Florida) were bought by Macy's. Jefferson's was like a Target type department store in Florida.
There were, as this thread attests, so many that have gone away.
If you want to know where the business that used to be transacted at your local mall has gone, look at how many new warehouses and distribution centers are being built all over the country. Scores, if not hundreds of large, multiple loading dock door (upwards of 50 doors) buildings are springing up all over the place.
That's where the business is now, as people are electing to shop online instead of going to a store.
debm55
(25,218 posts)Wicked Blue
(5,834 posts)which would you pick?
Mine:
Borders, Crown Books, Christmas Tree Shops, and Value City - the department store.
debm55
(25,218 posts)yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)I loved going there, sitting on a comfy chair or sofa, having a coffee in the very eclectically decorated cafe and browsing the shelves
Wicked Blue
(5,834 posts)Used to go there because I couldn't afford Macy's or Gimbels.
Also People's Drug in the DC area.
debm55
(25,218 posts)choie
(4,111 posts)A&S, Orbachs, Gertz, Gimbels, B Altmans, Fortunoffs, Mays, Strawberrys, The Wiz (electronics chain in nyc) and Alexanders!
yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)Eckerd's (pharmacy), Foley's,( Foley's became Macy's )Pier One, Radio Shack, Sears, Montgomery Ward, Leonard's (probably more, but I did not grow up here)
In Boston: Jordan-Marsh and` the greatly lamented Filene's. Not sure of others
In Nashville: Cain-Sloan, Harvey's, Rich-Schwartz (the Mid-South's version of Neiman-Marcus) Woolworth's, Hill's Markets, We also had a chain of dept stores called Castner-Knott but I am not certain they still exist. It's possible that Cain-Sloan and Castner's became Macy's
I also remember little stores in smaller towns, like Ben Franklin, Bentley's, Klein's,
Wright's. They were being sucked dry due to Walmart back in the 70s, and when the owners got older these stores closed. Those little places were so nice, nothing fancy but we knew the whole staff including the owners, went to school with their kids.
Vogon_Glory
(9,118 posts)yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)retread
(3,762 posts)it for sale)
GenThePerservering
(1,824 posts)in the Pac NW - taking over various grocery stores but keeping the original name.
As a kid I recall Horn & Hardart Automat in Philadelphia - they had good cheesecake and I would put in my 50 cents or whatever, open the little door and get my cheesecake out. I tried to poke my head into the receptcle to see what went on " behind the scenes" and caught a glimpse of a food prep area with people running around filling all of the vending.
Korvettes
Lit Brothers
Here in the Pac NW where I've lived most of my life:
Bon Marche (taken over by Federated/Macy's, which basically ran most of their stores into the ground through mis-management, which is why they were such a failure)
I. Magnin (their money handling was done through a pneumatic tube system into a central counting room - you'd pay for your (very expensive) item and the checker would put the payment and receipt into a tube, insert it into the tube system and voooop! down it would go, then a moment later it would come shooting out again with the change) - I still wear a summer top I bought there in the mid-80s - summers here are short but it was still great quality.
Woolworth's - where I purchased most of my clothing, etc., and which had the famous "landlady shoes". My first bird came from there, too.
Kresge's - 25 cent hot dogs, creaky wooden, floors funky basement.
Ernst Hardware - before Seattle became yuppified, they had one right downtown. They may still be around somewhere but they all closed in my area.
Thom McAnn shoes
Jay Jacobs, which started right here in Seattle
ETA: Back to Philly - the 12 floors of the magnificent Wanamaker's, where everyone met 'at the iggle' - it's a Macy's now, I guess, fortunately still has the great organ which used to peal out at regular times and fill the entire vaulting lobby. But Wanamaker's had all of its own wares, as well as an amazing basement.
Texasgal
(17,045 posts)Eckerds was an amazing drug store, and Gibsons was an amazing store that sold everything it seems!