Stores that were and are no more. Mine are Kaufmann's, Hornes. Gimbels. Kroger,. What once popular stores

[debm55]

are no longer in your are. RiteAid is the next to go. It's a drug store.

[CincyDem]

1. Marshall Fields and Carson, Pirie, Scott...those were the days. The christmas windows were amazing.

[debm55]

2. Thank you, CincyDem

Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:18 PM - Edit history (1)

[Indykatie]

54. Marshall Fields and Carsons were 2 of my Favorite Stores in Indiana. LS Ayres was the Other.

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]

73. I know what you mean, Sizes and fit vary in different stores. I am one for trying on my clothes and especially shoes.

[LakeArenal]

65. I miss MF sooo much.

[Eugene]

3. Filene's including Filene's Basement

Famous for their Running of the Brides sale.

[debm55]

5. Been to Filenes and the Basment. in Boston. Miss going there when we visit,

Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:23 PM - Edit history (1)

[yellowdogintexas]

258. one of the things I missed about Boston when we moved away.

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]

262. Thank you yellowdogintexas/

[MOMFUDSKI]

4. Gimbels!

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]

6. Thank you MOMFUDSKI, Loved their cherry cokes.

Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 05:47 PM - Edit history (1)

[MyOwnPeace]

61. And one of those 3

had the Tic-Tox Shop that made the best ice cream sodas! And the chocolate-covered strawberries from Kaufmann’s 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]

74. You are from Pittsburgh too? Remember meet me under the clock at Kaufmanns? they had thee best chocolate covered

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.

[MyOwnPeace]

77. Century 3

Is in big legal trouble - crime scenes, safety hazards, loss of property values - a big mess………

[debm55]

79. I don't see why they don;t tear it down. I loved it, But you could see it was turning into a dump.I don;t know if it;s

WestMifflin, Pleasant Hill who own The property but it a mess. and dangerous

[MyOwnPeace]

104. City councilwoman....

Michele Matoff (not to be confused with Mayor Sophie Madoff!) had a bet with somebody about kissing someone under that clock!

[debm55]

113. Did they keep the clock because it was a landmark of the store and city

Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 11:58 PM - Edit history (1)

[MyOwnPeace]

114. Yep!

[Squaredeal]

138. The Minkus stamp department was on the top floor.

As a boy, I would take the NJ Central to Gimbels’ in Mahatten once a year to buy last year’s album pages for my stamp collections. I believe that Mr. Minkus himself waited on me.

[cloudbase]

7. In Houston:

Foley's, Joske's, Weingarten's.

[debm55]

8. That's a shame.

Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:30 PM - Edit history (1)

[TexasBushwhacker]

178. My first full time job was at Joskes

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]

180. Thank you, TexasBushshacker. That's how I feel about Wal Mart. --everything smashed together.

[Stuart G]

261. A story about closed stores and open ones.....Yes this is True

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]

9. Montgomery Wards, Lazarus in Columbus, Ohio, Circuit City, Walden Books, and Sears

[debm55]

11. In the Pittsburgh area, Lazarus took over Hornes, when Lazarus closed Maceys took over. Then Maceys closed.

[LakeArenal]

66. Wards. for sure

[debm55]

94. I loved shopping at Wards for blankets, towels, sheets, They were the best and resonable.

[LakeArenal]

96. I was strictly a catalogue customer at Wards.

I always thought Penny ‘s has the best white goods. But I loved Wards.

[Eugene]

126. Montgomery Ward's failure took New England-based Lechmere Sales with it.

Lechmere was where I tended to go first for electronics or small appliances.

[debm55]

129. Sorry Eugene,

[debm55]

10. Sears, , K-Mart, JC Penneys, Busy Beaver.

[mobeau69]

12. Wm H Block, LS Ayres

[debm55]

37. Thank you mobeau69

Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:32 PM - Edit history (1)

[Fla Dem]

13. Jordan Marsh, Filenes, Raymonds, Zayres

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.

Filene's expanded into shopping malls throughout New England and New York in the later half of the twentieth century, and was rivaled by fellow Boston-based department store Jordan Marsh. Federated sold Filene's to The May Department Stores Company, and spun off Filene's Basement into a separate company, in 1988. With this reorganization, the Filene's nameplate replaced the Hartford-based G. Fox & Co. in 1992 and Steiger's in 1994; the store assumed control of the Pittsburgh-based department store chain Kaufmann's in 2002.

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]

16. Thank you , Fla Dem

Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:32 PM - Edit history (1)

[ificandream]

39. And Jordan Marsh in downtown Boston had the best Christmas display ever.

[debm55]

45. Agree

[Fla Dem]

49. They absolutely did! My Mom would take us kids via bus then subway every Christmas

to see it.

[PJMcK]

14. Radio Shack (n/t)

[debm55]

18. Oh yes, Radio Shack, TY PJMcK

Last edited Fri Feb 2, 2024, 04:35 PM - Edit history (1)

[lapfog_1]

15. Fry's electronics

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]

21. We had Fry's electronics for a while here in Phoenix.

It was a long way away from where I lived, but you could find everything there.

[lapfog_1]

26. yeah... I once went to a Fry's in, I think, Sierra Vista

and found a Grocery store... no electronics! Then I remembered that this was how Fry's got started, long before the electronics stores.

[Coventina]

31. Haha! Yes, we have Fry's grocery stores here in AZ.

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]

44. Ah yes, Fry's .... the memories....

But the customer service stunk, as I recall. But it was fun walking through there.

[debm55]

75. Sorry, lapfog_1

[Basic LA]

17. In Newark, growing up, we had

Ohrbach's, Bambergers, Woolworth, & Kresge's.

[LoisB]

24. I think I still have a coat from Bambergers.

If I am not mistaken, they became Macy's didn't they?

[Freddie]

32. Yes

Here in Philly area we lost Wanamaker’s, Gimbel’s, 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 Kohl’s but they’re not the same.

[Basic LA]

64. They did.

And even back then I think everyone compared it to Macy's.

[The Wizard]

107. I have a robe from Bams

[debm55]

97. We had Woolworth and Kresges here. Kresges later changed to K-Mart.

[debm55]

115. Sorry Basic LA

[50 Shades Of Blue]

19. My biggies are Hecht's and Woodward & Lothrop dept. stores, and Hahn's Shoes (DC area)

Macy's took over Hecht's but Woody's and Hahn's are long gone.

[debm55]

98. TY 50 Shades of Blue.

[Coventina]

20. Yellow Front, Pay 'n' Save are what immediately come to my mind.

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]

23. I did a lot of shopping at Woolworth's.

[debm55]

99. We had our Ames, Zayres and Murphy;s. --they were are dime stores. Used to buy necessities there.

[LoisB]

22. Broadway

I think it may have been Southern CA only. Also Robinson's (Robinson's-May).

[debm55]

116. Thank you LoisB

[Permanut]

25. The dime stores .

Kress and Newberry's.

(Portland Oregon area).

[debm55]

117. TY Permanut

[getagrip_already]

27. Devigas, lafayettes....

Both very local ny stores.

Also crazy Eddie's, but that was just comic relief.

[debm55]

118. TY getagrip_already

[Ocelot II]

28. Woolworths, The Emporium, Dayton's, Red Owl, Piggly Wiggly,

Donaldson's, Montgomery Wards, Sears, Radio Shack, The Golden Rule, Young-Quinlan

[unc70]

42. Piggly Wiggly is still around

[Ocelot II]

46. Haven't seen one in decades; they must have left my area or were bought out.

[yellowdogintexas]

259. The Pig is still alive in small towns that don't have Walmarts

I know of 5 or 6 in the farmlands of Kentucky

[debm55]

119. TY Ocelot II did they bring in stores to replace them?

[Ocelot II]

123. Dayton's eventually became the Target Corporation.

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]

150. Same here. TY

[debm55]

176. Thank you, Sad that they are gone

[Diamond_Dog]

29. Downtown Youngstown OH

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 Wendy’s frosty only better. My husband’s mom worked in the toy dept. there when he was a child.

[exboyfil]

72. My half brother grew up in Youngstown

Graduated high school from Girard High in 1980.

[debm55]

120. Sorry it's gone. Sounds like a kid could have a good time there.

[Aristus]

30. When I lived in Kentucky, there was a popular retailer called Ayr Way.

I was too young to have any real critical appreciation for their inventory. But I liked their TV commercials. Very 1970's chic.

[maspaha]

101. I've heard of this store!

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 ‘70’s, 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]

121. Thank you Aristus. sorry it's gone.

[AllaN01Bear]

33. twain harte pharma . huge drug and variety store for years . now does only meds . mundorfs hardware . sonora ca

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]

122. Thank You AllaN01Bear

[MadLinguist]

34. Gulf Coast stores (mostly New Orleans) gone or nearly gone

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]

124. Thank you MadLinguist. Are they bringstores in to replace?

[Freddie]

35. I miss the A & P

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]

41. A&P is gone? I didn't know that.

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]

48. I think the whole chain closed for good in 2015

All the ones in my area closed around 1980.

[bucolic_frolic]

56. I remember A&P

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]

127. Yes with those red 8 o'clock coffee bags for under the grinder. At Christmas , they would put toys on top of the

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]

125. Agree Freddie and those bags you put under the grinder. I think they were red.

[agingdem]

36. Krogers still exists..

Joske's...Zayre...Pantry Pride...A&P...May Co....Foley's..

[debm55]

38. But not in my area of Pittsburgh.

[PittBlue]

52. I grew up about 45 miles SE of Pittsburgh. It was a treat to go shopping in downtown Pittsburgh.

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]

130. That was true at onetime Pittsburgh is nothing to brag about. I know there is/was a mall in Washington, PA.

South Hills Village and the Monroeville Mall. but that one is going the way of Century III

[Dulcinea]

219. Yes, Kroger is still around.

It's mostly in the Midwest & Southeast. I shop at my local Kroger for the fuel points. Publix is much nicer, IMHO.

[yellowdogintexas]

253. Kroger is in Texas; it has sister stores in Arizona - Fry's

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]

40. Alpha Beta, Mervyn's, White Front.

[debm55]

131. Thank you, ificandream.

[yellowdogintexas]

267. are you in Fort Worth? nt

[Keepthesoulalive]

43. Robert Hall

Korvetts, S Klein Nediks, Howard Johnson’s and Alexander’s

[debm55]

132. I used to do my school shopping at Robert Hall.

[pdxflyboy]

47. In Norwalk, CT, where I grew up, it was

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]

134. We had Green's dime store and A& P in Pittsburgh. Long gone

[montanacowboy]

50. You must be in the Pittsburgh/Wheeling WVA/Eastern Ohio area

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]

133. I live about 10 south of Pittsburgh. AND you just gave me a new idea for an OP

[bucolic_frolic]

51. It's just one big buyout binge

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]

135. Thank you bucolic_frolic. I know some of the names. The one I am worried about it is Thrift/Eckerd/Rite Aid They are

closing stores left and right around here.

[bucolic_frolic]

139. Rite Aide has been a house of cards - loaded with debt - for years.

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]

149. They did that in the town next to mine.Had a regular sized drug store. Closed that one and opened a mega store. That one

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]

186. That's exactly what happened to our Rite Aid

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]

187. That is sad , They didn't need the mega stores.

[Different Drummer]

197. What used to be Rite Aid in my area is now an Ace Hardware.

I think Walgreens acquired a bunch of Rite-Aid stores and closed some of them. Mine was one of the ones that closed.

[debm55]

198. We are running out of Rite Aids to go to. This is our third one. The first one was made into a washing place for cars???

Like that is more important than getting your scripts filled???

[Different Drummer]

208. I ended up having to switch to Walgreens when Rite Aid closed. n/t

[debm55]

210. Odd but the Rite Aid Switched our scripts that were on file to walMart without asking us. This was store 1 and 2. We

another but we may be looking for our 4th. Thank you Different Drummer. Our Rite Aid were like convience stores but larger.

[Mz Pip]

53. In the SF Bay Area

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]

136. Sorry, Mz Pip,

[patphil]

55. Grants, Jamesway, Ames

[debm55]

137. Sorry I remember Grants and Ames. They are long gone from my area. TY

[happybird]

57. Funny you should ask...

I’ve been going through a box of old photos and found one of me and my high school BFF and he’s 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]

70. Thank you, happy bird

[Jeebo]

58. Cafeterias.

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]

68. I know, Kaufmanns uesd to have a tea room( cafeteria) on there top floor,

[Tiny Tabby]

59. San Francisco

San Francisco!

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]

67. Our Borders closed too. liked it better then Barns and Nobles. Borders had childrens authors, activities , etc.

[leftieNanner]

78. Thanks! You posted my list.

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]

60. Steinmart, A.C. Moore, Christmas Tree Shop

All in the past few years

[happybird]

62. I loved Steinmart

My mother and I stopped by there a year ago Christmas to do some shopping and were shocked and saddened it was gone.

[debm55]

63. Thank you. I have heard of these stores

[debm55]

151. Wasn't AC Moore a paint store like Sherwin Williams? Ex teacher here 42 years.

[iamateacher]

263. Deb, it was a craft store. Went there frequently

For classes and for myself.

[LakeArenal]

69. In WI Prange's, Treasure Island Robert Hall

Piggly Wiggly, Pierces Grocery Store.

Famous Footware.

[debm55]

153. Forgot abput Famous Footware/ TY

[Ocelot II]

161. I remember the Prange's in Sturgeon Bay.

We always shopped there when visiting my grandmother. I think it was near the Piggly Wiggly.

[exboyfil]

71. Heck's Department Store which closed its last store in 1990 (West Virginia)

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]

155. That's quite a different story, Sorry about your grandma and her problems. So sad about your store. People in WV don't

have alot of choices.

[Deep State Witch]

76. Mine, Too!

I grew up in the Pittsburgh area.

Also, Children's Palace. Hills. Murphy's and Murphy Mart.

[debm55]

157. Children's Palace was built first. then Kid R Us was built almost across the street. Childrens Palace closed first,

then Kids R Us. They couldn't compete with the Wal-Mart up the street.

[Ritabert]

80. Montgomery Ward, Radio Shack

ToysRUs, Filene's,

[debm55]

158. Yep all gone, Sad.

[MLAA]

81. Barney's and Woolworth are the ones I miss the most!

[debm55]

159. Do you remember the little cafe at Woolworth?

[MLAA]

173. Best tuna melts ever. I went there at least once a week back in the mid 80s.

[debm55]

175. Agree TY

[greymattermom]

82. Stewart's

Downtown Louisville

[maspaha]

95. I loved Stewarts downtown!

I used to go with my Grandmommy when she and Granddaddy would visit.

Other stores from Louisville, Bacon’s and Ben Snyder. From Lexington, McAlpin’s

[debm55]

163. Thank you, Anything move in to replace it?

[Raven123]

83. Gray Drug in Cleveland. Radio Shack

[debm55]

182. Sorry, Raven123

[Jrose]

84. I remember 'Best &Co.' on New York's 5th Ave. from my childhood,

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]

164. Sounds like a great store for the family. sorry it moved out.

[Raven123]

85. Thom Mcan shoe store

[debm55]

92. Only way I can buy shoes is to try them on. and I went there frequently.

[Niagara]

86. A few that I remember...

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]

88. Wow, your shopping choices have gone down. Thank you,Niagara.

[Texasgal]

268. I worked at Merry Go Round

while in High School. Early 80's, Great job!

[Niagara]

269. Retail isn't an easy job. Happy to hear you had a great retail job.

I never applied to places like that as my paycheck would have been spent as new merchandise came in!

[Shermann]

87. CompUSA

No, they weren't as good as Fry's but they were decent.

[debm55]

91. Thank you, Shermann

[DBoon]

89. Licorice Pizza for recorded music

and other music related items.

[debm55]

90. Thank you, DBoon.

[calimary]

230. Yep. Licorice Pizza.

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]

93. I am surprised there are no Krogers where you live, there are over 3200 stores. nt

[debm55]

100. Not in my area--we have Giant Eagle, Shop and Save(which is becoming a dump) Foodland closed in my area if not

everywhere around here and Aldis.There may be some further away but not in my area.

[Tetrachloride]

102. Rennebohm's and Red Owl

[debm55]

188. TY Tetrachloridem so sad,

[enid602]

103. Closed

Bullocks, Bullocks Wilshire, May Co,, Buffums, Orbachs, JW Robinson, The Broadway, Hensheys, Henshaws.

[debm55]

148. Sad, Are there stores to take their place?

[enid602]

152. Not same

Saks, Neiman’s, Fred Segal, Bloomingdale’s, Macys, Nordstrom. But they’re not the same.

[debm55]

162. I know what you mean.

[claudette]

105. John Wanamaker's

[debm55]

147. Sad, I have heard of them.

[no_hypocrisy]

106. Rickles. "We ain't just paint . . . . "

[debm55]

146. We aint nothing now. That is sad.

[Duncanpup]

108. Nickels I remember as kid

Hills Woolworth also if they were not mentioned.

[debm55]

145. Nickels sells items in white boxes at the food stores. No way is it bakery quality. Hills has not been

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]

109. In NJ we had great eastern mills and two guys from harrisons

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]

144. Thank you. I loved borders for my son. They had a set up in the back for story time, author readings. games. etc. A

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]

207. Great Eastern Mills was great for kids.

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]

211. Great Eastern Mills sounds very lid friendly. i am sorry it is gone. Ty Squaredeal

[GP6971]

110. Ceazt Eddie - Electronics chain

in NYC Metro area in the 70s to mid 80s.

[debm55]

143. Thanks, did you go there and it so, where to buy your stuff from now? thanks

[GP6971]

172. Yes, went there many times. They had really

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]

111. Kinney's Shoes, or shoe stores like that in general.

Although they are pretty obsolete now, I spent a lot of money at Tower Records in the 70s and 80s.

[debm55]

142. I remember Kinney's, I really have to try my shoes on and I miss them.

[calimary]

112. Bullocks Wilshire and Bullocks Westwood.

Upscale L.A. department stores. They hired cute guys in the men’s 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]

141. Those areas sound very upscale.

[dhol82]

128. Nan Duskin in Philadelphia

Bonwit Teller, Altman’s, Lord and Taylor, Bendel’s and Balducci’s in New York.

[debm55]

140. Yes, the Lord and Taylor, they made a big to do about it in Pittsbugh. Didn't last very long at all.

[Jeebo]

154. There are still Kroger stores.

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]

168. Thanks it just be in my area. as Giant Eagle is the main grocery.

[dem4decades]

156. Caldor's and Bradley's. Buy what Mrs B. buys.

[debm55]

169. Thank you. Sad they are gone.

[thucythucy]

160. Bohacks.

Founded by German immigrants in the early 20th century.

Went bankrupt, I think in the early '80s.

[debm55]

166. That's sad. Anything move in to replace it?

[thucythucy]

174. Not that I know of.

[Jeebo]

165. Video rental stores.

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]

167. Same here with the stores and just the Red Box . Around hear they are located outside of gas stations/ TY

[DaBronx]

170. A few more

Alexander’s -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.

Rickel’s - 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.

White’s 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 didn’t see your size on the table, you’d just open a drawer or reach under the counter and pull your size from the shelf. That’s 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 haven’t 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 today’s 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 you’d 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.

Sibley’s and AM&A’s - like Macy’s

Gold Circle - like Hill’s, they had good stuff for college dorms!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[debm55]

179. Your post is wonderful! You brought back things I have forgotten-Gold Circle. Service Merchandise, Tom McAnn, Thank you

for sharing all your memories with us.

[DaBronx]

222. :)

[ificandream]

171. Record stores ... Tower Records, Discount Records, Dedicated Record Collector (in S.J.).

I spent hours in those stores. I loved looking through the CDs. Oh, the memories, sniff, sniff.

[debm55]

177. Sorry, Ificandream..

[Onthefly]

181. Hochschild-Kohn or "Hochschilds" and Hutzler's in Baltimore

Great stores with friendly staff! Both gone by 1990.

[debm55]

183. Sorry Onthefly.. Did the replace with other stores?

[Onthefly]

185. No. They were original large department stores.

[debm55]

189. It would be nice if they developed apartments for thr homeless or elderly. TY

[Emile]

184. Zayre's - K Mart - Pamida - K's Merchandise - Shop KO

[debm55]

190. Yes , all gone, Sad. Ty Emile

[Ohio Joe]

224. I worked for the company that killed Zayres

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]

226. Wasn't Ames bought by Murphey.s? Which also didn't last long?

[Ohio Joe]

231. No

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 Murphy’s may have purchased some as they closed down.

[debm55]

233. Thank you. That store was taken over so many times it's hard to remember the order the came and went,

[malthaussen]

191. I miss Sears and Woolworth's the most...

... between them, they got 90% of our shopping. Wanamaker's, too, but they were generally too pricy.

-- Mal

[debm55]

192. Yes, I agree. Mal, there is really no place to shop.

[kimbutgar]

193. Casual corner and White Front

[debm55]

194. When I was teaching I bought alot from Casual Corner. I was one who didn't wear suits and such but I wanted to wear

outfits that were casual. Do you know if J .Jill is still around. I liked their clothing too. TY

[kimbutgar]

195. J Jill is still around but in limited malls where I live

[debm55]

196. There catalogue is very skimpy. I think it is on it;s way out.

[ironflange]

199. Woodward's

A Western Canadian thing.

[debm55]

200. TY ironflange. We had a outdoor activities store equipment store here called Grander Mountain .It lasted for three years

I loved it for fishing gear, wool socks.etc. After 7 years the building still sits there empty.

[barbaraann]

201. KB Toys

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]

212. I didn't know that.KB Toys was in our Mall that is now closed and ready to collapse. YouTube has video of Century III

Mall by mall hunters. It was sad to watch it.

[Pucks mom]

202. Denver Dry Goods

What a place, so sad it is gone.

[debm55]

213. Sorry Pucks mom. I heard Joane Farbris is about to close too. Ioved the variety of fabric and yarns there

[captain queeg]

203. Western Auto. At least I haven't seen one in many years.

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]

214. Same thing happened to our store Gander Mountain/ Sold outdoor stuff as you mentioned.

[AllaN01Bear]

204. thriftys , bought up by right aid, right aid kept the thriftys brand of ice cream. mundorfs .

a local owned and operated hardware store that had unusal items u couldnt find elsewhere .toys r us . radio shack

[debm55]

215. Thank you, AllaN01Bear.

[orangecrush]

205. KMart

No more blue light

[debm55]

216. That sure is right. TY orangecrush.

[Wicked Blue]

206. EJ Korvettes, Quackenbush's, Stern's, Bambergers are real oldies from North Jersey

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]

217. TY Wicked Blue, BordersI loved it/ Hechingers we had right across the highway was Busy Beaver. What's odd is that

Hechingers is now Lowes and Busy Beaver is now Builder's Square. Go Figure.

[Different Drummer]

209. Some of the "were and are no more" stores in my area.

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]

218. OMG, I forgot about Phar-Mor. TY for bringing that one up. You have alot of grocery stores gone. Have they been replace?

PS. what does YMMV mean?? TY

[Different Drummer]

248. YMMVYour Mileage May Vary.

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]

249. Forgot to mention...

in my original response, Heilig-Meyers (furniture store that may not have been national).

[debm55]

250. Thank you different drummer.

[3catwoman3]

220. Rochester NY - Sibley's, Forman's and McCurdy's department stores.

Rather on a par with Marshall Field’s in many ways.

[debm55]

227. Thank you 3catwoman3. Did any stores take their place?

[3catwoman3]

252. Only one - The Bonton, which was a poor substitute IMO.

I 1994, we moved to the greater Chicago area, and I loved Marshall Fields. I was very sad when Macy’s bought it, and I never shop at Macy’s in protest. I thought Macy’s should at the very least have kept the Field’s name alive by calling the elegant downtown flagship store either Marshall Field’s a Macy’s or Macy’s at Marshall Field’s 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]

221. I've got one that was big mail order, but I think they did have actual stores: Herters

Fishing, camping, guns (back when you could mail order guns). The best prices. They’ve been gone a long time.

[GoodRaisin]

223. Highs Ice Cream comes to mind.

It was a very popular ice cream chain in Virginia, not sure where else.

[debm55]

228. We didn't have it here in PA. Thank you Good Raisin.

[Conjuay]

225. Robert Hall's, Horn and Hardarts, Schrafts' E J Korvettes'

[debm55]

229. We had a Robert Hall's herem but not the otheres. Thank you Conjuay.

[Zambero]

232. Clifton's Cafeteria, Borders, Radio Shack, F.W. Woolworth

[debm55]

234. I liked Borders better then Barnes and Noble.TY Zambero for your list.

[yellowdogintexas]

260. we had the coolest Borders. It was a converted supermarket so it was huge

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]

235. In Dallas, Tiche's and Sanger-Harris

Tiche’s department store and Sanger-Harris were mid-range department store, not as classy as Neiman-Marcus, but up from JC Penney’s. Tiche’s was acquired by Joske’s and Sanger-Harris was taken over by Foley’s.

[debm55]

236. Thank you Vogon_Glory. Did anything replace it.?

[Vogon_Glory]

237. Joske's took over Tiche's and Foley's took

over Sanger Harris.

[debm55]

238. Thank you, Vogon_Glory

[Vogon_Glory]

240. There was also a Volk's department store chain in Dallas

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 Volk’s Department Store chain.

[JT45242]

239. Kroger still around, one of the biggest grocery chains

I do miss real Sears.

[debm55]

242. Ty JT45242, In my area there are none. Giant Eagle is the biggest Chain around here. I miss Sears too.

[A HERETIC I AM]

241. Strawbridge and Clothier, Burdines, Jefferson's, Jordan Marsh, Jackson Byrons.

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]

243. I know who you are talking about. They just built one about 5 miles from here.Thank you A Heretic I AM

[Wicked Blue]

244. Here's a question for you to ask: if you could bring back any stores that closed

which would you pick?

Mine:

Borders, Crown Books, Christmas Tree Shops, and Value City - the department store.

[debm55]

245. Thank you Wicked Blue. I will wait for this to drop and ask. Ty for the suggesion.

[yellowdogintexas]

266. Borders just because of its ambience (at least at the one nearest to us)

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]

246. Ohrbach's in NYC

Used to go there because I couldn't afford Macy's or Gimbels.

Also People's Drug in the DC area.

[debm55]

247. Thank you Wicked Blue. Macys and Gimbels have been long gone from my area.

[choie]

251. In the NYC/Long Island area:

A&S, Orbachs, Gertz, Gimbels, B Altmans, Fortunoffs, Mays, Strawberry’s, The Wiz (electronics chain in nyc) and Alexander’s!

[yellowdogintexas]

254. North Texas: Mervyn's, Sanger-Harris, Skaggs/Alpha-Beta(grocery)

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]

256. North Texas (Or at least Dallas) had Skillern's drug stores n/t

[yellowdogintexas]

257. definitely not Fort Worth nt

[retread]

255. Vinyl Fever, numerous locally owned music stores, hardware stores like my grandfather's(you need just one washer? He had

it for sale)

[GenThePerservering]

264. Kroger's is all over the place up here

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]

265. Eckerds and Gibsons

Eckerds was an amazing drug store, and Gibsons was an amazing store that sold everything it seems!