Thursday, August 18, 2011

Going, Going, Gone!!

As an old retailer who spent almost 40 years working directly for retailers or for a company that provided services and equipment for retailers, it boggles the mind when I consider the many, many retailers who've gone on to retail oblivion!  Border's Books is in the process of liquidating as I write this...

Do you remember any of these retailers?










These are just a few of the many, many American retailers that have gone bankrupt and liquidated, were been bought out or have simply been folded into a larger retail operation.  Some of these companies, such as Montgomery Ward and Circuit City continue as on-line retailers only...after the rights to the company names, logos, etc. were purchased by unrelated investment groups. 

The following list consists of about 270 retailers that have gone extinct in recent years... How many of these retailers do you remember?!  I wonder how many former retail company's aren't even on this list...
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5-7-9 Stores; 10,000 Auto Parts; A&S; A.J. August Fashion Wear; Afterthoughts (Woolworth); Al Baskin Co.; Allied City Stores; Almacs Supermarkets; Almy’s Department Stores; Al’s Auto Parts; American Union Furniture; Ames Department Stores; Anchor Blue Retail Group; Anderson-Little Clothing; Angelo's Supermarkets; Associated Dry Goods; Auto Palace Auto Part Stores; Auto Works.


B. Moss Clothing Co.; Bernie's Audio Video TV/Appliance; Best Products; Big 10 Tire Stores; Big A Auto Parts; Big B Drugs; Big D Supermarkets; Big Wheel/Rossi Auto Parts; Bill's Dollar Stores; Bi-Lo LLC; Blue Tulip Corp.; Bonwit Teller Department Stores; Border’s Bookstores; Bradlees Department Stores; Bread and Circus Grocery; Britches of Georgetown; Brooks Fashions; Brooks Pharmacy; Bruno's Supermarkets; Bugle Boy; Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts; Butler Brothers.

Caldors Department Stores; Carl Durfees; Charles A. Stevens; Carson's Casual Corner; Champion Auto; Chandlers; Channel and Rickel Home Centers/Cherry & Webb; Chess King; Chief Auto Parts; Child World; Circuit City; Clemens Supermarkets; Coast-to-Coast Hardware; Colby's; Computer City; County Seat; Crazy Eddie's Electronics; Crown Book Stores; Cunningham’s Drug Stores; Dayton’s Department Stores; d.e.m.o.; De Pinna; De-Jaiz Mens Clothing; Desmonds Formal Wear; Domain; Drug Fair Group.

E.J. Korvettes; Eckerd Drug Stores; Eli Moore, Inc.; Endicott Shoes; Erlebacher's; Everything But Water; EZ Lube; F.W. Woolworth Company; Famous Barr & Co.; Fashion Cents; Father & Son; Fayva Shoe Stores; Finlay Enterprises; First National Supermarkets/Edwards Super Foods; Flagg Bros. Shoes; Flanagans Supermarkets; Foot Quarters (Kinney/Woolworth); Foreman & Clark; Forth & Towne; Fortunoff Holdings; Foxmoor; Frank and Seder; Franklin Simon; Frank’s Nursery & Crafts; Friedman's Inc.

Gallenkamp; Gantos; Gaylan's Trading Company; Gems TV; Gennovese Drug Stores; G. Fox & Co.; Gold Circle; Goody's Family Clothing (Slowly Reopening Stores!); Gottschalks; Grand Union Supermarkets; Great Clothes; Grandpa Pidgeon’s; Grodins; Grossman's Lumber; Hanover Shoe; Happy Harry's; Harold's Stores; Harvey Electronics; Hechingers; Heicht’s Department Stores; Henry's; Herbergers; Heslop's; Hills Department Stores; Hit or Miss; HMV Record Stores; Hollywood Video; Home Quarters (HQ); Hook's/SupeRx; Hudson's Mens Wear; Huffman-Koos; Hughes & Hatcher; I. Magnin; id Boutiques.  

J. Brannam; J. Riggins; J. L. Hudson; J.M. Field; Jack Lang; Jacob Reed and Sons; Jacobson’s; Janeville; JasmineSola; Jay Jacobs; Jeans Unlimited; Joe's Sports & Outdoor; Jordan Marsh Department Stores; Joseph Magnin; Judy's; Just For Feet; Karl's Shoes; KB Toys; Joseph Magnin; Judy's; Just For Feet; Karl's Shoes; Kaufmann’s; KB Toys; Kent's; King's; Kinney Shoes; Kitchens Etc.; Kleinhans; Klopfenstein's; K's Merchandise; L.L. Berger; Laura Ashley; Laura Ashley Mother & Child; Lechmere; Levitz Furniture; Lil Peach Convenience Stores; Linens & Things; Little Folk Shops/Kids Mart; Littler's; Longs Drug Stores.


Man Alive; Mansmann's Department Stores; Marianne's; MARS Music; Marty Shoes Holding; Mattress Discounters; Maurice The Pants Man; May D&F; May Company – Cleveland; May Company of California; May Company; McNeils – Akron; McRaes Dept Stores; Medi Mart Drug Stores; Meier & Frank; Merry Go Round; Mervyns; Miller & Rhoads; Mode O'Day; Montgomery Ward; Morville; Movie Gallery; Nan Duskin; National Auto Parts; National Shirt Shop; National Wholesale Liquidators; Nature's Heartland Grocery; NHD Home Centers; Nobil; Northern Reflections; Oklahoma Tire & Supply Company (OTASCO); One Price.

PACE Membership Warehouse; Parade of Shoes; Parisian; Parklane Hosiery; Parts America; Patterson-Fletcher; Paul Harris; Pay N Save Drug Stores; PayLess Northwest/Thrifty PayLess; Penn Traffic Co.; Peoples Drug Stores; Perry Drug Stores; Piccolo Mondo; Planet Organic; Pomeroy's; Poore Simon's; Proffitt's; Purity Supreme Supermarkets; Raleigh's/Raleigh Haberrdasher; Ransohoffs; Record Town; Revco; Richman Brothers; Richs Department Stores; Ritz Camera Centers; Robert Hall; Robinsons-May; Rogers Peet.

S&K Famous Brands; Sagebrush; Sanger-Harris; Scott Ties; Service Merchandise; Shoe Kicks; Shoe Pavilion; Shoe Town; Silverwoods; Smiths; Software, Etc.; Somerville Lumber/Payless Cashway; Southern Gold Partners; Sportsman's Warehouse; Steinbach Department Stores; Steve & Barry's; STM Auto Parts; Store 24 Convenience Stores; Strasburg-Jarvis; Strawberries Record Stores; Super Shops; Supermarkets; General Corporation; Susie's Casuals; Swoozie's, Inc.

Tee Town; TG&Y Stores; Thalhimers; The Bon Marche; The Hang Up Shoppes; The Parent Co.; The Sample; The Warner Brother Stores; The Wiz Electronic Stores; TheBottomHalf; Thom McAnn Shoe Stores; Thrift Auto Parts; Thrift Drug, Inc.; Today’s Man; Tower Records; Trak Auto; Turn Style Stores; Tweeter Newco LLC; Two Guys; Ukrops Supermarkets; Ultra Stores; Value City Department Stores; Value Plus Stores; Venture Stores; Victory Supermarkets; Virgin Megastores.


W.T. Grant; Waldenbooks; Weathervane; Western Auto Stores; Wheels; Whitehall Jewelers Holdings; Whitlocks Auto Supply; Wickes Furniture; Wild Oats Grocery; William Wanamaker & Sons; Woolf Brothers; Younkers; Zayres Department Stores; Zody's.
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The list is an interesting short history of retailing...the good, the bad and the ugly!  Is progress always a good thing?  You be the judge... Of the companies listed that I worked for, poor management...a lack of focus...and increased competition from the super retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe's, Home Depot and Kohl's, provided the impetus for failure or absorbtion into a larger, more successful company.  
 
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

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