Do you remember Gold Circle? Covering mostly New York, Ohio, Kentucky and Western Pennsylvania, the chain was founded in 1967 in Columbus, Ohio, with its corporate headquarters and distribution center located in Worthington, Ohio, a northern Columbus suburb. In 1984,…
Do you remember Sisters Chicken and Biscuits? Previous Next Sisters chicken and biscuits was a concept that Wendy International designed in the 1970’s. Sisters Chicken and Biscuits was founded in 1978 by Wendy’s International in Columbus Ohio. Sisters International was…
Do you remember Ames? Remembering Ames Department Store: A Legacy of Value and Community For many, the name “Ames” evokes nostalgia and memories of a beloved department store that played a significant role in communities across the United States. From…
Do you remember Home Quarters Warehouse? Home Quarters Warehouse Store: Transforming Homes with Quality and Style Home Quarters Warehouse (HQ) was an American chain of “big-box” home improvement stores, originally based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 1984, the chemical manufacturing…
Do you remember Harts Department Store? Hart’s Department Store: A Legacy of Excellence and Community In the heart of our city stands a beloved institution, Hart’s Department Store. For generations, this iconic establishment has been a cornerstone of our community,…
Do you remember Big Bear Grocery Stores? Previous Next Big Bear Stores was founded in November 1933 by Wayne E. Brown. The first Big Bear Store opened on the 15th of February, 1934, on West Lane Avenue in Columbus, Ohio,…
Do you remember County Seat? Previous Next Jack J. Crocker, then the CEO of SuperValu supermarkets, founded the chain in 1973 in Dallas, Texas. Appropriate for the pun in its name, County Seat specialized in blue jeans and other casual…
Do you remember Coconuts Music & Movie Stores? Previous Next Folks in the Chicago area will remember this spot for CDs and tapes. The chain eventually expanded to other states. Coconuts Music and Movies always had the latest popular vinyl,…
Do you remember Robinsons-May? Previous Next Robinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada, from 1993 until 2006. The double-barreled Robinsons-May name was created in 1993 when the former May Company California was consolidated…
Do you remember Limited Too? Previous Next Limited Too was created by The Limited, Inc. in 1987 as an infant, toddler, and younger girls’ version of The Limited selling products similar to their adult-oriented brand. From 1987 to 1995, the…
Do you remember AmeriSuites Hotels? Previous Next AmeriSuites Hotels was a hotel chain last owned by Global Hyatt. It was founded by Mark Yale Harris, cofounder of Red Roof Inns. In 1991, Harris founded AmeriSuites Hotels. AmeriSuites was an innovator…
Do you remember Cross Country Inn? Previous Next Don Kenney opened the first Cross Country Inn motel in Columbus, Ohio, the first property in what became a first-rate, limited-service hotel chain that grew to more than 3,000 rooms across 30…
Do you remember Kmart? Previous Next Kmart or K-Mart is a Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based, American chain of discount department stores that was formed originally in 1899 as S.S Kresge Corporation named after its owner. It was renamed K-Mart in 1962…
Do you remember Show Biz Pizza Palace? Remembering ShowBiz Pizza Place: A Nostalgic Journey through its History If you grew up in the ’80s or ’90s, chances are you have fond memories of ShowBiz Pizza Place. This beloved family entertainment…
Do you remember Chi-Chi’s? Previous Next Chi-Chi’s was big on spicy food, from salsa and nachos to everything else Americans think of as Tex-Mex food. Created by former Green Bay Packers star Max McGee and restaurateur Marno McDermit, it launched…
Do you remember Hollywood Video? Previous Next Hollywood Entertainment Corp. (Nasdaq: HLYW), more commonly known as Hollywood Video, was a home video and video game rental shop company started in 1988. The chain was the largest direct competitor to Blockbuster…
Do you remember Phar-Mor? Previous Next Phar-Mor (stylized as PHAâ„ž-MOR) was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael “Mickey” Monus and David Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the…
Do you remember Drug Emporium? Previous Next Drug Emporium is the name of a discount drug store corporation, founded in 1977 in Columbus, Ohio, that was sold to several different buyers during 2000 to 2001. Although several store locations continue…
Do you remember Andersons General Store? Previous Next The Maumee Ohio-based company was founded in 1947 with a focus on grain transportation and storage. The opened the Warehouse Market in 1952. The Andersons retail operations had substantial growth in the late…
Do you remember Burger Chef? Previous Next Burger Chef was an American fast-food restaurant chain. It began operating in 1957 in Indianapolis, Indiana, expanded throughout the United States, and at its peak in 1973 had 1,050 locations, including some in…
Do you remember Bill Knapp’s? Previous Next The first Bill Knapp restaurant was located in Battle Creek Michigan in 1948. It was an American family restaurant chain known for its made from scratch home-style foods and famous chocolate cake. This…
Do you remember Fishers Big Wheel? Previous Next Fishers Big Wheel, sometimes known as just Big Wheel, was a discount department store chain based in New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States. The company operated stores under the Fisher’s Big Wheel and…
Do you remember Steve & Barry’s? Previous Next Steve & Barry’s was an American retail clothing chain, featuring casual clothing, footwear and accessories. By mid-2008, the chain operated 276 stores in 39 states. The company was headquartered in Port Washington,…
Do you remember Child World or Children’s Palace? Previous Next Child World was an American chain of toy stores founded by Sid Shneider and Joseph Arnesano in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1962. Child World once had 182 stores and revenues of…
Do you remember Geauga Lake? Geauga Lake was originally known as “Picnic Lake” or “Giles Pond.” Sullivan Giles chose this area for his log cabin in 1817. He later built a large frame home on the spot behind Geauga Lake…
Do you remember Flakey Jake’s? In the early 1980s, Seattle-based seafood company Sea Galley Stores Inc. introduced the first Flakey Jake’s restaurant, drawing inspiration from the popular Fuddruckers concept. Both establishments boasted freshly baked hamburger buns and in-house ground hamburger…
Do you remember Fort Rapids Waterpark? Previous Next Fort Rapids was a hotel and resort located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally a Holiday Inn hotel, but was bought by Dublin-based Platinum Lodging, who then spent $40 million developing it…
Do you remember The Longaberger Company? Previous Next The Longaberger Company is an American manufacturer and distributor of handcrafted maple wood baskets and other home and lifestyle products. The company opened in 1973, was acquired in 2013 by CVSL, Inc.,…
Do you remember Incredible Universe? Previous Next Incredible Universe was a chain of stores operated by the Tandy Corporation. Well known throughout the world by the mid-20th century, The Tandy Corporation was an electronics company based out of Fort Worth,…
Do you remember Sport Chalet? Previous Next Sport Chalet was a sporting goods chain with 47 stores in Southern & Northern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Most stores were over 35,000 square feet in size, with many including dive pools…
Do you remember Levitz Furniture? Previous Next The furniture warehouse store was originally founded in Pennsylvania in 1910. The company was the pioneer in furniture warehouse retail and eventually expanded to nationwide retail until it closed for good in 2008…
Do you remember Hess Gas Stations? Previous Next If you haven’t seen that green and white emblem at the pump lately, it’s because Hess was bought by Marathon Petroleum Corp. in 2014 and is sadly no more. However, if you’ve…
Do you remember Teavana? Previous Next An American company selling a wide range of teas — black, green, herbal, rooibos, mate, etc. — and tea related equipment. The company specializes in blends — black tea and green, black tea and…
Do you remember B. Dalton Booksellers? Previous Next B. Dalton Bookseller was an American retail bookstore chain founded in 1966 by Bruce Dayton, a member of the same family that operated the Dayton’s department store chain. B. Dalton expanded to…
Do you remember Zany Brainy? Previous Next Zany Brainy was a United States retail store chain owned by FAO Schwarz that sold educational toys and multi-media products aimed at children ages 4–12. Its merchandise included games and puzzles; infant development…
Do you remember Wet Seal? Previous Next A teen clothing store similar to The Limited, Wet Seal was founded in Newport Beach, California back in 1962. Apparently, the name of the store stems back to a comment the founder, Lorne…
