Do you remember Sohio? Sohio Gas Stations: Fueling the Past with a Legacy of Excellence In the realm of gas stations, certain names have stood the test of time, becoming synonymous with quality, innovation, and customer service. Among them is…
Category: Forgotten Retail
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 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 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 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 PHA℞-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 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 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…
Do you remember Warner Brothers Studio Store? Previous Next The Warner Bros. Studio Store was a chain of retail stores selling Looney Tunes, DC Comics, and other merchandise based on Warner Bros. films, similar in style to The Disney Store. They first…
Do you remember Kids “R” Us? Previous Next Kids “R” Us is a children’s clothing retailer owned by Toys “R” Us selling clothing and accessories for children 0-12 years. Their first locations opened in 1983 in Paramus, New Jersey and…
Do you remember Toys “R” Us? Previous Next Created over 70 years ago, Toys “R” Us became the No. 1 store for toys, clothes, video games, and baby products for children across the United States. Fun fact: The chain originally…
Do you remember Tower Records? Previous Next Tower Records, which was formerly based in Sacramento, California, was created in 1960. The store was filled with records, CDs, tapes, and movies, but filed for bankruptcy in 2004. In October 2006, the…
Do you remember The Limited Stores? The Limited was created 56 years ago in Upper Arlington, Ohio. The store originally got its name, because the clothes focused only on young women. In 2017, The Limited shut down all 250 physical…
Created in 1928, Sports Authority had more than 460 stores across the United States at its peak. But competition from other online and in-store retailers forced the company to file for bankruptcy in 2016. That same year, Dick’s Sporting Goods…
The consumer and electronics store, Sharper Image, was founded in 1977 in San Francisco, California. If you ever traveled through a shopping mall and sat in a comfy massage chair inside an electronics-filled store, it was probably a Sharper Image….
Linens N Things was founded in 1975 in Clifton, New Jersey, and was once a homeware and home accessories staple. The chain operated 571 stores across the United States and Canada, and also did business as a big box retailer….
KB Toys was founded in 1922 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The epic toy store had 1,324 locations open as of 1999 and could be found in all 50 states. Despite its once booming success, KB Toys declared bankruptcy twice and closed…
