Retailers no longer around

I was thinking today of all the big retailers that are no more, and those that I miss.

Some that I miss:

• Good Guys- I always liked them better than Circuit City, CompUSA bought them and killed them.
• Circuit City- I loved them back in the day when they had several listening rooms. The last few stores I was in before they closed sucked, and had no listening rooms. Not surprised they closed.
• Incredible Universe- Tandy's attempt at the box store. Many were acquired by Fry's, but I always preferred the old Incredible Universe.
• Gemco- Membership box store before there were any other membership or box stores. Did they have these in Texas? I know there were several in California that were bought by Target when the company went under.

Any that you miss?

montgomery wards. not that I miss it... but I remember going there to put shoes and jackets on layaway in the summer.

Service Merchandise- I used to work there back in high school, sold over $20K of electronics in one day

Mine aren't necessarily big retailers, but here are a few I miss...

Bobbye Hall's Arguably the best hobby store in town, set in a really sketchy 'hood (Bryan and Fitzhugh in Dallas). They had about 10,000 square feet of crap packed into maybe 2,000 square feet. Maybe.

Best Products Back in the day, they had an awesome Christmas catalog full of GI Joe stuff and Tyco slot car tracks and Transformers, etc etc etc. To buy something in the store, you took a tag to a cashier, paid, and your purchase came down on a conveyor belt - kind of like Circuit City and Incredible Universe, I guess.

Sound Warehouse Records. Tapes. CDs. Pretty simple. I remember camping out in front of Sound Warehouse early one morning in '94 for Pink Floyd tickets. I was near the front of the line and a little pissed when they announced the wristband "lottery" system. The good news is that I ended up with the #2 lottery spot, and floor seats.

CD World I'm slowly warming up to Good Records, but CD World was the bomb. You could listen to anything in the store, they had a great "Buy 10 Get One Free" card, and they could/would order anything you wanted to get your hands on. Plus, it was superbly organized.

Highland Superstores The place sucked, but I miss the goofy-ass commercials.

Northtown Mall Not a store, but a great little mall near my folks' house - at LBJ and Webb Chapel. It had a movie theater, a Monkey Ward, lots of "small town" crappy mall stores to keep a kid occupied, and - the coup de grace - a freaking indoor water slide!

I used to work for Tandy Name Brands....the branch of Tandy that did the "big box" thing. I started off in Video Concepts, eventually moving to McDuff Electronics.

Our old warehouse location in South Arlington became Incredible Universe.

Prior to that I worked at Service Merchandise.

Many memories from those jobs, but can't say I miss the stores.

Edit: ROFL...I remember that Highland commercial. A buddy of mine used to work there and another one called "National" I think? Either way, both shut down and we both helped close down McDuff. It was a running joke of which company he would go "work for" (shut down) next. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by trickyrix

Best Products Back in the day, they had an awesome Christmas catalog full of GI Joe stuff and Tyco slot car tracks and Transformers, etc etc etc. To buy something in the store, you took a tag to a cashier, paid, and your purchase came down on a conveyor belt - kind of like Circuit City and Incredible Universe, I guess.

---

YES! BEST was awesome. I did all my Christmas lists from the BEST catalog when I was a kid. I remember getting a stereo system one Christmas that was off the back cover of the catalog.

Another one that came to mind was Thrifty Drugs. Did they have those out here? In California, they all sold ice cream cones that were dirt cheap and used a very unique cylindrical scoop.

I don't remember Thrifty Drugs... back in the day all we had around here was Eckerd's - no CVS or even Walgreens that I remember.

We also had a Sello gas station around the corner near Plano Road and NW Hwy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by trickyrix

I don't remember Thrifty Drugs... back in the day all we had around here was Eckerd's - no CVS or even Walgreens that I remember.

We also had a Sello gas station around the corner near Plano Road and NW Hwy.

---

When I was a kid in California, we had Longs, Thrifty, and Payless for drug stores. At some point before I moved out here, Payless bought Thrifty. Per wiki, Rite-Aid has since bought Payless, and CVS bought Longs. Not sure if they have Wallgreens out there now but they didn't when I left.

Phil's Hobbies in Farmers Branch

Olla Podrida
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/ollapodrida.jpg

Sears...back when it was Sears & Roebuck and a good place to buy almost anything. Not the KMart wannabe it is now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by onething

Sears...back when it was Sears & Roebuck and a good place to buy almost anything. Not the KMart wannabe it is now.

---

Check my blog for my Sears rant.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rogue

Olla Podrida
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/ollapodrida.jpg

---

I loved Olla Podrida when I was little. During the holidays my mom's coworker/friend "Big John" was the Santa there.

And +1 on Sound Warehouse, Sears when it was still Sears, Waldenbooks, and Bennigan's.

I miss Thrifty's ice cream; growing up in California it is what we always got because it was CHEAP.

Montgomery Wards is where we bought a lot of stuff when I was growing up, as well.

I also miss the old Radio Shack, before they became another cell-phone vendor...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CobaltFire

I miss Thrifty's ice cream; growing up in California it is what we always got because it was CHEAP.

---

The Thrifty's triple scoop. ::Ton5::

http://lh5.ggpht.com/rdevers/SKA93pr...M/triple2.jpeg

MonkeyWards
My wife was a jeweler there at NE Mall when we were first married. Bought our first furniture and lawn mower there. Bought or first appliances at their clearance center in Haltom City. Have great memories of Christmas shopping with my parents downtown on 7th street and going up to the top floors on all the escalators.

Downtown Ft Worth Leonards.
I enjoyed the underground train ride and they had the real Santa there not one of his assistantants.

Kipps Big Boy on university.
I know not a store but really good burgers and fries when I was at TCU.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by trickyrix

I don't remember Thrifty Drugs... back in the day all we had around here was Eckerd's - no CVS or even Walgreens that I remember.

---

Back than, it was Skillen and than Revco. I used to work for Revco. Eckerd's (now CVS) was the most unethical pharmacy that I know. Revco was run to the ground by the owner's family. It went Chapter 11 and sold to Eckerd's. Eckerd's sold to JC Penny and kept the name. Man, JC Penny paid way way way too much for it. When JC Penny got into trouble, it was sold to CVS. Actually, CVS is own my same people who used to own Revco!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabkwong

Back than, it was Skillen and than Revco. I used to work for Revco. Eckerd's (now CVS) was the most unethical pharmacy that I know. Revco was run to the ground by the owner's family. It went Chapter 11 and sold to Eckerd's. Eckerd's sold to JC Penny and kept the name. Man, JC Penny paid way way way too much for it. When JC Penny got into trouble, it was sold to CVS. Actually, CVS is own my same people who used to own Revco!

---

I think it was Skillern's right? We had a Skillern's a Revco, a 7-11 and a TG&Y all in the same shopping center. It was a 10 year old's paradise. I also remember many shopping adventures in the predecessors to the WalMart stores, Fed Mart and Spartan Atlantic. Good god that Fed Mart at Jupiter and Northwest highway was huge.

I also miss Next Door restaurant.

FEDERATED!!! I just remembered the other store my buddy help put out of business. :p

Monkey Wars was one of the first credit cards that helped put me in debt as a stupid college student. And see what it did for them?

I miss ME Moses and Woolworths.......

I also used to love Sanger Harris Department store in Preston Center. Soooooo much better than going to the mall. It became Foley's in the early 90's... and eventually moved to Northpark early this decade, and became Macy's a few years ago.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabkwong

Back than, it was Skillen and than Revco.

---

Our store burned down in 1996.... when we bought used fixtures, many came from Revco, and some STILL have the labels on the shelves to prove it... (what can I say, I'm too lazy to scrape the underside of shelves....)

Wow! I forgot about Revco and TG&Y and ME Moses! Anyone else remember Gibson's?

I remember there was a Gibsons in Midwest City, OK. My sister worked at TG&Y in Choctaw, OK in high school. Any body remember Wackers? It was a 5 and 10 cent store like TG&Y.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by trickyrix

Anyone else remember Gibson's?

---

In Hurst? My dad bought me my first BB gun and pocket knife there. I think they burned down?

Crap, where's my walker? Where's my pants? What times is the pudding here?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by motorollow

.....Any body remember Wackers? ......

---

Yes.

Another Gibson's rival, Howard's.

Anyone remember General Motors? I mean when they actually sold cars.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cone-cerned

Yes.

Another Gibson's rival, Howard's.

Anyone remember General Motors? I mean when they actually sold cars.

---

Yeah, my stepdad had a 1968 Chevelle SS with a 454 in it. He traded it in for a 1971 Monte Carlo when he married my mom.

Unless I missed it...

U-tot-M

Regards.

That picture of the Thrify's ice cream brought back the memories. We had one by my house in Albuquerque. They actually sold bicycles too.

Sprouse Reitz anyone? Used to buy fireworks and actually light them off in the street without getting in trouble.

Remember the $.29 Hamburger stand crazz?

The wife wanted me to add Photomat, Tyches, and Wyatt's cafeteria (a Sunday after-church tradition, and who had the best chocolate cream pie). We don't want to take them all, but remember several others not mentioned yet.

Regards.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sharpie

That picture of the Thrify's ice cream brought back the memories. We had one by my house in Albuquerque. They actually sold bicycles too.

Sprouse Reitz anyone? Used to buy fireworks and actually light them off in the street without getting in trouble.

Remember the $.29 Hamburger stand crazz?

---

Yep... there were a couple Sprouse Reitz near me when I was growing up. As I recall, it was somewhere between the Big Lots and Dollar General of today.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by trickyrix

Wow! I forgot about Revco and TG&Y and ME Moses! Anyone else remember Gibson's?

---

Yes, I do. They were put out of business by Wallie Word! Gibson used to have a pharmacy (lease tenant) in the store too! When BEST was around, I won a pair of tickets to see Glenn Campbell at Billy Bob in Ft Worth!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Piff

The wife wanted me to add Photomat, Tyches, and Wyatt's cafeteria (a Sunday after-church tradition, and who had the best chocolate cream pie). We don't want to take them all, but remember several others not mentioned yet.

Regards.

---

Can't forget the Highland Park Cafeteria.



And no, the one in Casa Linda is NOT the same.... even if the recipes are supposedly the same.

I think they still have them in other parts of Texas but I miss Tylers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rogue

Olla Podrida
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/ollapodrida.jpg

---

That was a sad day, when that place closed. There are a few cool ghost stories that revolved around that place, on par with "lady of the lake"...back in the day when we sat around telling ghost stories...

Vickery Park, when it was an amusement park...Sun Rexall Drugs in Richardson, they had everything imaginable in that place.

Older Businesses in Vickery:
Vickery Motor Court, later Vickery Cabin Apartments. 7000 block of Greenville. Used in the filming of Bonnie & Clyde in 1967. Rock construction, likely removed in the mid 70's. Located very near the current location of 7-11 at Greenville and Ridgecrest.

Vickery Park, 7400 Greenville. Opened in the 40's, land developed by Dorchester in 1977. Site of large swimming pool and later Amusement park including minature golf.

Vickery Feed Store, NE corner, 6918 Greenville and Park Lane. One of two known structures remaining from Old Vickery, it is now the Great Outdoors. (Highly recommend this place:Sunshine's Miniature Trees, 7118 Greenville. Located inside in the one of the last original homes remaining, Sunshine's has been in operation since 1965.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sxk122

Can't forget the Highland Park Cafeteria.

And no, the one in Casa Linda is NOT the same.... even if the recipes are supposedly the same.

---

I used to love playing on the stairs while my parents waited in a line that went out the door of the original location.

I think the food was just as good when they originally migrated to Casa Linda, but the quality was suffering pretty badly when I went a few months ago.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sxk122

Can't forget the Highland Park Cafeteria.

And no, the one in Casa Linda is NOT the same.... even if the recipes are supposedly the same.

---

The HPC in Casa Linda is about like Luby's - nothing special at all...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CosmosMpower

I think they still have them in other parts of Texas but I miss Tylers.

---

The sporting goods store?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sxk122

The sporting goods store?

---

Yep, they were the only place I knew of that didn't make you wait a week to get a tennis racquet restrung. They used to do it on the spot or within an hour.

there is one a block from me-- West Lovers lane and the Tollway; 1 block West of the tollway, between the tollway and inwood on the south side of the street. Brand new store; built it within the last 5 years.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sxk122

there is one a block from me-- West Lovers lane and the Tollway; 1 block West of the tollway, between the tollway and inwood on the south side of the street. Brand new store; built it within the last 5 years.

---

Sweet, thanks. I thought they were all gone.