Some of these stores I remember may have been just in this area so other people might not have heard of them.

Best- Retail store I guess you could say it was like a nicer K-mart, we used to shop there a lot
Fretter- Electronics/Appliances store, bought a couple TVs there
Hills- Similiar to K-mart later became Ames
May Company- Name was changed to Kaufmann's
Higbee's- Name was changed to Dillard's

Some of these stores I remember may have been just in this area so other people might not have heard of them.

Best- Retail store I guess you could say it was like a nicer K-mart, we used to shop there a lot
Fretter- Electronics/Appliances store, bought a couple TVs there
Hills- Similiar to K-mart later became Ames
May Company- Name was changed to Kaufmann's
Higbee's- Name was changed to Dillard's



I loved Hills!  It was around a lot longer than the 90's though. I remember when I was a little girl...we would go there and on the 4th of July they would set off fireworks in their parking lot...and they had hotdogs for like 25 cents....it was pretty cool.

I loved Hills!  It was around a lot longer than the 90's though. I remember when I was a little girl...we would go there and on the 4th of July they would set off fireworks in their parking lot...and they had hotdogs for like 25 cents....it was pretty cool.


Lol, Yea I thought it was around before that, I just meant it was around in the '90s and no longer exists today.  :)

Lol, Yea I thought it was around before that, I just meant it was around in the '90s and no longer exists today.  :)



yep...you are correct. I hated when they closed that store...I used to get a lot of neat things there.  They now have a Burlington Coat Factory where Hills once stood.

yep...you are correct. I hated when they closed that store...I used to get a lot of neat things there.  They now have a Burlington Coat Factory where Hills once stood.


Here Hills became Ames which also has since gone out of business. The building is now vacant.

Here Hills became Ames which also has since gone out of business. The building is now vacant.




oh ya...there are no more Ames around here either.  Most of them have been turned into other buildings...but there is this one that isn't too far from where I live...that still has it's Ames sign up...and the building is in bad, rundown condition.

Anyone remember Woolco?

http://www.geocities.com/godeltsihw/Woolco.gif

Woolco was part of Woolworth stores.  The first one opened in 1962 as a response to K-Mart.  In 1983, Woolco closed it's American operations, but the Canadian Division of Woolco lasted until 1994 when Wal-Mart bought it out.  I really miss Woolco  :\'(

I still have Christmas Items in boxes with a Woolco price tag still on them :)

http://www.streetcarmike.com/woolworth/woolco_slidell_600x498.jpg

[quote author=whis

[quote author=whis

oh ya...there are no more Ames around here either.  Most of them have been turned into other buildings...but there is this one that isn't too far from where I live...that still has it's Ames sign up...and the building is in bad, rundown condition.


I loved Ames, too.  And yeah, Quirk, I've seen several vacant, rundown ones up north with the signs still on.

I loved Ames, too.  And yeah, Quirk, I've seen several vacant, rundown ones up north with the signs still on.



I hate to see that...it's like they forgot about the building and left it to turn into shambles...it's almost sad in a way. :-\\

[quote author=whis

8)1. Handy Andy
    2. Builders Square
    3. Montgomery Ward
    4. Child World- A toy store
    5. Frank's nursery & crafts
    6. Silo - an electronics store

Montgomery Ward
Woolworth's
Service Merchandise
Best
Roses (Well, they were more common in the 90's)

The Canadian department store chain Eaton's closed in the 1990s. The company was founded in 1869, and it was an icon of society in Canada throughout the 20th century. Many Canadians can remember ordering things from the Eaton's catalogue. Unfortunately, the company went bankrupt in 1999:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eatons

8)1. Handy Andy
    2. Builders Square
    3. Montgomery Ward
    4. Child World- A toy store
    5. Frank's nursery & crafts
    6. Silo - an electronics store



Yea I remember Handy Andy and Builder Square.

The Japanese retail chain Yaohan went out of business in the 1990s. The store was founded in Japan in 1928, and went on to have outlets in several countries in Asia and even had branches on the west coast of the US and Canada. Partly because of the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the company declared bankrupcy that year.

Many people in Asia have fond memories of shopping at Yaohan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaohan

I remember a few stors around the toledo ohio area first hills I rmember we layaway our school shirst and pants for that and i miss hills and another was best I didn't go there but i saw it around 1980's handy andy;s I remember  a lot I remember the commicals for handy andy's I think it goes handy andy's where you got it made and builder's square it replaced handy andy's also and it went closed is doors!

Sun TV and Appliance is another place that I remember from the '90s that has gone out of business.

I remember McCrory's Stores (used to work at a couple of them) and Zayre's.  I grew up about 5 miles from the Athens, GA Zayre's store and I used to drive there when I first got my learner's permit.  I could take all the back roads and get there without having an adult in the car with me...he he --- shh, don't tell the cops!

May Company...as I recall, it MERGED with Robinson's and became Robinson's May... I think it was in early 1993, right around the time that Bill Clinton became President.

Others that come to mind right now: Broadway and Bullock's, both of which were bought out by Macy's.

Best was around I'm not sure how long, but I believe it closed around here (Concord, CA) in 1991 or 1992. I saved their catalog for years and just enjoyed looking through it for kicks. Best was like a nice K-Mart, but I relate it to a Service Merchandise kind of store. They sold very similiar stuff. They didn't have clothes and parishables like K-mart offered.

And, to not go off the mark here, does anyone remember their old K-marts having restaurants in the middle of the store? Ours in Antioch had a little "diner" where I use to beg my mom to take me to get grilled cheeses, lol. That was back in the mid to late 80's, though, and I think they had shut the diner down probably around 1990. Lowes Hardware now has taken over the site of that former K-Mart.

May Company...as I recall, it MERGED with Robinson's and became Robinson's May... I think it was in early 1993, right around the time that Bill Clinton became President.

Others that come to mind right now: Broadway and Bullock's, both of which were bought out by Macy's.



Yeah, our Bullocks got bought out in around 1981 or '82, I've heard. We also had a few Emporium Capwell stores lingering in the 90's, but those also got bought out in 1995, I believe. I always preferred Emporium over Macy's, ah well. Funny thing is, where the new Macy's sign is up you can still see the shadow of the Emporium sign behind it.

Yeah, our Bullocks got bought out in around 1981 or '82, I've heard. We also had a few Emporium Capwell stores lingering in the 90's, but those also got bought out in 1995, I believe. I always preferred Emporium over Macy's, ah well. Funny thing is, where the new Macy's sign is up you can still see the shadow of the Emporium sign behind it.


Really? I thought the whole corporation of Bullock's got bought out in the mid- to late 90's.


Best was around I'm not sure how long, but I believe it closed around here (Concord, CA) in 1991 or 1992. I saved their catalog for years and just enjoyed looking through it for kicks. Best was like a nice K-Mart, but I relate it to a Service Merchandise kind of store. They sold very similiar stuff. They didn't have clothes and parishables like K-mart offered.

And, to not go off the mark here, does anyone remember their old K-marts having restaurants in the middle of the store? Ours in Antioch had a little "diner" where I use to beg my mom to take me to get grilled cheeses, lol. That was back in the mid to late 80's, though, and I think they had shut the diner down probably around 1990. Lowes Hardware now has taken over the site of that former K-Mart.

Best was around for a while too. I remember the logo had each of the letters ascending in height, like this:

B E S T

As the corporation began to go downhill, I thought of it as...

W O R S T

:D

Really? I thought the whole corporation of Bullock's got bought out in the mid- to late 90's.
Best was around for a while too. I remember the logo had each of the letters ascending in height, like this:

B E S T

As the corporation began to go downhill, I thought of it as...

W O R S T

:D


Well, my boyfriend had recalled that he had went down to our Walnut Creek Bullocks right before they closed to buy himself a pair of Jordache jeans - this was circa 1981, according to him. So, maybe slowly but surely they were just shutting down. I think actually it was taken over by the Nordstrom we currently have, so I was mistaken on that. The Macy's was always there, but eventually Macy's took over both Concord and Walnut Creek Emporium Capwell stores.

Really? I thought the whole corporation of Bullock's got bought out in the mid- to late 90's.
Best was around for a while too. I remember the logo had each of the letters ascending in height, like this:

B E S T

As the corporation began to go downhill, I thought of it as...

W O R S T

:D



And yes, I remember the Best sign looking just like that - how weird! It seems like forever since I've seen that!

And yes, I remember the Best sign looking just like that - how weird! It seems like forever since I've seen that!

Prob'ly because they went out of business long ago.

The WORST, with the letters descending in height, was something I thought up. (Altho I probably am not the only one who's thought of it. It just seemed rather appropriate.) ;D

Some of these stores I remember may have been just in this area so other people might not have heard of them.

Best- Retail store I guess you could say it was like a nicer K-mart, we used to shop there a lot
Fretter- Electronics/Appliances store, bought a couple TVs there
Hills- Similiar to K-mart later became Ames
May Company- Name was changed to Kaufmann's
Higbee's- Name was changed to Dillard's


From NY:

RIP
Alexander's
Woolworths
A&S
Caldors

(sniffle) :\'(

sterns

A lot of grocery stores went out of business in the 90's as I recall (mostly by means of merging with other chains)...especially during the latter half of the decade.

Alpha Beta and Hughes (two supermarket chains) were both bought out by Ralphs, which IMO has worse quality produce and other stuff than Hughes did.
Anyone remember Lucky's? They had a "lowest prices" gimmick (but actually had some higher-priced products than in other stores). In 1999, I remember they got bought out by Albertsons.

A lot of grocery stores went out of business in the 90's as I recall (mostly by means of merging with other chains)...especially during the latter half of the decade.

Alpha Beta and Hughes (two supermarket chains) were both bought out by Ralphs, which IMO has worse quality produce and other stuff than Hughes did.
Anyone remember Lucky's? They had a "lowest prices" gimmick (but actually had some higher-priced products than in other stores). In 1999, I remember they got bought out by Albertsons.


Yeah, according to the advertisements I rememeber seeing - Albertsons merge with Lucky's was considered the wedding of the century, lol.  ::)

Yeah, according to the advertisements I rememeber seeing - Albertsons merge with Lucky's was considered the wedding of the century, lol.  ::)

Yeah, I believe it was in November of '99. ::) ::) They used paper shopping bags to represent the "guests." I thought those ads were rather tacky.

Not to drift off topic, since what I'm about to say doesn't relate to the '90s, but get ready for another round of massive retail takeover.  The company that owns Macy's has recently announced the purchase of May Department Stores, which owns stores branded Marshall Field's, Hecht's, Strawbridge's, Filene's, Kauffman's, and a bunch of other stores that I can't recall at the moment.  They're all set to be transformed into Macy's around this fall. 

Is it just me, or is the entire country (and maybe world) beginning to look the same?  Everywhere you go, you see the exact same stores and the exact same signs.  There's no variety anymore, just an endless sea of Wal-Marts similar corporate giants. 

Not to drift off topic, since what I'm about to say doesn't relate to the '90s, but get ready for another round of massive retail takeover.  The company that owns Macy's has recently announced the purchase of May Department Stores, which owns stores branded Marshall Field's, Hecht's, Strawbridge's, Filene's, Kauffman's, and a bunch of other stores that I can't recall at the moment.  They're all set to be transformed into Macy's around this fall. 

Is it just me, or is the entire country (and maybe world) beginning to look the same?  Everywhere you go, you see the exact same stores and the exact same signs.  There's no variety anymore, just an endless sea of Wal-Marts similar corporate giants. 



Its not just you. I absolutly hate Wal-Mart and other stores of there Ilk and they way they move into small towns like they did here and totaly make all the smaller stores go out of buisness. I used to love going to K-Mart but Wal-Mart came here and within a year K-Mart was out of buisness. It sickens me >:(

I loved Ames, too.  And yeah, Quirk, I've seen several vacant, rundown ones up north with the signs still on.


I lived right by an Ames when I was a kid in Queensbury, N.Y. Eventually it shut down for a while and the whole place was replaced by a Wal-Mart the year we moved to Florida. I used to go there all the time to buy sodas and quarter-machine toys with these slugs that my friend and I found. We found a wooden box full of slugs (fake quarters) somewhere in the woods, just out of nowhere.

I remember one time my grandma was staying with us for a couple weeks, and she asked why I wasn't riding my bike, and I told her it was because I had outgrown that bike and it was too small. So I went to school that day, and when I got home my step-mom met me at the bus stop which was right next to the Ames, and we went into Ames and my step-mom said that my grandma was buying me a bike, and I picked one out. Awesome day.

Another place I remember is called H & S Salt Fish & Chips. I think that was the name of it.

Another place I remember is called H & S Salt Fish & Chips. I think that was the name of it.

I don't think I've ever heard of that one. :-\\

you Guys forgot about Caldor lol this was the chain i went to it was the only discount store that sold nice things it was more liek target in a way look wise and what they sold they closed down for good in 1999

you Guys forgot about Caldor lol this was the chain i went to it was the only discount store that sold nice things it was more liek target in a way look wise and what they sold they closed down for good in 1999

Never heard of them...probably because they may not have existed in the L.A. area. :-\\

World 4 Kids was a big chain toy store that was flurishing all around Australia & then suddenly around 95 they disappeared (or so it seems cause i only came to the realisation quite suddenly one day around that time).
Their stores were massive, they were more like a toy supermarket.
I still remember they had SNES & even still had NES demos set up with a some new game usually & you could just go in & play. I still remember when they had a Super Mario Allstars demo set up. Boy the time sure does fly by. 

there was also caldor witch went out in 1999 hears a pic

It`s not just you. I absolutly hate Wal-Mart and other stores of there Ilk and they way they move into small towns like they did here and totaly make all the smaller stores go out of buisness. I used to love going to K-Mart but Wal-Mart came here and within a year K-Mart was out of buisness. It sickens me >:(

I am not the least bit fond of Walmart either. However I think there might still be some K-Marts in California. I seem to remember a few years back that they changed their name to "Big K-Mart"...what was up with that?? As opposed to "Little K-Mart"?? Was that some sort of gimmick to make people think they've upgraded from what they used to be? ::) ::)

How about Woolworth's? I'd go there a lot back in the '90s. But the one in my town was demolished in the late '90s and there is currently a Belk there.

A lot of grocery stores went out of business in the 90's as I recall (mostly by means of merging with other chains)...especially during the latter half of the decade.

Alpha Beta and Hughes (two supermarket chains) were both bought out by Ralphs, which IMO has worse quality produce and other stuff than Hughes did.
Anyone remember Lucky's? They had a "lowest prices" gimmick (but actually had some higher-priced products than in other stores). In 1999, I remember they got bought out by Albertsons.


Growing up in the Arizona before moving to Michigan in 86, I have fond memories of both our local Lucky's and Alpha Beta. Also included:

Lucky's
Alpha Beta
AJ Balas
Angel's (A pre Lowes)
Yellow Front (An updated 80's Variety Store)

One that closed a couple years ago locally was Eagles, which closed down because it was the only grocery store here that was unionized. They tried a major expansion during the early 90's but went bankrupt about a decade later. Most of them were split between Jewel, Sullivan's and some other chains.

I am not the least bit fond of Walmart either. However I think there might still be some K-Marts in California. I seem to remember a few years back that they changed their name to "Big K-Mart"...what was up with that?? As opposed to "Little K-Mart"?? Was that some sort of gimmick to make people think they've upgraded from what they used to be? ::) ::)



Yeah, I think the "Big-K" thing was a response to there sagging sales. They had to try to compete someway with Wal-Mart "Supercenters". It was a gimmick and nothing more.