Top 75 Stores That Don't Exist Anymore

WatchMojo

Remember when malls were the place to be? Join us as we reminisce about the retail giants that once dominated American shopping. From entertainment superstores to fashion boutiques, these chains shaped our consumer culture before disappearing forever. Which shopping destinations do you miss browsing through on weekends? The retail landscape has changed dramatically!

Transcript

00:00:00Yeah, I don't know where I'm going to get my pieces and parts I need.

00:00:02No Radio Shack, no fries.

00:00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for once-popular stores that no longer exist in the U.S.,

00:00:11ranked by scale, history, and brand recognition.

00:00:14The biggest hits are here, now, guaranteed, at Movie Gallery.

00:00:19Number 75, Media Play.

00:00:22There's great stuff in this place. I can stay here all day!

00:00:25With book, movie, music, and video game sections, Media Play was a well-rounded entertainment chain,

00:00:30with a selection that once seemed super wide.

00:00:33Founded by Music Land, Media Play stores first started popping up in 1992.

00:00:37Expansion throughout the 90s brought the peak total location count to 72 in 19 different states.

00:00:43The whole family can come in, dad can go to either books or music,

00:00:48the kids can come over to the toy department, and mom can go to books or movies.

00:00:52But competition only stiffened as the end of the millennium approached, namely from Amazon.

00:00:58Being able to keep up with inventory proved too steep a hill to climb.

00:01:01Places like Best Buy and Walmart didn't help either.

00:01:04Increased advertising and promos weren't enough to save Media Play, and by the mid-2000s, it was toast.

00:01:10Thank you! I wanted this!

00:01:12I really wanted it!

00:01:13Media Play. More choice, less price. Guaranteed.

00:01:17Number 74, Deb Shops.

00:01:19Founded in 1932 as Joy Hosiery, this company went on to experience many years of success,

00:01:31with notable changes along the way.

00:01:33In the 1970s, following a previous decade of expansion,

00:01:37and an increased selection available in their stores, the name was changed to Deb Shops.

00:01:41The dress actually looks really rich, and it's such an affordable price point.

00:01:46It's $110 at Deb Shop.

00:01:47There, you could buy women's and girls' clothing and accessories.

00:01:51A lot of people did just that.

00:01:52At its highest point, there were 337 stores in 47 states, many of which could be found at shopping malls.

00:01:59But after the parent company filed for bankruptcy in 2011, and then again in 2014,

00:02:03all Deb Shops were shut down.

00:02:05Number 73, Lerner Shops.

00:02:071918 was not only the birth year of renowned lyricist Alan J. Lerner,

00:02:11it was also the year Lerner Shops was born.

00:02:13Founded by Harold Lane and three Lerner brothers, including Alan's father.

00:02:17The first store opened in New York City, and by 1920, there were over 20 locations.

00:02:22The business only grew from there, reaching nearly 200 stores nationwide by 1950.

00:02:27In the 1960s, Lerner was the largest chain of women's and children's apparel shops in the United States.

00:02:32In the 80s, business kept booming, with over 700 stores across the country.

00:02:36But after ownership changes and rebranding in the 90s and 2000s, the stores faded away.

00:02:42It became New York & Company, now an online-only retailer, no longer carrying the Lerner name.

00:02:47Number 72, Gottshocks.

00:02:49It's the last big department store that, it's one of the first ones that Santa Cruz had,

00:02:54and it's an important one, it's the good place for us to shop.

00:02:58Once the largest independently-owned, publicly-traded department store chain in the U.S.,

00:03:03Gottshocks got its start in California in 1904.

00:03:05The company limited competition, and cut real estate costs by setting up shop in smaller cities across six western states.

00:03:12That strategy fueled its sustained success for decades.

00:03:15In 1986, Gottshocks went public on the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbol GOT, marking a new chapter in its history.

00:03:23It happens only once a year. Extra savings during Big G days at Gottshocks.

00:03:28Save 30% on two-piece soft dressing from Coret for Mrs. Empatice.

00:03:32The 2000s were when things really got tough.

00:03:34As sales declined and locations closed, the writing was on the wall.

00:03:38Gottshocks was delisted from the NYSC in 2008.

00:03:41Once the company filed for bankruptcy the following year, that was all she wrote.

00:03:45Don't miss these savings. The fall sale at Gottshocks.

00:03:49Number 71, Child World slash Children's Palace.

00:03:52Know why I skate through Child World?

00:03:55Because there's so much to see.

00:03:56What a selection.

00:03:57Looking for fun gifts for children?

00:03:59I mean children of all ages?

00:04:01You'll find what you're looking for at Child World.

00:04:03A toy store that looks like a castle.

00:04:05What's not to love?

00:04:06After Child World bought Children's Palace from Kobacher's stores in 1975, the castle design became a major part of the company's identity.

00:04:13Technically, Child World was selling toys well before then.

00:04:16It was founded in 1962.

00:04:18After Cole National Corporation's purchase of the chain in 1981, things started to go downhill.

00:04:23So play the game you'll always win. Come to Child World.

00:04:27Cash shortages, empty shelves, a lawsuit, and fierce competition from Toys R Us were all signs of a downfall.

00:04:33And by 1992, the chain that once had over 180 locations was down to zero.

00:04:38It was an unmistakable experience because Child World, the Children's Palace, literally looked like a palace.

00:04:45It looked like a castle.

00:04:47Number 70, Casual Corner.

00:04:49You've got that fabulous flair. You've got it all at Casual Corner.

00:04:56This women's clothing store may have opened on April Fool's Day in 1950, but it certainly turned out to be no joke.

00:05:01In the decades that followed, Casual Corner stores began popping up well beyond its original Connecticut home.

00:05:07The shop initially focused on women's sportswear, but as the company expanded, the merchandise shifted too.

00:05:12Still, the focus always stayed on women's apparel in one way or another.

00:05:16By 2000, there were over 500 Casual Corner stores in operation.

00:05:20But just five years later, 55 years after its start, the company closed its doors after being sold to a liquidator.

00:05:27Number 69, Hechinger.

00:05:29I got this $55 drill for $32. They say it's right. I say it's the fluke.

00:05:35In 1919, Sidney L. Hechinger opened a hardware store in southwest Washington, D.C.

00:05:40During the 1920s, he focused exclusively on retail customers, rather than selling to contractors and builders.

00:05:46He was doing this before it was even known as the home improvement industry.

00:05:50After being passed down through generations, Hechinger was a 69-store chain in 1987.

00:05:55And before the turn of the century, the number was well over 100, with the company operating in 21 states.

00:06:00But Home Depot and Lowe's proved to be insurmountable challengers.

00:06:04By the end of 1999, if you needed to buy a tool or lumber, for example, Hechinger was no longer a place you could go.

00:06:10The Lowe's price keeps you coming back.

00:06:13Number 68, Camelot Music.

00:06:16Cassettes.

00:06:18Laser video discs.

00:06:21Movies.

00:06:21Operating under both the Camelot Music and The Wall names, these mall-based stores carried vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs, and more.

00:06:30By the late 90s, you could find them in 37 states.

00:06:34Camelot Music stores mainly operated in the Midwest and Southeast, while The Wall was more common in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

00:06:40In 1998, there were 305 Camelot Music locations and 150 The Wall stores.

00:06:46Since both were run by the same company, Camelot Music, and it had the wider reach, that's the name that earns the spot on our list.

00:06:52Later that year, Transworld Entertainment bought it out, and that was that.

00:06:57Number 67, Merry-Go-Round.

00:07:04Knowing how to take advantage of fashion fads can result in meaningful financial gain for a clothing company.

00:07:09And that was the case for Merry-Go-Round, a company founded in Maryland that existed from 1968 to 1996.

00:07:16What started off as a boutique selling blue jeans became a major apparel chain, with a whole lot more clothing options to offer.

00:07:22Some might remember their catchy 80s commercial remixing the hit rock anthem, Come On, Feel The Noise.

00:07:28During the 90s, Merry-Go-Round had over 500 locations, mainly in malls.

00:07:32But after declaring bankruptcy in 1994, it was unable to turn things around.

00:07:36Number 66, Caldor.

00:07:38We're everything you're looking for, we're your Caldor.

00:07:43In 1951, Carl and Dorothy Bennett had a business idea.

00:07:47Open a discount department store that was different from what people were used to.

00:07:51They would call it Caldor, a blend of their names.

00:07:53They focused on offering high-quality items for much less than the manufacturers suggested list prices.

00:07:58They also emphasized well-informed salespeople and a customer-friendly refund policy.

00:08:03Clearly, the model worked.

00:08:04Caldor became a hit, growing to 100 stores by the time of Carl Bennett's retirement announcement in 1984.

00:08:10In the decade that followed, Caldor became the fifth-largest discount chain in the U.S.

00:08:14But what some called the Bloomingdales of discounting didn't make it to the year 2000.

00:08:18It's a bad thing because they've shown some real justification to making a real prominent factor in this community.

00:08:25It's important that this community develop something.

00:08:29Number 65, Tom McCann.

00:08:31While this shoe brand remained purchasable at multiple retailers in the 2000s,

00:08:43Tom McCann also had its own stores for decades beforehand.

00:08:47The brand's history dates back to 1922,

00:08:50making it one of the most historic, successful shoe retailers in U.S. history.

00:08:54Before 1940 came, there were already 650-plus Tom McCann stores.

00:08:58You can sail to every foreign port, but you'll never, never find a better pair of leather shoes for the money.

00:09:07From the end of the 60s into the 80s, parent company Melville was the largest footwear retailer in the U.S.

00:09:13But the 80s was also when it started to phase out its Tom McCann outlets.

00:09:17That continued into the 90s, and by 1996, they were all gone.

00:09:20So why watch shoe prices go up when it's just as easy to watch them come down?

00:09:25Men's and boys' casuals on sale at Tom McCann.

00:09:28Number 64, Bradley's.

00:09:30Difference?

00:09:31Could you explain that?

00:09:32I certainly could, but just take a look.

00:09:34And the difference?

00:09:35How about a statement?

00:09:36I'd love to state Bradley's has the best selection quality and name brand.

00:09:40With over 100 stores in seven northeastern states during the 90s,

00:09:43Bradley's was once a thriving discount department store with a wide selection.

00:09:48Furniture, clothing, jewelry, electronics, bedding, a Costco-like snack stand.

00:09:53You name it, it had it all.

00:09:54For most of its history, Bradley's was owned by supermarket chain Stop and Shop,

00:09:58so you'd often see both in the same shopping plazas.

00:10:01I'll need 5,000 more Mrs. Pyle Rove.

00:10:04They're just $23.99 at Bradley's Big Sale Friday and Saturday.

00:10:07Some of them even operated under the same roof prior to 1982.

00:10:11Talk about convenient.

00:10:11Unfortunately, Bradley's couldn't recover from two down years in the 90s.

00:10:16Some locations survived a little longer, but in 2001, it was all over.

00:10:20When you walk into the store, the merchandise hits you right in the eye.

00:10:25It's so beautiful.

00:10:27It's a nice place to shop.

00:10:28Number 63, Zare.

00:10:30Take another look at Zare.

00:10:32Super savings everywhere.

00:10:34Take another look, take another look, take another look at Zare.

00:10:38While its legacy has been carried on through the TJX companies,

00:10:41Zare is a thing of the past.

00:10:43The former discount store chain was around from 1956 to 1990.

00:10:47Ames Department Stores actually bought it in 1988,

00:10:50but kept the Zare name alive in some locations.

00:10:53Not for long, though.

00:10:54Zare once had a strong presence across the eastern United States.

00:10:57You can save in hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of ways.

00:11:01At our 300 bestsellers sale.

00:11:03We've taken 300 of the most popular items we carry.

00:11:06300 of the things you want most.

00:11:08Back in 1966, there were 92 stores.

00:11:11By the time of its sale in 1988, the number had ballooned to 392.

00:11:16Had Zare's attempt to purchase Marshalls in the 70s been successful,

00:11:19maybe things would have played out differently.

00:11:20We'd like to make Zare your store.

00:11:23You're all up, right?

00:11:25Ta-da!

00:11:26We'd like to make Zare your store.

00:11:27I just made Zare my store.

00:11:29Number 62, Levitt's Furniture.

00:11:32Levitt's must make room for new fall purchases,

00:11:34so they put hundreds of items on sale at terrific price reductions.

00:11:38Dating all the way back to 1910,

00:11:40Levitt's Furniture came oh so close to reaching the century mark of being in business.

00:11:45Its expansion didn't actually come until the 1960s,

00:11:48when founder Richard Levitt's sons were at the helm.

00:11:51The company spread across the U.S.,

00:11:53eventually becoming the nation's top independent furniture retailer.

00:11:56Every little girl will love this twin-sized sleigh bed at $188 or poster bed.

00:12:01She'll put her treasures in this four-drawer chest,

00:12:03do homework at the student desk, and love this single dresser.

00:12:06Your choice at the low $188.

00:12:09As recently as the 90s,

00:12:10the company held 67 warehouse showrooms and 51 satellite stores in 25 states.

00:12:16That decade is when the downfall began.

00:12:18Poor management, changing consumer habits,

00:12:20and the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis proved too much to overcome.

00:12:25By 2008, Levitt's Furniture was no more.

00:12:27You'll love it at Levitt's.

00:12:30Number 61, Service Merchandise.

00:12:33Oster's 4-in-1 Kitchen Center.

00:12:35And food processor attachment.

00:12:38Get it now.

00:12:39Get it at Service.

00:12:41Getting its start as a five-and-dime store in 1934,

00:12:44Service Merchandise experienced a major shift in 1960.

00:12:47That's when it became a catalog showroom retailer.

00:12:50During the 70s and 80s,

00:12:52it was one of the leaders in that category,

00:12:54as it expanded across the nation.

00:12:55At Service Merchandise,

00:12:57you could find jewelry,

00:12:58toys,

00:12:58sporting goods,

00:12:59and electronics.

00:13:00But rising competition from growing chains in the 80s and 90s

00:13:03ended up being too much.

00:13:05Quality, selection, and value

00:13:06are how we prove a commitment of service to our customers.

00:13:09A refocus on jewelry,

00:13:11gifts,

00:13:12and home decor products

00:13:13didn't turn the tide,

00:13:14nor did the company's experimentation of drive-through windows.

00:13:17In 1999,

00:13:18Service Merchandise filed for bankruptcy,

00:13:20and in 2002,

00:13:21it was officially out of service.

00:13:23The feeling says love.

00:13:26Created with fine jewelry

00:13:27from Service Merchandise,

00:13:29America's leading jeweler.

00:13:30Number 60,

00:13:32W.T. Grant.

00:13:33The days of 25-cent stores are way behind us.

00:13:36That's the kind of store W.T. Grant was all the way back in 1906.

00:13:39It then grew into a massive mass merchandising chain,

00:13:43with many of its stores setting up shop in downtowns across the country.

00:13:46Fast forward to the 1970s,

00:13:48and the number of Grant's locations grew to nearly 1,200.

00:13:52But the company's faulty store credit policy

00:13:54and inability to secure desirable locations over competitors

00:13:57ended up being major issues.

00:13:59In 1976,

00:14:01W.T. Grant declared bankruptcy,

00:14:02and that was that.

00:14:03The 70-year run was over.

00:14:06Number 59,

00:14:07Hex.

00:14:07Don't miss 50-60% savings on fall's first clearance.

00:14:11Plus, save even more when you use your entire purchase bonus coupons,

00:14:14and when you earn $10 reward cards with every $50 sale or clearance purchase.

00:14:18Born in Germany in 1830,

00:14:20Sam Heck Jr. moved with his family to the United States in 1847.

00:14:24In 1857,

00:14:25he opened a used furniture store in Baltimore.

00:14:27It was a family business with humble beginnings

00:14:29that later grew into a department store chain in the mid-Atlantic and southern United States.

00:14:34Its Washington, D.C. store was the first in the area to offer national brands.

00:14:38Get a head start on all your holiday gift shopping with spectacular savings of up to 50%.

00:14:43Save on coats, sweaters, dresses, and sportswear for misses, petites, and women.

00:14:47The Hex business stayed in the family after Sam's passing in 1907,

00:14:51with his sons and then grandsons carrying on the legacy.

00:14:54Expansion took place in the 1950s through 1970s,

00:14:57and the chain stuck around until 2006,

00:15:00when it was absorbed by Macy's.

00:15:02Share the bandit.

00:15:04It's your name number five.

00:15:06That Hex.

00:15:07Number 58,

00:15:08Eckerd.

00:15:08I like Eckerd.

00:15:09This town and the people.

00:15:11Manny,

00:15:11is my prescription ready yet?

00:15:13Coming right up,

00:15:14even the ones who didn't vote for me.

00:15:16Once the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States,

00:15:19Eckerd used to be the go-to drugstore for countless people.

00:15:22It used to have over 2,800 stores across 23 states.

00:15:26Its history dates back to 1898,

00:15:28when the company was founded in Erie, Pennsylvania.

00:15:31After founders Joseph Milton Eckerd and Z. Tato moved to Wilmington, Delaware in the 1910s,

00:15:36they started to expand their business to other states,

00:15:38and things took off.

00:15:39Fast forward all the way to the 1970s and 80s,

00:15:42and that's when Eckerd was thriving most in terms of its national presence.

00:15:45It takes a special kind of person to be an Eckerd pharmacist.

00:15:49See you, Roy.

00:15:51Bye now.

00:15:52Eckerd.

00:15:52In 1996,

00:15:54J.C. Penney took over.

00:15:55CVS and John Kutu Group then bought Eckerd in 2004,

00:15:59and three years later,

00:16:00all remaining Eckerd stores became Rite Aid.

00:16:02Working at Eckerd,

00:16:03I get a chance to help a lot of people every day,

00:16:07but it isn't every day you get a chance,

00:16:09you know,

00:16:09to help change someone's life.

00:16:11Number 57,

00:16:12Marshall Fields.

00:16:13Marshall Fields Field Day sale for the whole family.

00:16:18Huge savings in every department.

00:16:21Nearly 100 years before Macy's acquired Marshall Fields in 2005,

00:16:25Marshall Fields' flagship store in Chicago was the largest department store in the world.

00:16:30Nowadays, it's listed as a National Historic Landmark,

00:16:33but Marshall Fields also made its presence felt elsewhere.

00:16:36Over the years,

00:16:37it expanded across the Midwest,

00:16:39and even into the Pacific Northwest.

00:16:40All its stores may have been shut down by 2006,

00:16:43but Marshall Fields' history of firsts can never be taken away.

00:16:47Whether it was creating the first bridal registry,

00:16:49introducing the concept of the personal shopper,

00:16:52or becoming the first department store in the U.S. to use escalators,

00:16:55Marshall Fields was a true pioneer.

00:16:57Now's the time to shop and save during the fabulous Sony sale at Marshall Fields.

00:17:03Number 56,

00:17:04A.C. Moore.

00:17:05It has everything for every holiday,

00:17:07St. Patrick's Day,

00:17:08for Columbus Day,

00:17:10for Christmas,

00:17:12New Year's,

00:17:12Thanksgiving.

00:17:13This arts and crafts retail chain was founded in New Jersey in 1985.

00:17:18In the years that followed,

00:17:19A.C. Moore expanded to eight other northeastern states as well,

00:17:22becoming a favorite for many arts and crafts connoisseurs in the region.

00:17:26Along with having a wide selection,

00:17:27its discounts and comparatively low prices were a major pull for many.

00:17:31Create more.

00:17:32Share more.

00:17:33Save more.

00:17:35A.C. Moore.

00:17:35In late 2019,

00:17:37Michaels bought A.C. Moore's leases and distribution center,

00:17:40strengthening its already firm hold on the arts and crafts industry.

00:17:43At the time of the chain's closure announcement,

00:17:45it had 145 locations.

00:17:47Park is skeptical the Birchwood location will turn into Michaels.

00:17:50I don't think that they would do that here,

00:17:52because Michaels is just down the street.

00:17:54Number 55,

00:17:56H.H. Gregg.

00:17:56Hey, what's that, H.H.?

00:17:58My ticket to must-see 3D at H.H. Gregg.

00:18:00Then you gotta see the Panasonic Vieira 3D TV.

00:18:04Whoa!

00:18:05While it still survives as an online retailer,

00:18:07H.H. Gregg used to exist in physical form

00:18:09as an electronics and home appliance destination in 21 different states.

00:18:13Founded by Henry Herold and Fancy Gregg in 1955,

00:18:17H.H. Gregg got its start as a small local Indiana store.

00:18:20It wasn't until the late 2000s and early 2010s

00:18:23when the company experienced significant expansion,

00:18:25becoming a proper multi-regional chain.

00:18:28But soon after, things fell apart.

00:18:30In a statement, H.H. Gregg's CEO, Bob Reisbeck, says,

00:18:33We have continued to fight for the future of our company.

00:18:36In March 2017, H.H. Gregg declared bankruptcy.

00:18:39The following month, the company announced the closures of all remaining 220 stores.

00:18:44We spotted a table for $29, a random mattress at 70% off,

00:18:50though hope you don't need the box spring.

00:18:51Number 54,

00:18:53The Bontan.

00:18:54Meredith Evans came shopping with her mother, Marilyn,

00:18:56and while happy to find a bargain.

00:18:58I think it's really sad.

00:19:00I'm very sad.

00:19:01I love the Bontan.

00:19:02Sad also for employees,

00:19:04including some who worked here almost all of their professional lives.

00:19:08Before its store closures began,

00:19:09the Bontan had 260 stores in 24 states.

00:19:13The department store chain was most prevalent in the Northeast.

00:19:16The history of the company goes back to 1898,

00:19:18when a father and son opened up a millinery and dry goods store in York, Pennsylvania.

00:19:23After adding a few locations elsewhere in the state and in New Jersey in the early 1900s,

00:19:28the company roared through the roaring 20s and onward.

00:19:31For everything you need, try the Bontan anniversary sale.

00:19:35Starts Thursday.

00:19:36Your fashion store.

00:19:38Fast forward to the 21st century,

00:19:40and the Bontan stores were popping up in the Midwest.

00:19:42Today, it still exists as an e-commerce retailer,

00:19:45but the physical stores are no more.

00:19:47Some retail experts say losing Bontan could cripple the McKinley Mall in Blaisdell.

00:19:52This map of the mall tells the story.

00:19:54McKinley lost Macy's and Macy's Furniture Gallery last year.

00:19:58Number 53, Montgomery Ward.

00:20:00Hey, Jeff.

00:20:01Andy, have you and Karen caught another shoplifter?

00:20:07You know, Jeff, shoplifters cost Montgomery Ward millions of dollars each year.

00:20:11Yeah, yeah, but...

00:20:12Yeah.

00:20:13Over 50 years after starting off as a catalog mail order business,

00:20:17Montgomery Ward opened its first retail outlet store in Indiana.

00:20:20That happened in 1926.

00:20:22Just three years later, the company had expanded to 531 stores.

00:20:27How quickly things can change.

00:20:28Wards carries a cutting-edge selection of electronics that let you see it,

00:20:32hear it, record it, play it, and play with it.

00:20:36All the brands to make it happen are here.

00:20:39Monkey Ward's, as some people called it,

00:20:41continued to thrive as a department store chain for decades,

00:20:44despite a few bumps along the way.

00:20:45But as the 20th century came to an end,

00:20:47it was time for the curtain call.

00:20:49A company restructuring, which included rebranding to the name Wards,

00:20:52was not enough.

00:20:53And on December 28, 2000,

00:20:55we got word that the remaining 250 retail outlets would close.

00:21:00Montgomery Ward lowest prices of the season sale,

00:21:02plus instant discounts.

00:21:03Whatever it takes, Montgomery Ward.

00:21:07Number 52, Joanne.

00:21:09I'm sad to see them go,

00:21:10because they did serve a population that we just don't have the ability to serve.

00:21:16This place was arts and crafts galore,

00:21:19particularly when it came to everything fabrics, sewing, and knitting.

00:21:23Joanne was the place to go in the U.S.

00:21:25At the time of its second bankruptcy declaration in less than a year,

00:21:28coming in January 2025,

00:21:30Joanne was operating about 800 stores in all but one state.

00:21:34It was clear it was hanging on by a thread,

00:21:36and by the end of May 2025,

00:21:37all remaining locations were shut down.

00:21:40Michaels acquired the company's intellectual property and private labels,

00:21:43and while it added Joanne products to its inventory,

00:21:45many fabric fanatics and designers miss how things used to be.

00:21:49It was just two weeks ago the popular fabrics and craft retailer

00:21:52announced its plan to close 500 stores across the country,

00:21:5633 of them in Michigan.

00:21:58But now the company announcing every store is closing

00:22:01as they're going out of business.

00:22:03Number 51, Forever 21.

00:22:05I mostly like their style and that their clothes were affordable.

00:22:08But affordability wasn't enough to keep the retailer competitive

00:22:11amidst online market pressures.

00:22:14Nothing lasts forever, not even Forever 21.

00:22:17The fashion retailer mainly targeted teenage girls and young women.

00:22:20At its peak, Forever 21 had 800 stores globally.

00:22:24But in 2018, it began downsizing due to things like tough competition,

00:22:28the growth of e-commerce, expensive retail locations,

00:22:31and labor practice controversies.

00:22:33I mean, fast fashion is always going to fail.

00:22:35I think it's high time that businesses and fashion brands

00:22:40are held accountable for their impact on the environment.

00:22:44Still, after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2019,

00:22:47it stuck around to a degree,

00:22:48despite shutting down locations across Europe and Asia.

00:22:51It remained a popular fashion store in many U.S. malls,

00:22:54but after filing for bankruptcy again in 2025,

00:22:57it was announced that the remaining 354 U.S. stores

00:23:00will be closed for good.

00:23:02While Forever 21 survives in a few other countries,

00:23:04its days in the nation it was founded are numbered.

00:23:07They would carry very trendy styles,

00:23:10styles that, you know, you would see in designer clothing stores

00:23:14that were priced much higher.

00:23:16So this allowed a very fashion-conscious consumer

00:23:19to buy these types of apparel.

00:23:22Number 50, Rexall.

00:23:23These stores began with a revolutionary concept for 1903.

00:23:27Independent pharmacists could use their collective market strength

00:23:30to purchase supplies and resell them under a single store name.

00:23:33The modernization of the 20th century made it easier

00:23:36to deliver health and wellness products

00:23:38to more North Americans than ever before.

00:23:40A half-century later,

00:23:41Rexall was a household name with thousands of locations.

00:23:45The model was great,

00:23:46but ultimately proved to be no match for huge chain pharmacy companies.

00:23:50Rexall's stores either closed up shop

00:23:51or rebranded almost overnight.

00:23:53Today, Rexall is a moderately sized Canadian pharmacy chain.

00:23:57Number 49, Esprit.

00:24:00Susie and Doug Tompkins were just two young San Francisco hippies

00:24:03hawking simple, stylish clothes out of the back of their WV van.

00:24:07Their environmentally-conscious brand struck a chord in 1968.

00:24:1020 years later, Esprit had become a global fashion powerhouse

00:24:14known for its flashy ads and its social responsibility.

00:24:17You can't really expect blacks to relate to and use a white history

00:24:22because it is a white history.

00:24:25Esprit grew into a worldwide brand

00:24:26thanks to the explosion of mall culture.

00:24:28Just as video killed the radio star,

00:24:30the 90s and 2000s killed the mall.

00:24:33Sales fell through the floor and stores went dark.

00:24:35Today, Esprit is a small chain

00:24:37operating thanks to international markets and online sales.

00:24:40The brand is actually still around.

00:24:42It's been around since 1968.

00:24:44What happened is that it left the North American market

00:24:46about 25 years ago

00:24:47and it kind of re-entered,

00:24:49but really it turned into a European brand

00:24:51over the last 20 years.

00:24:53Number 48, TG&Y.

00:24:55Tomlinson, Goslin, and Young were three Oklahoma boys

00:24:58with bright dreams when they founded TG&Y in 1935.

00:25:01The brand sold itself to small-town America

00:25:03by marketing their budget-friendly merchandise.

00:25:05To our 84-page holiday shopper's guide

00:25:08for the lowest prices of the season.

00:25:10It spent years as a royal American staple,

00:25:12soon growing through bigger towns and suburbs.

00:25:15There were once more than 900 TG&Ys across the United States.

00:25:19That all came to an end in the 1980s.

00:25:21Their 1986 acquisition didn't help matters.

00:25:24TG&Y ultimately shuttered its doors one by one

00:25:26until their brand faded into retail history.

00:25:29This came to us as a shock

00:25:31because we didn't think we were going to close.

00:25:33Number 47, Gimbels.

00:25:35Adam Gimbel was a mild-mannered resident of Vincennes, Indiana,

00:25:39who decided to open a modest dry goods store in 1842.

00:25:42The store grew, converting into a Milwaukee department store in 1887.

00:25:46My dad's smart.

00:25:47He got it at Gimbel's for $6.99.

00:25:49That's half price.

00:25:51I love my dad.

00:25:52And my dad loves Gimbel's.

00:25:54They opened a Philadelphia location seven years later.

00:25:57The store became a Philly staple,

00:25:59founding the Gimbel's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

00:26:00Gimbel's only grew from there,

00:26:02and by 1930, it was the biggest department store chain on Earth.

00:26:06It was even the setting for the movie Miracle on 34th Street.

00:26:09You see?

00:26:10I told you he'd get me one.

00:26:12In 1973, a megacorporation gobbled Gimbel's up

00:26:15and closed all of its stores by 1986.

00:26:18Their iconic locations became prime real estate for other department stores.

00:26:21Number 46, Kinney's Shoes.

00:26:24The small upstate town of Waverly, New York,

00:26:27was the site of the first Kinney's Shoes back in 1894.

00:26:30Named after its founders,

00:26:32Kinney's Shoes was a go-to spot for relatively inexpensive quality shoes.

00:26:36Kinney, we only sell the right shoes.

00:26:39The concept was a hit,

00:26:41expanding across America to become a well-known supplier of footwear.

00:26:44Known for its wide selection and competitive prices,

00:26:47Kinney's Shoes thrived throughout the 20th century.

00:26:49Its sub-brand, Foot Locker, was born in 1974.

00:26:53Though popular, the company that acquired Kinney decided to shutter all the stores by 1998,

00:26:58moving forward with the Foot Locker as a new, spin-off company.

00:27:01Find the right shoe for you.

00:27:02We're America's most complete athletic footwear store.

00:27:06Number 45, Mervyn's.

00:27:08Mervyn G. Morris was the entrepreneur who, in 1949,

00:27:11founded Mervyn's in San Lorenzo, California.

00:27:14He hopped on the post-war department store gravy train,

00:27:17offering affordable, quality merchandise.

00:27:19Open, open.

00:27:22Hi.

00:27:31No!

00:27:33By targeting middle-class families,

00:27:34Mervyn's expanded like wildfire across the American West.

00:27:38Unfortunately, big box retailers proved to be Mervyn's big bad wolf.

00:27:42Coupled with ownership changes and strategic missteps,

00:27:44the brand started to falter.

00:27:46Their lack of diversity meant it was ultimately impossible to compete with their competitors.

00:27:50In 2008, Mervyn's filed for bankruptcy and closed all its stores,

00:27:54marking the end of a once-prominent retail chain.

00:27:57A hundred and forty-nine stores are being liquidated.

00:28:00Yes, the retailer had been in decline, but its death was anything but certain.

00:28:04Number 44, Delia's.

00:28:06The year 1990 represented the apex of mall culture in America.

00:28:10A few years later, Stephen Kahn and Christopher Edgar saw a way around the mall,

00:28:15direct-to-consumer marketing.

00:28:17Delia's marketed to teenage girls with its quirky mail-order catalogs.

00:28:20The catalogs themselves grew into a cultural touchstone for a subset of American teens.

00:28:25Their eyes on the future, Delia's was also an early adopter of e-commerce,

00:28:29acquiring Girl.com in 1997.

00:28:31In this case, they were too early and got swallowed up in the dot-com burst of 2000.

00:28:36They limped on until 2014, as an acquired brand,

00:28:39at which time the company filed for bankruptcy.

00:28:41Four years later, online fashion store Dolls Kill licensed Delia's as a new sub-brand.

00:28:46Number 43, The Disney Store.

00:28:48In 1987, Disney realized it was late to the mall culture game.

00:28:53Aimed at capitalizing on the beloved Disney brand,

00:28:55the Disney Store became a destination for exclusive products.

00:28:58The concept thrived, leading to a rapid expansion across the U.S. and internationally,

00:29:03with over 700 stores worldwide.

00:29:05The rising popularity of Disney animated films provided a constant churn of new properties to

00:29:09exploit.

00:29:10Unfortunately, like many mall-based stores, online shopping killed their brick-and-mortar business.

00:29:16Despite efforts to innovate and revamp the in-store experience,

00:29:19Disney announced the closure of most physical locations in 2021.

00:29:22Disney now sells its branded products online and through bigger retailers like Target.

00:29:26Number 42, Dress Barn.

00:29:29Rosalind Jaffe was a trailblazer for women in business.

00:29:32In just a few years, she went from living in a one-bedroom Manhattan apartment with three

00:29:36roommates to owning a company.

00:29:38I am digging this style.

00:29:40Jaffe went to Stamford, Connecticut in 1962 to start Dress Barn, a women's discount fashion

00:29:45retailer.

00:29:46Dress Barn expanded rapidly, nearly reaching 800 stores nationwide.

00:29:51It focused on customer service and understanding the needs of middle-class women.

00:29:54With the rise of e-commerce and changing consumer preferences, the business struggled to adapt

00:29:59to the shifting landscape.

00:30:00Online retailers and fast fashion brands eventually eroded its market share.

00:30:04Despite efforts to modernize, Dress Barn's parent company announced its closure in 2019.

00:30:09Dress Barn is closing its 650 stores nationwide.

00:30:13The women's fashion store, which has a location in Pismo Beach, says it will eventually close

00:30:18all of its stores, but did not give an exact timeline.

00:30:21A year later, it found new life as an online-only retailer.

00:30:25Number 41, 99 cents only stores.

00:30:28This ultra-low-cost retailer was founded in 1982 by Dave Gold in Los Angeles, California.

00:30:34Gold believed in a somewhat unique vision of a store.

00:30:37He would offer high-quality items at a low fixed price.

00:30:40People are amazed at the deals the 99 cents-only stores is delivering this Easter.

00:30:45But really, it's just another day at the 99th.

00:30:47The concept was a hit, and 99 cents-only stores spread rapidly.

00:30:51However, competition was the store's Achilles heel.

00:30:54Other discount outlets cannibalized the market.

00:30:56Due to rising costs, the store also had to raise prices, undercutting its core brand.

00:31:02The year Dave Gold died, 2013, the chain was sold to a private equity firm.

00:31:06After a decade of getting gutted by venture capitalists,

00:31:09inflation was the nail in the brand's coffin in 2024.

00:31:12Well, you can call it the end of an era.

00:31:14All 99 cents-only stores are closing.

00:31:18Number 40, Tweeter.

00:31:19Tweeter, for times like these.

00:31:23Tweeter, aka Tweeter Etc., aka Tweeter Home Entertainment, was a New England consumer electronics chain.

00:31:30Founded in Boston by Sandy and Michael Bloomberg in 1972, the chain grew and grew throughout New England.

00:31:36In the 1990s, Tweeter started a campaign of national expansion by buying out chains in other markets.

00:31:42They expanded to Chicago, Florida, and Atlanta through acquisitions of other electronic franchises.

00:31:48By the end of its time, Tweeter specialized in flat-screen televisions.

00:31:52I'll look into this Tweeter thing, but no promises.

00:31:57In the spring of 2007, Tweeter had around 100 stores nationwide.

00:32:01Even before the Great Recession hit, half of those stores had closed.

00:32:05By the time the waves of the recession receded, Tweeter went bankrupt.

00:32:08Number 39, Stephen Berries.

00:32:12Stephen Shore and Barry Prever were college students at the University of Pennsylvania in 1985.

00:32:17They recognized that university bookstores and gift stores sold goods with an absurd markup.

00:32:22They saw an opportunity, founding a chain targeting college students with bargain basement prices.

00:32:27Stephen Berries was a retail clothing store that focused on casual clothes, accessorizing, and footwear.

00:32:33They expanded to college campuses and malls across America, eventually reaching 276 stores in 39 states.

00:32:40Stephen Berries seemed destined to conquer, earning such praise as Hot Retailer of the Year in 2005 and Marketer of the Year in 2007.

00:32:48Before the decade was out, the chain went belly up.

00:32:51Like so many others, Stephen Berries was taken out by the Great Recession.

00:32:54Goodbye Recession, hello Depression.

00:32:57Number 38, Club Libby Lou.

00:32:59Some stores make the decision early on that they aren't selling goods, but an experience.

00:33:05That was the logic behind the short-lived Club Libby Lou franchise.

00:33:08Named after the childhood imaginary friend of founder Mary Drolet, Club Libby Lou served girls from ages 4 to 12.

00:33:15It provided girls and young tweens with makeovers, dress-up parties, stuffed animals, and custom cosmetics.

00:33:21You can be like Hannah Montana with the new on-tour makeover at Club Libby Lou.

00:33:26Perform with your blingin' sequin tank, microphone, and more.

00:33:29At its peak, Club Libby Lou was a subsidiary of Saks, and at almost 100 locations nationwide.

00:33:36By November 2008, the miserable state of the economy forced Saks to shutter Club Libby Lou's doors.

00:33:42Number 37, Crazy Eddie.

00:33:44Crazy Eddie Antar was a Brooklyn-based businessman who opened up an electronics retail chain with his brother, Sam.

00:33:50The store and their Crazy Eddie commercials were a New York City staple in the 1980s.

00:33:55This is it! It's Crazy Eddie's greatest clearance sale ever!

00:33:58Crazy Eddie's slashing prices on specially marked items in his enormous inventory!

00:34:01Stereo equipment, video equipment, color TVs, car stereo TVs, telephone equipment, disco equipment, and professional products!

00:34:06The chain was widely successful, with just one wrinkle from the very beginning.

00:34:10Eddie and Sam were crooks.

00:34:12They committed an absolutely gobsmacking amount of fraud, and their books were a complete sham.

00:34:17Well, initially he was just stealing in garden-variety tax evasion, but then he came up with a better idea.

00:34:22You see, by taking his own money, stealing it, and putting it back on his books...

00:34:27He was raining cash.

00:34:28By 1983, it became difficult for Eddie to hide his criminality, so he took the company public.

00:34:34Eddie pumped and dumped a ton of stock, lost the business, and then went to prison.

00:34:38The initial investigation into the Crazy Eddie fraud, the SEC thought that we deliberately understated our numbers to take over the company on the cheap.

00:34:46The chain closed in 1989, though in the late 90s and 2000s, the Antars attempted an online comeback.

00:34:53It died for good in 2012.

00:34:55Number 36, Lomans.

00:34:58Lomans is a sad example of how even the American dream doesn't necessarily last forever.

00:35:02Frida Lomans was a young woman when her husband's haberdashery failed.

00:35:13She took a job as a clothes buyer in New York.

00:35:15Frida started to buy overstocked items from top designers and sold them at a bargain out of her home.

00:35:21Eventually, they opened the first Lomans in 1921.

00:35:24The store was incredibly successful and went public after her death.

00:35:2737 years later, by 1999, Lomans had around 100 locations in 17 states.

00:35:34Over the next 15 years, the chain underwent a series of bankruptcies and acquisitions.

00:35:38By 2014, all brick-and-mortar locations were closed, and by 2018, its online store shut down.

00:35:45Lomans. Real designers really discounted.

00:35:48Number 35, Walden Books.

00:35:51Walden Books?

00:35:52Well, that's a major chain, huh?

00:35:54Hey, Jerry! I'm going to Walden Books!

00:35:58Oh, get out! Get out!

00:36:00After leaving Simon & Schuster in 1933, sales manager Lawrence Hoyt opened a small rental library in Connecticut with his partner Melvin T. Kafka.

00:36:09They named their business The Walden Book Company after Henry David Thoreau's famous book.

00:36:13Walden. I read this in seventh grade.

00:36:17I would have called it Unboring Pond.

00:36:19Their goal was to help an emiserated populace psychologically deal with the Great Depression.

00:36:24They had hundreds of locations by 1948.

00:36:27The post-World War II era killed the rental library business, so the company successfully pivoted to book sales.

00:36:32When America looks for the right Christmas gift, America finds it at Walden Books.

00:36:38Walden Books entered the great wheel of capitalism, acquiring smaller companies and getting bought and sold by larger ones.

00:36:44It was eventually spun off by Kmart and became a part of Borders.

00:36:48All Walden Books closed when Borders was killed by Amazon in 2011.

00:36:52Number 34. Gadzooks.

00:36:55In this golden age of online retail, it can be hard to remember that the shopping mall was once the center of American commerce.

00:37:01In the 1980s and 90s, malls were both shopping and cultural centers.

00:37:05There were retail brands that did not exist outside of a mall.

00:37:14If you were a teen at a mall in Texas during that time, there's a good chance you shopped at Gadzooks.

00:37:19The store initially focused on t-shirts before expanding into a full-blown mini department store for teens.

00:37:24By 1995, Gadzooks went public, and by 2000, there were over 300 stores and malls across America.

00:37:30To fight off competitors, Gadzooks dropped its menware and catered exclusively to teen women.

00:37:36That pivot killed the brand completely five years later.

00:37:39Gadzooks.

00:37:40Number 33. Papyrus.

00:37:42Papyrus? Are you kidding me? There's no place for that in a professional office setting.

00:37:46Margaret Sherman opened the first Papyrus store as a retail branch of her fine paper company.

00:37:51With barely $1,000 in a dream, Sherman created a business that would grow into an empire of over 450 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.

00:37:59Papyrus sold greeting cards and luxury stationery throughout the country, expanding with a 2009 purchase of American greeting stores.

00:38:07Unfortunately, they misread the market and slowly but surely contracted to only 260 stores by 2020.

00:38:13In January, two months before the COVID lockdowns, which sent shockwaves throughout the economy, Papyrus stores were all shuttered and liquidated.

00:38:21Number 32. Virgin Megastore.

00:38:23Mega-billionaire Richard Branson started his mogul career at the age of 16 with a self-published magazine, Student.

00:38:30In 1970, he pivoted to a mail-order record business and opened his first Virgin Records in 1972.

00:38:36The brand boomed quickly, and Branson opened his first megastore in London by 1979.

00:38:41Some days I'm afraid I'll go berserk to the country A through K rack out on the street and go work on a Virgin Megastore and never come back.

00:38:49Virgin Megastore's expanded product selection included consumer electronics, books, and sometimes fashion.

00:38:55Branson ruled the British market, and Virgin Megastores opened around the world.

00:38:59Perhaps predicting a shift in retail, Branson sold or licensed the brand to a number of companies in the early 2000s.

00:39:05Today, Virgin Megastores only exist in the Middle East and North Africa.

00:39:09All other locations have closed down.

00:39:12Number 31. Suncoast Motion Picture Company.

00:39:15There are over 10,000 great movie gifts at Suncoast, like the comedy hit Beverly Hills Cop 3,

00:39:21Four Weddings and a Funeral starring Hugh Grant and Andy McDowell, and Jim Carrey in The Mask.

00:39:26Thanks to the invention of VHS tapes, and to a lesser extent Betamax, Hollywood discovered a profitable secondary market for movies.

00:39:33Tens of thousands of video rental stores and nationwide chains popped up all over the U.S. and became a booming business.

00:39:40One of those retailers was the Suncoast Motion Picture Company.

00:39:43What do you do anyway? I thought you went to MIT.

00:39:45I work at Suncoast Video.

00:39:48Wow.

00:39:50Congratulations.

00:39:50A spin-off of Suncoast Records, Suncoast Motion Picture Company sold VHS tapes, collectibles, records, cassette tapes, and CDs.

00:39:59The retailer fell victim to chains of acquisitions and sales, eventually getting liquidated.

00:40:05As of May 2023, only four Suncoast Motion Picture Company franchises exist in the United States.

00:40:11Number 30.

00:40:12Filene's.

00:40:13William Filene was an American businessman who founded an incredibly successful department store in Boston in 1881.

00:40:19Filene's is so important to the city's identity, the original store was designated a city landmark.

00:40:25Its sister store, Filene's Basement, saw similar success.

00:40:28Also, nobody knows what Filene's Basement is.

00:40:31That's a shame. You definitely paid too much for that coat.

00:40:34In 1929, Filene's joined with other competitors to create the holding company, Federated Department Stores.

00:40:40In the back half of the 20th century, Filene's gained a foothold in New England and New York shopping malls.

00:40:46Filene's was sold off to May Department Stores in 1988.

00:40:49However, Federated acquired May in 2005 and folded Filene's into Macy's.

00:40:54I guess we could hit Filene's Basement, see if there's anything in the bargain bin.

00:40:58Never!

00:40:58You now only shop upstairs at Filene's where they have fancy windows and you pay full price.

00:41:04Number 29.

00:41:05Discovery Channel Store.

00:41:07Large companies love to find ways to leverage their brand power and enter new markets.

00:41:11In the 1990s, a number of media corporations tried to synergize their media brand with a retail store business to sell branded content.

00:41:18Both Disney and Warner Brothers made the attempt, but failed, thanks to large market forces.

00:41:24If those brands, each with a massive library of intellectual property, couldn't make it happen, it's no surprise that the Discovery Channel store was an abysmal failure.

00:41:32Why? Why? Discovery Channel! Discovery Channel! Why?

00:41:36The company tried to create a retail market to sell Discovery Channel merchandise.

00:41:40Unfortunately, the small retail chain of less than 20 locations lasted less than a dozen years before going under.

00:41:47As of 2023, even Discovery's online store has closed.

00:41:50There's nothing like the gift of Discovery.

00:41:53Number 28.

00:41:55Zany Brainy.

00:41:56David Schlesinger was an entrepreneur frustrated by a lack of brick-and-mortar stores for educational toys.

00:42:02He started the retail chain Zany Brainy in 1991 to bridge that gap.

00:42:06Zany Brainy's products specialized in developmental education through play.

00:42:10They sold puzzles, books, audio tapes and CDs, toy trains, and learning software.

00:42:15The individual stores also offered in-store workshops, concerts, and book signings.

00:42:20Though the retailer was eventually purchased by F.A.O. Schwartz, it never really found a long-term market.

00:42:32Zany Brainy filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001.

00:42:36Less than two years later, all its locations shut down.

00:42:39Number 27.

00:42:41Modell's.

00:42:42Memories begin now.

00:42:45You gotta go to Moe's.

00:42:46After 140 years in business, Modell's Sporting Goods learned the hard way that not everyone has to go back to Moe's.

00:42:53Morris A. Modell, a Jewish immigrant from Hungary, founded the sporting goods store in Manhattan in 1889.

00:42:59Over the next century, his descendants grew the business into a profitable chain, operating over 150 stores in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

00:43:08By 2014, however, rival Dick's Sporting Goods had sued the company.

00:43:12They accused CEO Mitchell Modell of wearing a disguise to learn Dick's retail secrets.

00:43:18By mid-2020, every Modell's store had closed, attempting to rebrand as an online-only business.

00:43:23If it has anything to do with baseball, it's probably on sale at Modell's.

00:43:27Finish with the Mid sign already.

00:43:28Come on, the Mid, the Mid.

00:43:29Number 26.

00:43:31Movie Gallery.

00:43:32Movie Gallery was founded in 1985 in the middle of the ascension of home video.

00:43:37By the mid-1990s, the company launched an aggressive campaign of expansion.

00:43:41They added new franchises, bought out the competition, and built new stores.

00:43:46In 2005, they merged with competitor Hollywood Video to become the second-largest video chain in North America.

00:43:52They had reached 4,700 stores in the U.S. and Canada, with more than $2.5 billion in revenue.

00:43:59But it all went downhill from there.

00:44:00We're going downhill, and I can't reach the frame!

00:44:04The rise of video-on-demand and streaming services destroyed Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video, just as it had with Blockbuster.

00:44:11By 2010, even the contents of the corporate headquarters were auctioned off.

00:44:16Number 25.

00:44:17Pier 1.

00:44:18The ripple effects of major global catastrophes can spread into every aspect of life.

00:44:23The Great Depression, Great Recession, and the pandemic all caused global shifts in consumer habits.

00:44:29In an adapt-or-die world, even large and powerful retailers fall victim to global trends.

00:44:34Tell that to the folks at Pier 1.

00:44:36In establishment, I'm no longer allowed inside.

00:44:39Pier 1 had risen to national prominence in the furniture and home decoration space.

00:44:44By January 2020, the business was struggling, and they announced the closure of almost half of their locations.

00:44:49The pandemic was the final nail in Pier 1's bespoke coffin.

00:44:53After all the stores shut for good, retail e-commerce ventures, Rev, acquired the company.

00:44:59Rev has a penchant for buying dying brands and pivoting to e-commerce.

00:45:03Unfortunately, in spring 2023, Rev announced that it too may go bankrupt.

00:45:09Number 24.

00:45:10Kmart.

00:45:12Inspired by a meeting with the founder of Woolworths,

00:45:14businessman S.S. Craig's founded his first big-box department store in 1899.

00:45:18The first Kmart-branded store opened in 1962 in Michigan.

00:45:23The next 30 years saw almost exponential growth.

00:45:25By 1990, it was the second-largest retailer in America, behind only Sears.

00:45:30It unfortunately struggled throughout the 90s and early 2000s, collapsing and merging with Sears.

00:45:36We own Kmart now.

00:45:37No.

00:45:37Both brands suffered further decline over the next decade,

00:45:40until Kmart underwent its second bankruptcy and sold off its stores.

00:45:44By 2019, virtually all Kmart locations were shuttered.

00:45:48As of April 2022, there were only nine Kmarts left in the world.

00:45:52Tell them, Ray.

00:45:53Kmart sucks.

00:45:54Number 23.

00:45:55Lord & Taylor.

00:45:57Lord & Taylor was the oldest retailer in America,

00:46:00having been founded in 1824 when John Quincy Adams was president.

00:46:04For almost two centuries,

00:46:05Lord & Taylor rose to become synonymous with luxury-branded clothing.

00:46:09Six different parent companies saw Lord & Taylor through two world wars,

00:46:13the Great Depression and the Great Recession.

00:46:15Unfortunately, the company could not survive the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

00:46:20Retail locations were closed in March of 2020 and reopened by July,

00:46:24but the damage had already been done,

00:46:26and Lord & Taylor filed for bankruptcy in August.

00:46:29I declare bankruptcy!

00:46:33In 2022, the brand relaunched under new management as an e-commerce luxury retailer.

00:46:40Number 22.

00:46:41Bed, Bath & Beyond.

00:46:42This retailer went through a long, slow, painful demise.

00:46:47The company shifted from a small retail chain of local stores to a megastore chain in 1985.

00:46:52It reached over a billion dollars in sales in 1999,

00:46:55and there were over 1,100 locations by 2011.

00:46:59Let's see what we got on hot tips, all right?

00:47:02Whoa.

00:47:03The new bath mats are here.

00:47:06Declining profits led to a big shake-up in 2019.

00:47:09Investment firms purged the CEO from his perch and restructured the board of directors.

00:47:13They accused the company of nepotism and poor management.

00:47:16The pandemic proved to be a fatal blow for Bed, Bath & Beyond,

00:47:18pulling the trigger on the starter gun for store closures.

00:47:22After limping along for several years,

00:47:24the company announced the full closure of all stores by July 2023.

00:47:28Number 21.

00:47:29The Limited.

00:47:31The Limited was an Ohio-based clothing brand that became a mall staple in the 1980s and 90s.

00:47:36At the height of its economic might,

00:47:38The Limited acquired popular brands like Vittoria's Secret,

00:47:41Bath & Body Works, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

00:47:44A sub-brand, The Limited too, was spun off in 1987,

00:47:47catering to young and tween girls.

00:47:50Limited too.

00:47:51Everything a girl could ever want for back to school.

00:47:55Both store chains did well with hundreds of stores around the country.

00:47:58The Limited too brand didn't even make it a decade,

00:48:01merging with Justice in 1996 and going defunct in 2009.

00:48:05Its parent company didn't fare much better.

00:48:07The bulk of the company was sold to a private equity firm in 2007.

00:48:11By 2017, all physical locations went out of business.

00:48:15Number 20.

00:48:15Sports Authority.

00:48:17Like many retail outlets,

00:48:19Sports Authority was a casualty of the mid-21st century.

00:48:25Founded in 1928 by Nathan Gart,

00:48:28a series of mergers and acquisitions allowed Gart Sports to become

00:48:32the place for sporting goods in the United States.

00:48:35But, by 2010, the tired retailer found it difficult to compete with the likes of Walmart

00:48:40and Amazon and began falling behind in its financials.

00:48:44By 2016, the company chose to close down and liquefy its assets.

00:48:48The clock has run out for Sports Authority.

00:48:51The sporting goods retailer plans to begin going out of business sales as soon as this Friday

00:48:56and will close all 463 stores by the end of August.

00:49:00Its brand name and intellectual property ultimately ended up in the hands of its competitor,

00:49:04Dick's Sporting Goods.

00:49:05Sports Authority has gone bust, as you know.

00:49:09And when they went bust, they did something that's so common now with failing retailers.

00:49:14They sold off all their dossiers on people who ever shopped at Sports Authority.

00:49:20Number 19, Wet Seal.

00:49:23If the 2010s taught business anything, it's that the shape of retail shopping is changing.

00:49:36Founded as Lorne's in 1962,

00:49:39this fashion retailer was incorporated as Wet Seal in 1990.

00:49:42They also sold their clothing and accessories under the Arden B and Blink brands.

00:49:48By 2015, they were faced with heavy competition, forcing them to close several locations.

00:49:53Orange County retailer Wet Seal is drowning in debt,

00:49:56and now employees accuse the company of leaving them high and dry.

00:50:00Hundreds of Wet Seal stores were suddenly shut down today,

00:50:03leaving thousands of workers jobless.

00:50:05Store windows could be seen with protest signs from employees

00:50:08over communication from managers and compensation.

00:50:11Wet Seal closed all stores in January 2017,

00:50:15another victim of the so-called retail apocalypse.

00:50:18This is just another sign of tough times for retailers.

00:50:21The Limited, Sears, and Macy's have also announced closings this year.

00:50:26Number 18, Tower Records.

00:50:28Long before the days of Spotify and Apple Music,

00:50:31people had to go into a store and purchase their music.

00:50:35Tower Records came to San Francisco when the city was at the center of the music world.

00:50:40It was opened in 1968 by Russ Solomon,

00:50:43who wanted to expand his family's Sacramento music store.

00:50:46Enter Tower Records.

00:50:47In their heyday, they were one of the largest retailers of music around the world.

00:50:52Based in the U.S., they spread to over a dozen countries worldwide.

00:50:56The movie Empire Records was even inspired by Carol Hickinen's time as an employee there.

00:51:01What you doing, man?

00:51:03I'm exercising my veto, man.

00:51:04Yeah, well, it's only 9 o'clock.

00:51:06I mean, you sure you want to do that?

00:51:07Mark, listening to this crap is guaranteed to make you sterile.

00:51:12Yeah, maybe I want to be sterile.

00:51:14Yet, with all that success,

00:51:15bad business decisions and the launch of the digital music era

00:51:19killed off this giant in 2006.

00:51:21A changing music business,

00:51:23the advent of being able to get music through your computer

00:51:26on sites like Napster and iTunes,

00:51:28doomed the record store along with Tower's overly aggressive expansion.

00:51:32The brand did resurface as a website in 2020

00:51:35and continues to sell music and merchandise online.

00:51:39Number 17. CompUSA.

00:51:42When you hear the term big box store,

00:51:44you may think of Ikea, Walmart, or even Costco.

00:51:48One such player in this space

00:51:50was the now-defunct computer store, CompUSA.

00:51:53All across America,

00:51:54computers are changing people's lives,

00:51:56and one company is changing the way people buy them.

00:51:59CompUSA.

00:52:00With the brands you want,

00:52:02all at guaranteed low prices.

00:52:03A purveyor of technology products,

00:52:05they were very similar to competitors like, say, Best Buy.

00:52:09And therein lies part of the problem.

00:52:11CompUSA employees were told of the sale

00:52:13at a meeting this morning.

00:52:15The company had been losing money

00:52:16against competitors like Best Buy.

00:52:18Their corporate strategies were out of touch,

00:52:20and they were destroyed by the competition.

00:52:23They were eventually sold to Systemax in 2008,

00:52:26and their last CompUSA stores were rebranded as Tiger Direct,

00:52:30which also phased out of retail in 2015.

00:52:33Tiger Direct is a top 25 online retailer

00:52:35with over 200,000 products and retail store locations.

00:52:38Number 16.

00:52:40KB Toys.

00:52:42It was 1946 when brothers Harry and Joseph Kaufman

00:52:45opened their own candy store,

00:52:47aptly named Kaufman Brothers.

00:52:49I'm a kid and you're my toy store.

00:52:52You're easy to like,

00:52:53cause you're just right.

00:52:55You're my friend, KB.

00:52:58That quickly turned into a wholesale toy company in 1948,

00:53:01and a shopping mall staple in 1973.

00:53:04In the 1990s, a series of additional acquisitions

00:53:08brought the company hundreds of new store locations,

00:53:11totaling 1,324 by 1999.

00:53:14In creating the new KBKids.com,

00:53:17we went to the experts.

00:53:19They know what's hot.

00:53:21Now you can too.

00:53:23They know exactly what's right for them.

00:53:26But a combination of both a poorly timed dividend deal

00:53:29in 2002, and a drop in sales the following year,

00:53:32sealed the company's fate.

00:53:34Neither a bankruptcy filing

00:53:36or a restructuring of the company

00:53:37was enough to keep it afloat.

00:53:39The company had been looking to liquidate

00:53:41more than 100 stores across the country.

00:53:43The closing was a disappointment to this dad

00:53:45who's been coming to the store

00:53:46over the last two decades.

00:53:48This is one of the better ones,

00:53:49so I'm kind of sad to see it go.

00:53:51They were eventually sold

00:53:52to their biggest competitor,

00:53:53Toys R Us, in 2009.

00:53:56Number 15.

00:53:57Warner Brothers Studio Store.

00:53:59In 1991,

00:54:01Warner Brothers entered the retail space,

00:54:03selling the likes of Looney Tunes

00:54:05and DC Comic Books merchandise.

00:54:07Eventually opening 130 stores across the country,

00:54:10the chain thrived for a short time.

00:54:13It's been an incredible ride so far.

00:54:15The studio stores have been one of the fastest

00:54:17and most successful retail store ventures in history.

00:54:20Successful beyond anyone's

00:54:22most optimistic projections, including mine.

00:54:24However, the AOL-Time Warner merger

00:54:27was completed in 2001

00:54:29and the newly formed company had new plans.

00:54:31AOL's acquisition of Time Warner

00:54:33cost over $160 billion,

00:54:36making it one of the largest mergers in history.

00:54:39At the time,

00:54:39it seemed like a really good idea.

00:54:41With sales in decline

00:54:42and retail shops floundering in general,

00:54:45the newly formed conglomerate

00:54:46saw the writing on the wall.

00:54:47It took them less than a year

00:54:49to put the nail in the coffin on this chain

00:54:51when their last store

00:54:52closed on New Year's Eve, 2001.

00:54:55Well, that's all, folks.

00:54:57Hey, that's my line.

00:54:58Number 14.

00:55:00Payless Shoes.

00:55:01Much like many of the other stores on our list,

00:55:03Payless started with humble beginnings,

00:55:05only to fall victim to our ever-changing times.

00:55:08But you can get these same shoes at Payless

00:55:10for $19.99 or lower

00:55:12with our epic holiday deals.

00:55:13Why pay more when you can pay less?

00:55:15Formed in 1956 by cousins

00:55:17Louis and Shell Pozes,

00:55:19Payless became known

00:55:20for its unique line of shoes

00:55:22called Pro Wings,

00:55:23as well as a plethora

00:55:24of other footwear-related products.

00:55:26Now all $9.99 sandal and canvas shoes

00:55:28are just $8.99.

00:55:29Two pair, $7.99 each.

00:55:31Three or more, $6.99 each.

00:55:33At the Payless Shoesource,

00:55:34buy more Payless sale.

00:55:35But in the mists of the retail shift

00:55:37in the 2010s,

00:55:38Payless filed for bankruptcy twice,

00:55:41eventually shutting down

00:55:42all operations in North America.

00:55:44Payless closed all of it.

00:55:45remaining North American stores,

00:55:47more than 2,000 of them in 2019

00:55:50after filing for Chapter 11

00:55:52for a second time.

00:55:54The company emerged from bankruptcy

00:55:55in January 2020.

00:55:57They do continue to operate stores

00:55:59in other parts of the world

00:56:00and online.

00:56:02Number 13.

00:56:03Ames.

00:56:04Department stores have always been common

00:56:06in big cities.

00:56:07But when Ames opened up in 1958,

00:56:09they went after the retail market

00:56:11in much smaller populated areas.

00:56:13It's coming to every Ames discount

00:56:15department store

00:56:16to make sure these advertised

00:56:18sale prices are as low

00:56:19as you'll find anywhere.

00:56:21This led to a boom in business

00:56:22and expansion,

00:56:24which reached up to 327 stores.

00:56:27It did not, however,

00:56:28come without a cost.

00:56:30Poor decisions around consumer credit

00:56:32resulted in a bankruptcy filing

00:56:33in 1990.

00:56:35The company survived,

00:56:36and by 1993

00:56:37was turning a profit again.

00:56:39Oh, I saved $11.

00:56:40$20.99.

00:56:41Wow.

00:56:42$10.50.

00:56:44I saved $41.

00:56:46But the success didn't last.

00:56:48By the turn of the century,

00:56:50Ames had begun closing

00:56:51many of its stores

00:56:52and filed a second bankruptcy

00:56:53in late 2001,

00:56:55which saw the end of this store.

00:56:57This comes 20 years

00:56:59after the discount chain

00:57:00went out of business,

00:57:02so that'll be something else to see.

00:57:03Number 12.

00:57:05Teavana.

00:57:06No matter how large

00:57:07a corporation gets,

00:57:08you have to remember

00:57:09that they all started out small.

00:57:11Such was the case

00:57:12for Andrew T. Mack

00:57:13and his wife,

00:57:14who formed Teavana in 1997

00:57:16with a little tea house

00:57:17in a mall.

00:57:18The brand became so successful

00:57:20that it only took 15 years

00:57:21for Starbucks to take notice

00:57:23and acquire them

00:57:24to the tune of $620 million.

00:57:27This is the first tea bar

00:57:28that Starbucks,

00:57:29a coffee company,

00:57:31is opening.

00:57:32What should we read

00:57:33from this move for Starbucks?

00:57:34Well, people don't realize

00:57:35we've been in the tea business

00:57:37for the last 40 years.

00:57:38The name persisted

00:57:39for five more years

00:57:40before Starbucks

00:57:41pulled the plug

00:57:42on all 379 Teavana shops.

00:57:45Starbucks is shutting down

00:57:46hundreds of its

00:57:47Teavana-branded stores.

00:57:49That includes

00:57:49all four Colorado locations.

00:57:51Their entry into the tea market

00:57:52has since dropped considerably

00:57:54as Starbucks now only sells

00:57:56a very limited number

00:57:57of Teavana products.

00:57:59Introducing Teavana Passion Tango

00:58:01Pineapple Sparkling Tea Juice

00:58:03made only at Starbucks.

00:58:05Number 11.

00:58:06Sharper Image

00:58:07Similar to SkyMall

00:58:09and Hammacher Schlemmer,

00:58:10Sharper Image

00:58:11was a catalog business

00:58:12that thrived on high-tech gadgets

00:58:14and niche products.

00:58:15Every month,

00:58:17three million people

00:58:18receive this catalog

00:58:19in the mail

00:58:20and thousands more

00:58:21shop in 48 retail stores

00:58:23around the country.

00:58:25Today,

00:58:25it's unusual to meet someone

00:58:27who hasn't heard of us.

00:58:28Distinguishing itself

00:58:29from the other catalog companies,

00:58:31they expanded into retail,

00:58:32opening 187 stores

00:58:34throughout malls

00:58:35and airports

00:58:36across the United States.

00:58:37I have to get this.

00:58:38I have to get this.

00:58:39We're here for Jess and Marie.

00:58:41I know.

00:58:41We'll find them something.

00:58:42There's great stuff here.

00:58:43Oddly enough,

00:58:44it was an air purifier product

00:58:46that ultimately helped

00:58:47kill the company.

00:58:48After Consumer Reports

00:58:49gave fail ratings

00:58:50to their Ionic Breeze products,

00:58:53Sharper Image sued.

00:58:54The Ionic Breeze Silent Air Purifier

00:58:56with Ozone Guard

00:58:57that can actually convert

00:58:59smog and ozone into oxygen.

00:59:01Cleaning and circulating your air

00:59:03with no fans,

00:59:04no filters silently.

00:59:05However,

00:59:06they were themselves sued

00:59:07by customers

00:59:08for misrepresentation

00:59:09of their product.

00:59:10As the blame went back and forth,

00:59:12upper management changed

00:59:13and consumer interest tapered off.

00:59:16The company went bankrupt

00:59:17in 2008.

00:59:19Number 10.

00:59:20Circuit City.

00:59:21Welcome to Circuit City,

00:59:22where services

00:59:24state-of-the-art

00:59:24Founded in 1949

00:59:26under the name

00:59:27Ward's Company,

00:59:28Circuit City was one of

00:59:29the most popular

00:59:30consumer electronics stores

00:59:32in the United States.

00:59:33During their peak,

00:59:34the chain boasted

00:59:35more than 550 stores

00:59:37across the country,

00:59:38offering plenty of

00:59:39electronic goods and services.

00:59:42They even had a chance

00:59:43to buy out

00:59:44the fledgling

00:59:44Best Buy operation

00:59:46in 1988,

00:59:47but declined

00:59:48when Circuit City's

00:59:49CEO thought

00:59:50they could just

00:59:51put them out of business.

00:59:52Well, that didn't work out

00:59:53in the long run.

00:59:54When 2007 rolled around,

00:59:56wages were being cut,

00:59:58locations were being closed,

00:59:59and management turnover

01:00:00was high.

01:00:01Electronic retailer

01:00:02Circuit City

01:00:03has announced

01:00:04it's unplugging

01:00:05more than 150 stores.

01:00:07In Maryland alone,

01:00:08three locations

01:00:09are going out of business.

01:00:10By 2009,

01:00:11the company pulled the plug,

01:00:13and the days of Circuit City

01:00:14were over.

01:00:16Number 9.

01:00:17A&P.

01:00:17The Great Atlantic

01:00:19and Pacific Tea Company

01:00:20existed from 1859

01:00:22to 2015.

01:00:24Known to most customers

01:00:25simply as A&P,

01:00:27there was a time

01:00:28when they were a huge player

01:00:29in the grocery business.

01:00:30We built a brand new feeling

01:00:33at A&P.

01:00:35From a few retail shops

01:00:36selling tea and coffee

01:00:38in New York,

01:00:38the company blossomed

01:00:39after being acquired

01:00:40by George Huntington Hartford.

01:00:43From there,

01:00:43over much time,

01:00:44it became a full-on

01:00:45grocery store,

01:00:46which would eventually have

01:00:48roughly 16,000 locations.

01:00:50A&P pledges

01:00:51guaranteed value.

01:00:52We guarantee the quality

01:00:54of all our meat and belly products.

01:00:56Produce too,

01:00:57our double your money back.

01:00:58We also guarantee

01:00:59the lowest advertised prices.

01:01:01However,

01:01:01by the 1970s,

01:01:03the stores had become

01:01:04conceptually stale

01:01:05and plagued

01:01:06by bad customer service.

01:01:08The chain did manage

01:01:09to have a bit of a comeback

01:01:10in the early aughts,

01:01:12but was short-lived,

01:01:13and it finally went under

01:01:14in 2015.

01:01:15Many customers

01:01:16have shopped here

01:01:17for years,

01:01:17and they feel emotional.

01:01:19Everybody angry.

01:01:20Everybody's angry?

01:01:21Yeah.

01:01:22Very bad.

01:01:22We got no store over here,

01:01:24no place.

01:01:25Number 8.

01:01:26F.W. Woolworth Company.

01:01:27It's May value days

01:01:29at Woolworth,

01:01:30with savings for everyone.

01:01:32Did you know

01:01:33that Woolworth's

01:01:34may have been

01:01:34the original inspiration

01:01:35for the dollar store?

01:01:37Founded by

01:01:38Frank Winfield Woolworth

01:01:39in 1879,

01:01:40it opened as

01:01:41Woolworth's great

01:01:42five-cent store,

01:01:43which sold everything

01:01:44for a nickel or two.

01:01:46Although that operation

01:01:47didn't last,

01:01:48the subsequent store

01:01:49became successful.

01:01:50I'm the new chairman

01:01:51of Woolworth,

01:01:51and I believe

01:01:52in 1981

01:01:53we are going to offer you

01:01:55better value

01:01:56than we've ever done before.

01:01:57Frank brought in

01:01:58his brother,

01:01:59Charles Sumner Woolworth,

01:02:00and the two began

01:02:01a journey that would see

01:02:02their ideas about retail

01:02:03continue to be used today.

01:02:06Woolworth's was highly successful

01:02:07until the 1980s,

01:02:09when stiff competition

01:02:10forced them to shift

01:02:11their priorities

01:02:12to their sporting goods division.

01:02:14Competition is the name

01:02:15of the game at Foot Locker,

01:02:16with the biggest selection

01:02:17of big names ever assembled.

01:02:18So whether your game

01:02:19is serious or social,

01:02:20we'll find the right shoe for you.

01:02:22In 2001,

01:02:23they became known

01:02:24as Foot Locker

01:02:25and are still selling

01:02:26sporting goods today.

01:02:27A few dozen Woolworth stores

01:02:29do still continue

01:02:29to exist in Mexico

01:02:31under different ownership.

01:02:33Number 7.

01:02:34Sam Goody

01:02:35Much like many other

01:02:41music retailers,

01:02:42Sam Goody became the victim

01:02:43of the digital revolution

01:02:45in music.

01:02:46Founded in 1951

01:02:47as a small music shop

01:02:49in New York City,

01:02:50it eventually merged

01:02:51with Musicland,

01:02:52which helped expand the brand.

01:02:54At its peak,

01:02:54the Sam Goody-branded stores

01:02:56expanded to 800 locations

01:02:58and brought in

01:02:58several billion dollars

01:03:00worth of revenue.

01:03:01It had become almost synonymous

01:03:02with music retail,

01:03:03which held it above water

01:03:05for a long time.

01:03:06But after struggling

01:03:07through a handful

01:03:08of acquisitions

01:03:09and changes to its business model,

01:03:11the stores began to close.

01:03:13By 2012,

01:03:14most of the stores were gone

01:03:15or simply rebranded as FYE.

01:03:18Number 6.

01:03:20Borders

01:03:20Hi.

01:03:21I'm Jason Schwartzman.

01:03:22I'm Wes Anderson.

01:03:23We are at the flagship Borders

01:03:25in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

01:03:26Ever since Gutenberg

01:03:28revolutionized printing

01:03:29so long ago,

01:03:30books have been in demand.

01:03:32This human desire

01:03:33to learn or enjoy stories

01:03:35is what eventually spawned

01:03:36the likes of giant bookstore chains

01:03:38like Borders.

01:03:39Operating for nearly 40 years,

01:03:41this bookstore saw its peak

01:03:42with over 500 U.S.-based stores

01:03:44and even more

01:03:45via other brands

01:03:46and franchising.

01:03:48By the time 2007 rolled along,

01:03:50however,

01:03:50the company had begun

01:03:51to struggle to remain in business.

01:03:53I hope this store can stay

01:03:54because I frequent this store

01:03:59and I want to support it.

01:04:00Several attempts were made

01:04:01to keep it going,

01:04:02but by September of 2011,

01:04:04the chain had come to an end

01:04:06with its stores closing

01:04:07and rival chain Barnes & Noble

01:04:09buying its trademark.

01:04:10Getting the news today,

01:04:12it's upsetting.

01:04:15We tried.

01:04:17We tried.

01:04:18We gave it our best.

01:04:19Number 5.

01:04:20Fry's Electronics

01:04:22The sale of Fry's

01:04:28Supermarket's chain

01:04:29eventually spawned

01:04:30a completely new type

01:04:31of electronics store

01:04:32back in 1985.

01:04:34The intent

01:04:35was to make shopping

01:04:35for electronics

01:04:36a similar experience

01:04:37to going for groceries.

01:04:39Whether it was circuit boards,

01:04:40software,

01:04:41or any other kind

01:04:42of electronic device,

01:04:43Fry's was the place

01:04:44to get it.

01:04:45Fry's was famous

01:04:46for its unusual exteriors

01:04:48and motifs

01:04:48like the Mayan-themed store

01:04:50here in San Jose.

01:04:51It was actually

01:04:52one of the few places

01:04:53you could buy raw computer parts

01:04:55off the shelf

01:04:56to assemble your PC

01:04:57on your own.

01:04:58The stores ballooned

01:05:00in popularity,

01:05:01and even the aforementioned

01:05:02Circuit City

01:05:02didn't offer the same

01:05:03kinds of fare.

01:05:04It's a shame

01:05:05to see it go away.

01:05:07I mean, we basically,

01:05:08I grew up with, you know,

01:05:09going to the store a lot

01:05:10to, you know,

01:05:12buy everything

01:05:12from my TVs

01:05:14to video games

01:05:15and, you know,

01:05:16unfortunately,

01:05:17I'm going to have to find

01:05:18somewhere else

01:05:18to buy all that stuff now.

01:05:19But after decades

01:05:21of sometimes

01:05:21controversial business practices

01:05:23and squeezed

01:05:24by the COVID pandemic

01:05:25in 2020

01:05:26and longstanding

01:05:27market pressures,

01:05:29all their stores

01:05:29ceased operations

01:05:30in February 2021.

01:05:33All 31 Fry's stores

01:05:34across nine states

01:05:35closed effective immediately.

01:05:37Are you a customer?

01:05:39Not any longer,

01:05:40it would seem.

01:05:41Number four,

01:05:42linens and things.

01:05:43If there is one

01:05:44common thread

01:05:45connecting many of these

01:05:46now defunct businesses,

01:05:47it's that for many of them,

01:05:48a combination of acquisitions

01:05:50and management changes

01:05:51seems to be their undoing.

01:05:53Formed in 1975,

01:05:55this home textile

01:05:56and housewares

01:05:57big box retailer

01:05:58grew considerably

01:05:59by the time it opened

01:06:00its 55th store

01:06:01in 1983.

01:06:02Linens and things,

01:06:03keeping America's homes

01:06:04beautiful

01:06:04through quality,

01:06:05selection,

01:06:06and 20 to 40%

01:06:07off regular prices

01:06:08every day.

01:06:09Linens and things,

01:06:11linens and things.

01:06:12It was acquired

01:06:14and then eventually

01:06:14spun off as its own entity

01:06:16again in 1996,

01:06:18but then reacquired

01:06:19by Apollo Global Management

01:06:20in 2006.

01:06:22The company then

01:06:23truly began to find itself

01:06:24in financial difficulty.

01:06:26But the nail in the coffin

01:06:27came with the credit crisis.

01:06:29Possible buyers

01:06:29couldn't get credit

01:06:30to purchase the company

01:06:31and now 371 stores

01:06:33are set to close

01:06:34by the end of the year.

01:06:35A series of losses

01:06:36combined with a decline

01:06:37of sales

01:06:38eventually forced the company

01:06:39to pull the plug

01:06:40on their stores

01:06:41by 2008,

01:06:42going online exclusively.

01:06:44Number 3.

01:06:45Radio Shack

01:06:46The humble beginnings

01:06:58of Radio Shack

01:06:59began back in 1921.

01:07:02The company focused

01:07:03its sales strategy

01:07:04on radio and electronics

01:07:05hobbyists.

01:07:07For decades,

01:07:08this gave them

01:07:08a lucrative market

01:07:09to fill

01:07:09and interest in electronics

01:07:11eventually grew even further

01:07:12with the new computer

01:07:14and video game age.

01:07:15It was also Radio Shack

01:07:17that produced

01:07:17the famous TRS-80,

01:07:19one of the first

01:07:20widely available

01:07:21home computers.

01:07:31But, much like

01:07:32many other retailers,

01:07:33their popularity declined

01:07:34with the rise

01:07:35of online shopping

01:07:36and fewer hobbyists

01:07:37to buy their wares.

01:07:39Though perhaps

01:07:39more damaging

01:07:40has been the retailer's

01:07:41failure to attract

01:07:42younger shoppers.

01:07:44By 2017,

01:07:45the company had gone bankrupt

01:07:46and was no longer

01:07:47the giant retailer

01:07:48it once was.

01:07:49With a smattering

01:07:50of stores remaining

01:07:51under different ownership

01:07:52and eventually

01:07:53the brand being scooped up

01:07:54to attempt

01:07:55viability online.

01:07:56What?

01:07:58The 80s called.

01:07:59They want their store back.

01:08:00Number 2.

01:08:02Toys R Us

01:08:02Who doesn't remember

01:08:04wanting to be

01:08:04a Toys R Us kid?

01:08:06From toys

01:08:07to video games

01:08:08to books

01:08:08to bikes

01:08:09this was a chain

01:08:10that had almost

01:08:10everything a child

01:08:11could possibly want.

01:08:13From bikes

01:08:13to trains

01:08:14to video games

01:08:16it's the biggest toy store

01:08:17there is

01:08:18Gee whiz!

01:08:19But, like many retailers

01:08:20over the last few decades,

01:08:22they struggled to keep up

01:08:23with the times

01:08:23and competition

01:08:24with the likes of

01:08:25mass market stores

01:08:26and online shopping.

01:08:27It was unprepared

01:08:29for what no one saw coming.

01:08:31The dot-com era

01:08:32and the rise

01:08:33of the big box store.

01:08:34In 2017,

01:08:35the chain filed for bankruptcy

01:08:37and began liquidating

01:08:38their assets.

01:08:39By the middle of 2018,

01:08:41they had closed

01:08:41most of their U.S. stores

01:08:42with the last two

01:08:44closing in 2021.

01:08:45I feel like kids

01:08:46are gonna miss out

01:08:47on the best store ever.

01:08:49I still love the store.

01:08:50However,

01:08:51you can still find

01:08:52Toys R Us stores

01:08:53across Canada

01:08:54and Asia.

01:08:55Before we continue,

01:08:57be sure to subscribe

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01:09:12Number 1.

01:09:13Blockbuster

01:09:13One of the biggest industries

01:09:15to emerge

01:09:15from the creation

01:09:16of the VCR

01:09:17was the home movie rental business.

01:09:33At the inception

01:09:35of the movie business

01:09:36decades earlier,

01:09:37no one had ever expected

01:09:38people to want to watch

01:09:39their movies at home

01:09:40instead of at theaters.

01:09:42With more than

01:09:4230,000 stores open globally

01:09:44at its commercial peak,

01:09:46if you wanted to rent

01:09:46a new release,

01:09:47odds are you went

01:09:49to Blockbuster Video.

01:09:50Oh, plus they have

01:09:51all kinds of video games

01:09:52for the kids.

01:09:53Video rentals became

01:09:54ingrained in our culture

01:09:56and Blockbuster

01:09:57profited mightily.

01:09:58But as streaming services

01:10:00and mail-in DVD options

01:10:01became available

01:10:02over the years,

01:10:03the days of

01:10:04Be Kind, Rewind

01:10:05were over

01:10:06and Blockbuster

01:10:07famously ceased to be.

01:10:08Its various partnerships

01:10:10folded

01:10:10and stores worldwide

01:10:12were rapidly plunged

01:10:13into administration.

01:10:15We're closing early.

01:10:16Its 9,000-strong chain

01:10:18had been reduced

01:10:19to one single franchise

01:10:21in Bend, Oregon.

01:10:22Which of these stores

01:10:25do you miss the most?

01:10:26Let us know

01:10:26in the comments below.

01:10:28They were too busy

01:10:29making money

01:10:29in their video stores

01:10:31to imagine a time

01:10:32when people would

01:10:33no longer want

01:10:34or need them.

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