Defunct restaurant chains and retailers

[bing101]

https://www.rappler.com/business/175612-shakeys-expansion-uae-dubai-outlets

Shakeys Pizza its actual birthplace was in Sacramento on J@57 street but its Sacramento area outlets are forgotten but Shakeys has become a bigger brand in the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.

[inkyatari]

Ames.

I don't miss Ames. They ruined Zayre and a local discount chain, Hornsby's

[hbelkins]

On Saturday I visited the only Druther's restaurant left in the world. It's in Campbellsville, Ky.

Druther's originally started out as Burger Queen and in many small Kentucky towns, was the first (and sometimes only) fast-food restaurant there.

Dairy Queen bought out Druther's in the early 1990s and most of the Kentucky locations either converted to DQ or closed down.

Although no longer part of a chain, the Campbellsville location still has a hot food bar and the Andy Dandytales kids meals that the chain featured. I got a double cheeseburger and it tasted just like I remember them tasting back in the 1980s. It was doing a brisk business when I was there shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday.

I also stopped by the only Rax Roast Beef left in Kentucky earlier in the day. It's in Harlan but wasn't open yet when I was there. The one in Ironton, Ohio, is probably a closer drive to me than the one in Harlan, although the one in Harlan may be closer as the crow flies.

[ftballfan]

Hot 'n' Now has one location left, in Sturgis, MI. I grabbed some food from there and it was good.

I never went to one when they were more prevalent. They did have some odd location choices. For example, there was a Hot 'n' Now in Hart, but not in the nearby larger communities of Ludington or Manistee.

Here are a list of former locations of restaurant chains in Michigan: http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/forgottenmi/former/former.html

[Hurricane Rex]

Blockbuster is closing its last Oregon location in Sandy. I miss those days (even though I was like 3).

[formulanone]

Hot 'n' Now has one location left, in Sturgis, MI. I grabbed some food from there and it was good.

We had a few of them in South Florida in the early-90s, and I thought they'd all disappeared.

When I had a project in Sturgis about 5 years ago, I hit it up for old times' sake. It wasn't spectacular nor disappointing; considering they seemed to operating on an ad lib basis with no glossy promotional gimmicks, and no obvious corporate standard to follow, other than the signage. In short, it was as if a traditional mom-and-pop was trying out their first drive thru.

I had a cheeseburger and tater tots, and that was an okay lunch.

[jp the roadgeek]

Ames.

I don't miss Ames. They ruined Zayre and a local discount chain, Hornsby's

And Ames's sudden expansion beyond the northeast as far west as Iowa is what killed them.  I remember seeing an Ames advertising sign at the old RCA Dome in Indianapolis watching an NFL postgame report.  In 2 years they were closing up, little by little, getting closer and closer to their headquarters in Rocky Hill, CT.  And then poof, they were gone.   15 years later,  their headquarters building still sits abandoned.

https://goo.gl/maps/y9JiwNtPg4R2

[ftballfan]

Ames.

I don't miss Ames. They ruined Zayre and a local discount chain, Hornsby's

And Ames's sudden expansion beyond the northeast as far west as Iowa is what killed them.  I remember seeing an Ames advertising sign at the old RCA Dome in Indianapolis watching an NFL postgame report.  In 2 years they were closing up, little by little, getting closer and closer to their headquarters in Rocky Hill, CT.  And then poof, they were gone.   15 years later,  their headquarters building still sits abandoned.

https://goo.gl/maps/y9JiwNtPg4R2

Ames went from 700 stores in 1998 to chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002. One of the quickest falls in retail history

[Brandon]

Ames.

I don't miss Ames. They ruined Zayre and a local discount chain, Hornsby's

And Ames's sudden expansion beyond the northeast as far west as Iowa is what killed them.  I remember seeing an Ames advertising sign at the old RCA Dome in Indianapolis watching an NFL postgame report.  In 2 years they were closing up, little by little, getting closer and closer to their headquarters in Rocky Hill, CT.  And then poof, they were gone.   15 years later,  their headquarters building still sits abandoned.

https://goo.gl/maps/y9JiwNtPg4R2

Ames went from 700 stores in 1998 to chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002. One of the quickest falls in retail history

Yep, and it was the second time Ames came to Chicagoland.  First was after they bought Zayre (1988-1990).  The left two years later.  Again, in 1998, leaving yet again within two years.  One would think they'd have learned their lesson about expanding too fast.

[SectorZ]

Ames.

I don't miss Ames. They ruined Zayre and a local discount chain, Hornsby's

And Ames's sudden expansion beyond the northeast as far west as Iowa is what killed them.  I remember seeing an Ames advertising sign at the old RCA Dome in Indianapolis watching an NFL postgame report.  In 2 years they were closing up, little by little, getting closer and closer to their headquarters in Rocky Hill, CT.  And then poof, they were gone.   15 years later,  their headquarters building still sits abandoned.

https://goo.gl/maps/y9JiwNtPg4R2

Lots of their stores still sit abandoned 15 years later too, some with signage still up like in Seabrook NH.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9006897,-70.8700442,3a,75y,132.61h,91.11t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sukY-aJi1XXNE6KefxQwwFQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DukY-aJi1XXNE6KefxQwwFQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D39.183918%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

[jeffandnicole]

Ames.

I don't miss Ames. They ruined Zayre and a local discount chain, Hornsby's

And Ames's sudden expansion beyond the northeast as far west as Iowa is what killed them.  I remember seeing an Ames advertising sign at the old RCA Dome in Indianapolis watching an NFL postgame report.  In 2 years they were closing up, little by little, getting closer and closer to their headquarters in Rocky Hill, CT.  And then poof, they were gone.   15 years later,  their headquarters building still sits abandoned.

https://goo.gl/maps/y9JiwNtPg4R2

Lots of their stores still sit abandoned 15 years later too, some with signage still up like in Seabrook NH.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9006897,-70.8700442,3a,75y,132.61h,91.11t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sukY-aJi1XXNE6KefxQwwFQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DukY-aJi1XXNE6KefxQwwFQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D39.183918%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

That's impressive, honestly!

There used to be an Ames in a shopping center in Deptford, NJ.  Many years after it closed, it and the rest of the shopping center was torn down.  A Walmart now sits there. 

What was interesting/funny/NIMBYism-at-its-worse, was when the shopping center was an Ames various one-off Supermarkets and a few other stores, with a parking lot that hadn't been repaved in 30 years, no one seem to complain.  After it was all torn down and a Walmart was going to move it, people in the area had a fit that they would be using the site for a Walmart! 

Based on NJ's zoning laws, the town couldn't deny a business moving in to a site that was already commercial in nature, especially considering the site's size and previous use, so the nearby whiners couldn't exactly do too much about it.  The last laugh against the whiners was Walmart originally said they were going to build a traditional store, then probably add on a supermarket later on.  Because this was around the same time Walmart was extensively building the larger 'Super' Walmart, their site plan was amended and became one of their largest stores!

[doorknob60]

Blockbuster is closing its last Oregon location in Sandy. I miss those days (even though I was like 3).

Isn't the one in Bend still open? This article indicates it is, in addition to the Redmond one: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/12/blockbuster_in_sandy_one_of_10.html Goes to show how shitty BendBroadband is. I hated them (though their prices are a lot more fair now than when I lived there, it was highway robbery with their data caps and overage charges for a while, far far worse than the usual offenders like Comcast back then).

[cl94]

Ames.

I don't miss Ames. They ruined Zayre and a local discount chain, Hornsby's

And Ames's sudden expansion beyond the northeast as far west as Iowa is what killed them.  I remember seeing an Ames advertising sign at the old RCA Dome in Indianapolis watching an NFL postgame report.  In 2 years they were closing up, little by little, getting closer and closer to their headquarters in Rocky Hill, CT.  And then poof, they were gone.   15 years later,  their headquarters building still sits abandoned.

https://goo.gl/maps/y9JiwNtPg4R2

Lots of their stores still sit abandoned 15 years later too, some with signage still up like in Seabrook NH.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9006897,-70.8700442,3a,75y,132.61h,91.11t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sukY-aJi1XXNE6KefxQwwFQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DukY-aJi1XXNE6KefxQwwFQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D39.183918%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

That's impressive, honestly!

There used to be an Ames in a shopping center in Deptford, NJ.  Many years after it closed, it and the rest of the shopping center was torn down.  A Walmart now sits there. 

What was interesting/funny/NIMBYism-at-its-worse, was when the shopping center was an Ames various one-off Supermarkets and a few other stores, with a parking lot that hadn't been repaved in 30 years, no one seem to complain.  After it was all torn down and a Walmart was going to move it, people in the area had a fit that they would be using the site for a Walmart! 

Based on NJ's zoning laws, the town couldn't deny a business moving in to a site that was already commercial in nature, especially considering the site's size and previous use, so the nearby whiners couldn't exactly do too much about it.  The last laugh against the whiners was Walmart originally said they were going to build a traditional store, then probably add on a supermarket later on.  Because this was around the same time Walmart was extensively building the larger 'Super' Walmart, their site plan was amended and became one of their largest stores!

There are a ton of abandoned Ames stores that still have signage. Elmira, NY (on former NY 13/14/17) is one, with signs still up as of Friday.

[jp the roadgeek]

Ames.

I don't miss Ames. They ruined Zayre and a local discount chain, Hornsby's

And Ames's sudden expansion beyond the northeast as far west as Iowa is what killed them.  I remember seeing an Ames advertising sign at the old RCA Dome in Indianapolis watching an NFL postgame report.  In 2 years they were closing up, little by little, getting closer and closer to their headquarters in Rocky Hill, CT.  And then poof, they were gone.   15 years later,  their headquarters building still sits abandoned.

https://goo.gl/maps/y9JiwNtPg4R2

Lots of their stores still sit abandoned 15 years later too, some with signage still up like in Seabrook NH.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9006897,-70.8700442,3a,75y,132.61h,91.11t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sukY-aJi1XXNE6KefxQwwFQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DukY-aJi1XXNE6KefxQwwFQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D39.183918%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

That's impressive, honestly!

There used to be an Ames in a shopping center in Deptford, NJ.  Many years after it closed, it and the rest of the shopping center was torn down.  A Walmart now sits there. 

What was interesting/funny/NIMBYism-at-its-worse, was when the shopping center was an Ames various one-off Supermarkets and a few other stores, with a parking lot that hadn't been repaved in 30 years, no one seem to complain.  After it was all torn down and a Walmart was going to move it, people in the area had a fit that they would be using the site for a Walmart! 

Based on NJ's zoning laws, the town couldn't deny a business moving in to a site that was already commercial in nature, especially considering the site's size and previous use, so the nearby whiners couldn't exactly do too much about it.  The last laugh against the whiners was Walmart originally said they were going to build a traditional store, then probably add on a supermarket later on.  Because this was around the same time Walmart was extensively building the larger 'Super' Walmart, their site plan was amended and became one of their largest stores!

There are a ton of abandoned Ames stores that still have signage. Elmira, NY (on former NY 13/14/17) is one, with signs still up as of Friday.

Most of them in CT have been filled.  The one in my town (originally a Zayre's) was subdivided into a furniture store and Bed Bath & Beyond.  A couple became Lowe's, one of which is already closed down.  A few became stores like Big Lots. One even became a supermarket.  The one near the headquarters is now a branch of a regional technical college.

[Rothman]

Zayre's in Hadley, MA was in the same shopping center as a Stop & Shop.  Stop & Shop moved into the Zayre space, remodeling it into a "Super Stop & Shop" and its old space in the center became a large liquor store.

[US71]

Mattress Firm may be joining the party, soon.

[inkyatari]

Mattress Firm may be joining the party, soon.

I think they'll be OK after closing 200 of their 2,345,673.932 stores.

[Brandon]

Mattress Firm may be joining the party, soon.

I think they'll be OK after closing 200 of their 2,345,673.932 stores.

Shit, they could close two by the mall and still have one left over for all of anyone's needs.  Even closing one of two at Black and 59 should be an option.  Really, two Mattress Firms kitty corner from each other?

[LM117]

You know Mattress Firm has too many damn stores when you can literally walk less than a mile from one store to another.

[D-Dey65]

Saw a trailer for another defunct retailer tonight: Heilig-Meyers furniture. Yes, I put my car in the photo.

I know of a bunch of trailers for PathMark Supermarkets... in Garden Grove, FLORIDA!

BTW, I went to the last Horne's restaurant and gas station on my way up to NYC last month.

[jp the roadgeek]

Mattress Firm may be joining the party, soon.

I think they'll be OK after closing 200 of their 2,345,673.932 stores.

Their purchase of Sleepy's is what the Hills purchase was to Ames.  They spread themselves too thin and now they're cutting back little by little.  It's becoming a running joke in my area that Dunkin Donuts and Mattress Firm ought to join forces because there is one of each every 500 feet it seems.

[Hurricane Rex]

Mattress Firm may be joining the party, soon.

Its not going to be the end of then because they are the mattress store giant for the country.

[Rothman]

A Mattress Firm replaced a Dunkin Donuts here in Albany.  Of course, there was a Dunkin Donuts in the mall behind the standalone store, too.

[ftballfan]

Mattress Firm may be joining the party, soon.

Its not going to be the end of then because they are the mattress store giant for the country.

Even after they close 200 stores, there will still be over 3,200 Mattress Firm stores nationwide

[inkyatari]

Mattress Firm may be joining the party, soon.

I think they'll be OK after closing 200 of their 2,345,673.932 stores.

Shit, they could close two by the mall and still have one left over for all of anyone's needs.  Even closing one of two at Black and 59 should be an option.  Really, two Mattress Firms kitty corner from each other?

Freakonomics Radio had a great episode a few years ago asking the question "Why are there so many mattress stores?"

The episode highlights a guy driving US 41 in Schererville, IN.  It's a great listen..

http://freakonomics.com/podcast/mattress-store-bubble/