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Defunct restaurant chains and retailers

Started by Stephane Dumas, September 05, 2016, 03:33:50 PM

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abefroman329

We have a power recliner we bought shortly before the birth of our son, and the USB port is a pretty neat feature, especially since we don't really have any other phone chargers in our living room, and my wife and I spent A LOT of time in that recliner back when he would really only sleep on one of us.

I also installed electrical outlets with USB ports in our bedroom, and that's a pretty nifty trick too; no need for a sync cable and a plug, just need the cable.


briantroutman

Quote from: ErmineNotyours on April 04, 2019, 12:33:51 AM
Noticed this in Fresno: Circuit City became Furniture City.  Slight reduction in technology.

Well, at least they fabricated some new letters (and did a reasonably decent job at it, too–I'm somewhat impressed).

In a similar situation, after Borders went out of business, a location on 19th Ave. in San Francisco became "ODE" –a used bookstore–by simply removing a few letters. The "Books - Music - Cafe"  subhead was kept as-is.



But keeping an old sign on a new business is nothing new. The Sheraton hotel chain–today having hundreds of locations around the world–is so named because the owners of a small Massachusetts hotel chain (back in the '30s) bought a hotel in Boston with huge letters atop spelling "SHERATON HOTEL" . The owners couldn't afford to change the rooftop sign, so they decided to rename their other hotels (and their company) Sheraton. Thus this "second hand"  name was spread around the world.

roadman65

#752
Tops Appliance City in the NY Metro Area was a one store location that was originally on Route 27 in Edison, NJ. When he opened his second store in Brooklyn on Cropsey Avenue and then another (I think in Kew Gardens, Queens) he went belly up completely.

He also was one to refer to his competitors as "Dirtbags" as his later catchphrase was "Don't buy appliances from a dirtbag!  Come to Tops!"

Who is old enough to remember JGE Appliances in New York?  Hey Jerry, what's the story?  I think he went belly up over a scandal of bad quality merchandise.  Jerry Rosenthal or Rosenburg ran that outfit for union members as you had to be in a union to shop there.

[Merged posts. -S.]
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

KEVIN_224

Sound Playground was an electronics/appliances chain in Connecticut. Their TV ads often featured character actor Michael Vale. I met him at a Panasonic event there in August of 1991. It was the Newington, CT location. Cool guy. Most people remembered him as Fred the Baker in the old school Dunkin' Donuts commercials. ("Time to make the donuts!")

Rothman

Did they not have any locations in MA?  Like in Springfield?  The Sound Playground commercials played on Springfield TV stations as well.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

KEVIN_224

I think they were in NEWINGTON (northbound side of Berlin Turnpike before the Wethersfield town line), Orange and West Springfield, MA.

Rothman

Orange?  Really?  Back then?  Orange was cruddier back then than it is now.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

KEVIN_224


Big John


Brandon

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

roadman65

Kmart in Central Florida is defunct.  I am surprised they still have stores in other markets.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

roadman65

Not a chain, but definitely defunct.  For those of you who drove NY 17 through Orange County, NY probably remember the historic Red Apple Rest.
http://roadarch.com/05/5/rest3.jpg
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

D-Dey65

Quote from: roadman65 on April 05, 2019, 10:46:37 PM
He also was one to refer to his competitors as "Dirtbags" as his later catchphrase was "Don't buy appliances from a dirtbag!  Come to Tops!"
Some people in my family used to suspect that one of the "dirtbags" in those commercials was A.J. Richards, or one of his sons. My mother used to work for P.C. Richards' customer service department.

Quote from: roadman65 on April 05, 2019, 10:46:37 PM
Who is old enough to remember JGE Appliances in New York?  Hey Jerry, what's the story?  I think he went belly up over a scandal of bad quality merchandise.  Jerry Rosenthal or Rosenburg ran that outfit for union members as you had to be in a union to shop there.
Not only am I old enough, I actually created the Wikipedia article on Rosenberg. There's still a lot of info missing on the guy.


Brandon

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

kevinb1994


Brandon

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

RobbieL2415

All those boutique chains use child laborers, maybe even from the same manufacturers.

Brandon

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 01, 2019, 09:10:27 PM
All those boutique chains use contractors who may or may not use child laborers, maybe even from the same manufacturers.

FIFY.  They never make the apparel themselves.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

RobbieL2415

Quote from: Brandon on September 01, 2019, 09:57:33 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 01, 2019, 09:10:27 PM
All those boutique chains use contractors who may or may not use child laborers, maybe even from the same manufacturers.

FIFY.  They never make the apparel themselves.
American Apparel did, until Gilead bought them out.

Brandon

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 02, 2019, 11:56:00 AM
Quote from: Brandon on September 01, 2019, 09:57:33 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 01, 2019, 09:10:27 PM
All those boutique chains use contractors who may or may not use child laborers, maybe even from the same manufacturers.

FIFY.  They never make the apparel themselves.
American Apparel did, until Gilead bought them out.

However, they typically boasted of making their apparel in LA.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

roadman65

Golden Skillet and Steak & Eggs.  Two greasy spoons that bit the dust, though the former had one in Hackettstown, NJ even when I left there in 1990.  Do not know if that one is still around as that was one of the few left.

Pappy's Pizza in DE and PA went under, but I believe that Johnstown, PA still has the one and only left.

Chesapeake Seafood House was a chain in VA and PA, but closed all but one and the one left was in the Potomac Mills Mall parking lot near Dale City, VA.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

roadman65

How about this defunct Ross type of store in New York.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

D-Dey65

#772
Quote from: roadman65 on September 11, 2019, 12:00:43 AM
How about this defunct Ross type of store in New York.

Mays is in real estate now.

http://www.jwmays.com/

Speaking of Ross, I once suspected the Ross department stores might've been affiliated with Ross Bicycles.


roadman65

Quote from: D-Dey65 on September 13, 2019, 02:34:32 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 11, 2019, 12:00:43 AM
How about this defunct Ross type of store in New York.

Mays is in real estate now.

http://www.jwmays.com/

Speaking of Ross, I once suspected the Ross department stores might've been affiliated with Ross Bicycles.


Just like Two Guys went into Real Estate where the money is.

Speaking of Mays, I was trying to find the older commercials of theirs, where it has a verse to the jingle and features a TV on the fritz and the man trying to watch it throwing a magazine at it.  That was the best of their ads.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

GCrites

Schottenstein's/Value City also left discount retail for real estate. The Value City Furniture stores have remained active though.



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