Defunct restaurant chains and retailers

[Bobby5280]

There is a Big Lots DC across the river in Durant that is closing. Fortunately workers can commute 25 miles to Sherman, where the jobs are.

Are you talking about the distribution center there or a retail store?

I suppose they could commute to Sherman unless they get jobs at other retailers in Durant. I imagine the Choctaw Nation employs a decent number of people there, either at the Casino-Hotel complex on the South side of town or the other Choctaw Nation offices in town.

[kphoger]

There is a Big Lots DC across the river in Durant that is closing. Fortunately workers can commute 25 miles to Sherman, where the jobs are.

Are you talking about the distribution center there or a retail store?

I suppose they could commute to Sherman unless they get jobs at other retailers in Durant. I imagine the Choctaw Nation employs a decent number of people there, either at the Casino-Hotel complex on the South side of town or the other Choctaw Nation offices in town.

I think both the store and the DC are closing.

[kkt]

Joann Fabric & Crafts just bit the dust.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/joann-shutter-800-fabric-stores-find-buyer-locations-rcna193536

My former boss shopped there every month or so.  Very crafty.  She'll miss them.

[Road Hog]

Joann is more of a strip mall fixture in these parts, but they're a big player in the commercial space and that's going to leave a mark.

[TheCatalyst31]

Joann Fabric & Crafts just bit the dust.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/joann-shutter-800-fabric-stores-find-buyer-locations-rcna193536

I went to one of their going out of business sales today, and it was incredibly busy. A lot of my crafty friends are mourning their loss. It makes me think they had a market and either fumbled the bag with bad business strategy or got bled to death by private equity (or both).

[Scott5114]

Joann Fabric & Crafts just bit the dust.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/joann-shutter-800-fabric-stores-find-buyer-locations-rcna193536

I went to one of their going out of business sales today, and it was incredibly busy. A lot of my crafty friends are mourning their loss. It makes me think they had a market and either fumbled the bag with bad business strategy or got bled to death by private equity (or both).

It was the latter, from what I've read.

[vdeane]

It's really unfortunate; is there anyone else in that market segment other than Hobby Lobby?

[Scott5114]

It's really unfortunate; is there anyone else in that market segment other than Hobby Lobby?

Michaels and Dick Blick have some overlap, but fabrics aren't their specialty. For that, there's lots of online retailers. There are one or two zombie Hancock Fabrics around (a la the zombie Blockbuster in Oregon).

Wouldn't set foot in a Hoblob if you paid me. Even beyond their politics, the Greens are notorious in OKC for being assholes who treat their employees like garbage. (Main warehouse in OKC has no A/C...enough said.) Then there was that whole thing where they were stealing archaeological artifacts from the Middle East. Total shitshow of a company.

[roadman65]

Heard America's largest breaststaurant chain Hooters field Chapter 11.

They've already scaled back stores and closed many locations, but it's not enough.  As the Buffalo Wing Market is very competitive for them and the outfits they wear are nothing compared to what gals are wearing these days so it's nothing to see a waitress in a skimpy outfit anymore.

[thenetwork]

Joann's was strictly a fabric store originally.  When the 1980s came along, former stay-at-home moms were needing to join the workforce to provide a second income for their families.  That meant less time and interest for people to make their own clothes.

Minnesota Fabrics and So Fro Fabrics were other fabric-only store chains that were out of business by the 90s.  Joann's tried to reinvent themselves by adding crafts to their repertoire, which added a few decades to their existence. But the writing was on the wall, and stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby dominated the market. 

I think Joann's tried too hard to keep their bread-and-butter (fabrics) going within the stores, and should have converted even more retail space to arts and crafts than textiles.  But IMHO, their time had come and gone and they survived longer than what they should have.

Some of the Walmarts have a fabric and crafts department, and I think they have a good ratio of crafts to fabric inventory.  Again, the era of making clothes at home is at an all time low, thanks to an abundance of cheap, overseas clothing and the retailers that sell it.

[SectorZ]

Some of the Walmarts have a fabric and crafts department, and I think they have a good ratio of crafts to fabric inventory.  Again, the era of making clothes at home is at an all time low, thanks to an abundance of cheap, overseas clothing and the retailers that sell it.

Do any Walmarts have fabric depts anymore? The one I worked in 25-30 years ago did, and since I worked in a dept. next to it and it was so frequently unstaffed I just learned how to cut fabric rather than trying to find the people who were supposed to be working in it.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Heard America's largest breaststaurant chain Hooters field Chapter 11.

They've already scaled back stores and closed many locations, but it's not enough.  As the Buffalo Wing Market is very competitive for them and the outfits they wear are nothing compared to what gals are wearing these days so it's nothing to see a waitress in a skimpy outfit anymore.

If your food sucks, no amount of cleavage will save you.

[LilianaUwU]

Yet another thing the Internet replaced, and replaced it extremely well, to a point where some claim the Internet is only for porn.

[Rothman]

Heard America's largest breaststaurant chain Hooters field Chapter 11.

They've already scaled back stores and closed many locations, but it's not enough.  As the Buffalo Wing Market is very competitive for them and the outfits they wear are nothing compared to what gals are wearing these days so it's nothing to see a waitress in a skimpy outfit anymore.

If your food sucks, no amount of cleavage will save you.

I'll never forget what a near-to-retirement co-worker said: "When I'm eating a burger, I don't want boobs in my face."  Her wisdom will long outlive her.

[roadman65]

Yet another thing the Internet replaced, and replaced it extremely well, to a point where some claim the Internet is only for porn.

Like the Baptist Church.  Many claim the fact before the net, porn could only be bought in the big city and shops were in the skuzzo parts and when you walked in you got the creeps being in there alone and an immigrant store owner was behind the counter with a poker face and monotone voice making your conscience nudge you.

Now just go on line and watch in the privacy of your own home.

It was on a Christian Radio Talk show once as they bring it up every so often as porn has become a problem for sinners in modern times.  Guests would not blame the net, but point the fact that before the Internet, porn was in places like New York, Chicago, New Orleans, etc.  Now it's in your PC.

The Wings I have to say are pretty good and after we would volunteer at a fundraiser at the former Orlando Citrus Bowl the owner of the concession we worked at would treat us for our hard work and buy us a platter of Hooters Wings and we would chow down.

[GaryV]

My wife just got another online ad from JoAnn's. Even though the store seldom has anything that's in the ad in stock. When she was there this weekend to see if she could pick up anything good on clearance, one of the workers said there's a lot of stuff still in the back room but they now have so few employees there's no one available to put it out on the floor.

[hotdogPi]

Regarding adult shops in big cities: I can't speak for pre-Internet, but there are currently several adult shops in New Hampshire very close to the Massachusetts border, likely due to differences in state laws. While this area is retail hell (due to being tax-free), I would not call anything other than Nashua a big city. They do have more than porn, though; they also have things like lubricants and sex toys. (I've never stepped inside, so I don't know everything they sell.)

[formulanone]

Some of the Walmarts have a fabric and crafts department, and I think they have a good ratio of crafts to fabric inventory.  Again, the era of making clothes at home is at an all time low, thanks to an abundance of cheap, overseas clothing and the retailers that sell it.

I like that some Walmarts have a fabric section; it's the quietest location in any store, so you almost hear yourself think or have a short conversation in relative peace.

(With company, or course.)

[roadman65]

Regarding adult shops in big cities: I can't speak for pre-Internet, but there are currently several adult shops in New Hampshire very close to the Massachusetts border, likely due to differences in state laws. While this area is retail hell (due to being tax-free), I would not call anything other than Nashua a big city. They do have more than porn, though; they also have things like lubricants and sex toys. (I've never stepped inside, so I don't know everything they sell.)

It's like Nevada having Casinos at their state borders entries.  They do it to attract others from their neighboring states to be customers or like in Texarkana when Bowie County was Dry,  State Line Avenue has lots of liquor stores on Miller County, AR side of the street to attract customers from the Dry County.

[jeffandnicole]

(I've never stepped inside, so I don't know everything they sell.)

But we need a full report with inventory.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Regarding adult shops in big cities: I can't speak for pre-Internet, but there are currently several adult shops in New Hampshire very close to the Massachusetts border, likely due to differences in state laws. While this area is retail hell (due to being tax-free), I would not call anything other than Nashua a big city. They do have more than porn, though; they also have things like lubricants and sex toys. (I've never stepped inside, so I don't know everything they sell.)

Sexworld has been a downtown Minneapolis staple for decades.

[JayhawkCO]

Heard America's largest breaststaurant chain Hooters field Chapter 11.

They've already scaled back stores and closed many locations, but it's not enough.  As the Buffalo Wing Market is very competitive for them and the outfits they wear are nothing compared to what gals are wearing these days so it's nothing to see a waitress in a skimpy outfit anymore.

If your food sucks, no amount of cleavage will save you.

Agreed. I've never gone there "for the views", but their wings are small and their sauces aren't particularly good. I'd much rather go to BWW if I want a chain wing place.

[vdeane]

Like the Baptist Church.  Many claim the fact before the net, porn could only be bought in the big city and shops were in the skuzzo parts and when you walked in you got the creeps being in there alone and an immigrant store owner was behind the counter with a poker face and monotone voice making your conscience nudge you.

Now just go on line and watch in the privacy of your own home.

It was on a Christian Radio Talk show once as they bring it up every so often as porn has become a problem for sinners in modern times.  Guests would not blame the net, but point the fact that before the Internet, porn was in places like New York, Chicago, New Orleans, etc.  Now it's in your PC.

We might be moving closer to something like that again with age gate legislation that requires people to prove their age by enabling their webcam for AI to analyze their face and/or uploading a scan of their ID.  Who wants a sketchy website to know who they are and have the data sold to who knows who?

[kphoger]

If your food sucks, no amount of cleavage will save you.

That's what I heard growing up:  that the food at Hooters wasn't very good.  But I had some coworkers who would occasionally bring back lunch from Hooters, and I must say that their club sandwich was top notch.  That's the only thing I've eaten from Hooters, but it was excellent.

Yet another thing the Internet replaced, and replaced it extremely well, to a point where some claim the Internet is only for porn.

Like the Baptist Church.

As if "the Baptist Church" is one thing?  Seriously, no religion is more famously fragmented than Baptist Christianity.

[SEWIGuy]

As if "the Baptist Church" is one thing?  Seriously, no religion is more famously fragmented than Baptist Christianity.

Lutherans are like "hold my beer."