Do You Remember The Akron Stores?

There were 23 stores that covered San Francisco to San Diego. They started in 1940s and were all closed by 1985. This is their brief history. This is another viewer suggested video.

[@alanasdad]

My wife's grandfather was Hyman Fink, the founder of The Akron. We have all sorts of really cool Akron stuff. He passed awayin late February 2020 from natural causes weeks short of his 103rd birthday, just as the pandemic was starting to rage.

[@EricCProductions76]

that is awesome. Thanks for sharing that nice piece of history.

[@josephfink664]

this comment is how I realized that the Hyman Fink here is not my grandfather, who was also named Hyman Fink and who also founded a successful retail business in Los Angeles, but who died in the early 90s.

[@cherylchristmas2802]

Hi, I loved this store as a child growing up in Oxnard, CA. It was always an adventure! The pricing allowed every member of the family including children to purchase something. I am sorry about the business model weaknesses but you have a proud legacy of bringing goods and happiness to working class families.❤

[@Tex-Mex-John]

I worked at the Hollywood store in the late 60's early 70's. I remember Hyman would on occasion visit the store and greet the employees by their first name. He was a very nice and personable.

[@alexrodriguez9441]

My Aunt moved to Hong Kong in 1976 and started sending me beautiful diecast metal Japanese robot toys for xmas and birthdays. I was very young at the time, and the earliest I remember was a very heavy Mekanda Robo by Bullmark, in a really eye-popping box. This was before Mattel brought out Shogun Warriors toys in the states, so Japanese robot toys were quite strange and exotic. By '78, my parents had started shopping at the Akron store on Sunset in Los Angeles, which was a shadowy warren of macrame plant hangers, little cans of cooked escargot conveniently packed with shells and serving tongs, bootleg Star Wars merch, wicker chairs, and a shelf in the middle of the store dedicated to dozens of different Japanese diecast robot toys, Popy and Bullmark and Takatoku, all packed in styrofoam and dirt cheap. I have lovely memories of hanging out at that store on Sunday afternoons while my Dad hunted for off-brand stereo equipment. They had a display of those lamps with the statue of a bathing lady surrounded by a toroidal web of fishing line down which little beads of colored oil would drip, but my Mom thought the lamps tacky, so they would have to wait for a less discerning customer to take them home.

[@cmorales932]

What isn’t mentioned is in their heyday The Akron offered a unique shopping experience. Often one of a kind imported goods,just here while supplied lasted. It was as if they sought out these interesting items, offered at great prices. By the mid 70’s the uniqueness was rapidly disappearing and it became just another retail store.

[@Tex-Mex-John]

As I stated above, I worked the Hollywood store in the late 60's early 70's. We sold crazy stuff like used Fire Hydrants, used Traffic signals, small motorcycles, and the collectors went crazy when we had a sale on Bus Token collector boxes...People would go nuts for those...

[@aulnapal]

I lived in San Francisco and enjoyed going to Akron with my family. It was only a block from Cost Plus. It’s too bad they have both closed.

[@cherylchristmas2802]

Thank you! As a childhood nostalgia nerd. I loved this information about one of my favorite stores as a child. They had everything! Keep up the good work.😁

[@EricCProductions76]

thanks for sharing your memories

[@GenTikki]

I still miss The Akron in the 60’s & 70’s

[@Renegadeproject]

I remember Akron it was close to where we lived on Sepulveda Blvd

[@its.just.connie_3]

GOOD MEMORIES OF THISE STORES

[@ONEDAYATATIMERESELLER]

I was still a kid... Great video

[@EricCProductions76]

thanks for watching. I am going to eventually remake the Newberry video.

[@TheMarninster]

Why at 2:40 are you showing a picture of the Ross store in Miracle Mile the exploded from a methane leak in 1985?

[@kathleencalhoun2225]

I completely forgot about this store. In Whittier, the Akron was adjacent to the Thrifty's Drug Store and was a small one. I even remember one of the things I bought there: an Oriental-looking jewelry chest which I must have given away because I don't have it anymore.

[@EricCProductions76]

Thanks for sharing that awesome memory.

[@dianewright8660]

Hi Eric, how about a video about Mervyn's dept. stores. They use to be big here in California.

[@EricCProductions76]

I actually made a video on that store in some of my earlier videos (before I started narrating them) kzbin.info/www/bejne/omfJqoybhbSko8U

[@EricCProductions76]

I have a video that you will like that will be released next week. Watch for it. Thanks.

[@markbright2918]

Two akron stores that come to mind for me was Anaheim Plaza which opened next to the Broadway, The second was Beach Blvd in Anaheim/Buena Park. The beach blvd store would later become an early circuit city store.

[@EricCProductions76]

I know that area well. Thanks for the input.

[@juanserrano5629]

Can you do Chuck E Cheese's/Show biz pizza and Chi Chi's also Long John's Silver video next please 😇👍📲✨ps what your sons name