What's Left of Circuit City, Toys R Us & Blockbuster?

[@billm8442]

This shopping season my wife informed me there are Toy-R-Us sections in Macys now

[@LiamMichael-zr1uz]

Thanks for the nostalgic look back. I spent so much time in all of those places, but I think I miss Toys R Us the most! (Just a big kid at heart) :)

[@waltciii3]

The Culver City Circuit City became that Sprouts you showed! It's on Sepulveda and Slauson.

[@robtman9199]

Nice video on the old times. I remember the smell of Toys R us, wonderful store to go in. Miss them. So many old stores and fun places from the 60s and 70s have vanished. Thanks for a nice walk back in time. Happy New Year.

[@stellatuifao2]

Thank you for this episode of Not Forgotten Stores.. Those Stores are so dear to everybody’s heart. I do have a Store in mind, a bookstore 📚 name Borders’. That was my favorite store I love the most. Of course Barnes and Noble still around but Borders was my favorite store and Tower Records 💿 Those also but breaks my heart 😭😭😭

[@fj-revisited]

I have an enduring memory of a late-night, low-budget TV commercial from the late 70s for a teeny Ford dealership on Reseda Bl. between Sherman Wy and Saticoy St, “Town and Country Ford.” The guy was a bit of a Valley Cal Worthington but far, far smaller. On the commercials he wore a huge cowboy hat, and as the jingle sang, “Town & Country / In Reseda…” he would tip his hat and close with, “I’m easy!” 😂 So hokey yet adorable.

[@dtna]

In L.A. County, all of the malls have a high vacancy rate, except for the Arcadia Mall, Del Amo Mall and the Newport Center. Everyone is shopping online. Please do a video on Balboa Island!

[@dwstrat1377]

@dtna malls charge way too much to rent or lease a space. Gamestop used to rent them out in malls across the country for 8-10k a month. Thats a lot to have to pay a month to anyone

[@wjgraham63]

Also, I miss Borders bookstore!

[@bbartky]

Yea, I really miss the one in Santa Barbara. 😢

[@katinacarson-hunwi7297]

The nostalgia of seeing these old buildings. Sometimes, it’s sad they aren’t around anymore, but also, the times have changed.

[@bbartky]

Near me, the old Blockbuster is now an O’Reily’s Auto Parts while the old Circuit City is a Trader Joes. And absolutely nothing left of the Toys R Us exists. The chain I really miss is Fry’s. 😢 So many things I bought from them like tower PC power supplies and memory chips I have to buy online now. It was so nice to buy that stuff and have it in my hands the same day.

[@howardb.6205]

Looking sharp bro! Happy new year!

[@BongoX2x2]

When I was 17 I worked as a electronic repair tech. I did all the warranty repairs in my area as we were the only manufacturer authorized center. Fun fact: all the electronics big box stores like Federated, Adrays, Circuit city were the same store. They would basically bankrupt the store on paper, change names, “sell” the products to “another store”, start again. Best Buy is the current iteration.

[@teresaavalos4804]

Thanks for making this video. I still rememeber when Circuit City, Toys R Us, and Blockbuster were operating.

[@MrJojo2go]

Cool video, as always. I was surprised to see on a thumbnail Circuit City!!! Thanks again!!! 👍🏻😀👍🏾🇵🇭🇺🇲🇨🇦

[@ericfielding2540]

I still have my Blockbuster card. Thanks for the interesting visits.

[@OddityOdysseys]

That sounds like a great collector's item to have!

[@boxborolad]

Crazy! Fun episode & lots of nostalgia! Keep the great content coming. Cheers

[@lincomatic]

Souplantation! There's still a real one open in Tucson, AZ. But you can find a really cool almost perfect facsimile called Soup n Fresh in Rancho Cucamonga. It's in a former actual Souplantation, and the resemblance is eerie, down to the layout of the salad ingredients and soups. You should go check it out and make a video. Pure nostalgia!

[@PaladinPierce]

I miss the many Fry's that were scattered about, but they went out of business fairly recently just before covid. There seems to be some incarnation of them now called Fry's Marketplace as some kind of food and drug venue and are even selling some electronics on site.

[@waltciii3]

There's a separate Fry's Grocery store in Northern California. They split from Frys Electronics in the 1970's.

[@smmichie]

@@waltciii3Fry’s supermarkets in Northern California all closed in the late 90’s. But there are plenty of Fry’s markets in Arizona

[@thekingpug8281]

1:38 thanks show our circus city in Burbank downtown 😊❤

[@howardb.6205]

I worked there for a couple days unloading stuff in the warehouse when I was a teenager

[@deathk26]

Good old Circuit City. Many years ago it used to be part of the rounds my dad and I took to electronics/computer stores on the weekends (that and Best Buy, CompUSA, etc).

[@maindrianpace6898]

I grew up next door to the Circuit City on Victory. It used to be a Albertsons before that in the early 80’s. That was a nice store, I so wish I would have seen you guys there to say hi ❤

[@noahcount7132]

If there's one thing we can count on, it's change, and this edition of Oddity Odysseys is proof positive. Very clever and very nostalgic, Drew and Bethany. 👍

[@NathanCrouse611]

Last time I remember being in a Circuit City was Black Friday 2005. I was still renting from Blockbuster in 2010. I had a Netflix DVD subscription, but they didn't have everything or sometimes I wanted to see a movie that day. It was easy to pop into a Blockbuster and rent it. Until a couple years ago we had several Family Video stores in DFW with one right down the road from me. I rented from there several times over the last few years before they closed in 2021.

[@coolhandscoot68]

Now that was definitely interesting cool guys

[@keith2059]

Greetings Bethany, Drew, and Oddity Odysseys family, hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

[@OddityOdysseys]

Happy New Year, Keith!

[@keith2059]

@@OddityOdysseys Thank you Bethany and Drew! I have learn a lot from your channel! It is always great to learn with fun!

[@solracer66]

Toys-R-Us still exists in Canada however. Last time we were up in Vancouver we drove by the West Broadway location and it was like we had traveled in time, lol!

[@jeffbaloga4376]

A few suggestions…. -Kmart -Eckerd Drugs -Bennigan’s Restaurant

[@00cristianH]

I didn't really go to Blockbuster because we had a Ma and Pa VHS rental store close by my house. They had a aracde that I would frequent. But I do have memories of going with my uncle to the Blockbuster on Hollywood to rent Eraser and getting some Burger King to enjoy the start of the weekend. I would go with my dad often to the Sunset Blvd Circuit City, I still own the Gameboy that I bought at that store. And I can't believe you can still go inside the Los Feliz Toys R Us. Greya video and I didn't know about the Blockbuster Take a VHS leave a VHS. That's right up my alley of retro finds.

[@paveltolz6601]

2009, Family members had put me up for a couple of months while trying to close on a house. As a thank you for the hospitality I went to the local Circuit City that was liquidating stock and got a great bargain on a big flat screen TV as a thank you gift.

[@scottcarmichael805]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane

[@moonpie1616]

I loved Incredible Universe in Dallas Texas it was huge and they had everything... we would drive 150 Mi to get there...

[@andyluevano]

Happy Saturday Fam I remember toys r us and blockbuster but there's another place in East Los Angeles in commerce it was called JC Video it was like a blockbuster but it had movies in vcr also theres another place in East LA that has more history its called the Tamale building its located on Whittier Blvd in East LA check it out The Tamale Building in East L.A. is one of the last examples of programmatic architecture in Los Angeles. Programmatic architecture is a style of architecture that is designed to look like what's sold inside or illustrate the name or theme of the building. The Tamale Building is located at the mouth of a tamale-shaped wagon that was originally designed and planned. The owner opted for a more permanent location on Whittier Boulevard and opened the Tamale in the late 1920s.

[@TheSev-]

I used to work at Blockbuster Video back in 1998. It was crazy how angry people got over late fees, or not having a new release in stock at 11pm on a Friday night...

[@OddityOdysseys]

The people at "family-friendly" establishments are always the crazy ones. 😅

[@barynovacek5982]

You both are so entertaining. I wish you both a supper holiday season.

[@OddityOdysseys]

Happy Holidays!

[@Yawndave]

Pretty cool to see how the "architectural DNA" of these places has lingered on. Thanks for another year of interesting and informative content!

[@ronaldlee3537]

Not surprised that Toys-R-Us is bankrupt, I went there with my kids, and told me I couldn't take pictures there. A bit of poetic justice.

[@SantosChronicles]

I was curious to see your twist to these type of videos. Most of these places ended up as a Spirit Halloween. My 6 year old think we were the luckiest generation with the Toys R Us mega stores. I agree, I miss Blockbuster. I would wait at the return to wait for the movie I wanted to see. Thanks for the nostalgia.

[@JDSWeather]

The Toys R Us store in Bangor, Maine on Bangor Mall Boulevard is now a Bob's Furniture Store

[@wjgraham63]

Frys Electric Store!!!! In San Diego, there is an abandoned building that has the same look. Only the lettering was removed. Off the 15 freeway not far from the 8 highway.

[@concerned1313]

Taco Treat, there is one left in Arcadia, CA!

[@rayfrohnhoefer7286]

Toys R US is making a comeback! Besides their online stores, according to various articles they have opened a physical location in Mall of America and there is a partnership with Macy's store. There are allegedly physical locations left overseas as well.

[@kingofthecloudz42o]

I worked for Spirit Halloween in 2014 that was in an old toy’s r us building that had recently closed and all the signage and back rooms were left as is. Wish I would have taken videos..

[@mr.t2895]

Toys R Us is still thriving in Japan as well as Tower Records in Japan

[@parkercrossjr9389]

There's still a Red Onion in Palos Verdes and in Puerto Vallerta

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Love watching your channel. I cover retail and abandoned places on my channel. I have come across several intact long gone retail giants of the past. This includes a blockbuster with its sign several circuit city’s as well as a few toys r us. I guess here in the Midwest we tend to let dead retail sit and rot and not get repurposed.

[@TheShornak]

Circuit City also made a bad decision in the late 90's when they were trying to introduce a Divx DVD player. I was a 1 time only DVD that you could buy and it would only work in those players. I don't remember the exact details but but I was told their sales people were rewarded with heavy incentives to sell them.

[@winelovrs1968]

Memories!`

[@HankPanky]

It still boggles my mind that Toys-R-Us totally shuttered.

[@MistaDragonLA]

Hollywood Video was popular back in the days

[@danielcarter305]

Bethany, you don't rewind DVDs!

[@grantottaviano7445]

Bring back Baja Fresh

[@JustSoCuteAri]

I used to live in a house across the street lol I bought luigi's mansion and my gamecube there.

[@stepside78]

Forgot about frys electronics

[@BajatheChickenMan]

Circuit City and CompUSA were the best.

[@JimmyLoose]

Why does your logo look like an old Olive Garden commercial?

[@WilliamBonney-gl2qf]

Best Buy will be the next to go belly up

[@DesertNebula]

Memory lane 😊

[@joelfeiock4718]

although they haven't completely vanished A&W root beer stands

[@dwstrat1377]

The new owners of circuit city had the idea of bringing it back the size of a radio shack but covid came and squashed that idea for now. Far as i know ow the idea is still alive their just waiting for the economy to get better without all of the high inflation. They do have an online presence. As for Toys R US they have new owners & stores again just much smaller size of radio shack & only selling popular kid toys. But Toys R us over seas is thriving and this is not the restart but more towards the original store which died out in the states but not over seas. Even RadioShack has an online presence with new owners and talks of bringing that back

[@368fan4]

G`morning O.O.

[@OddityOdysseys]

G' Mornin' Friend.

[@Golfnut_2099]

Skippers Fish and Chips. Farrells Ice Cream

[@ptolalibertad]

👍🏿

[@stevesecret2515]

Blockbuster got what they deserved. They ripped me off twice saying tapes weren't returned.

[@BlackCeII]

So the whole corporate Enterprise and hundreds of thousands of employees deserve to lose their jobs because you had one knucklehead working at your local store? Great thinking there

[@TheSev-]

@@stevesecret2515 - We had a check and balance system we'd run everymorning... nicknamed Found On Shelf. We's literally print a list of all late movies, then check the shevles before we opened against the list. Any movies found would get checked in, and late fee removed. So yeah, you weren't ripped off.

[@TheSev-]

Each morning before we'd open, we ran a check and balance system called "Found On Shelf". It was a list of all the late movies, and we'd check the shelves just in case the movie didn't get checked in. Any movies found would be checked in, late fee removed. So, you weren't ripped off. We'd also call on movies 2 days late or more to remind people to return them...

[@Anthonypatrick1]

Kb toys

[@Hideyourpets-s7h]

Myrvens

[@fumanpoo4725]

I am first and no other can be!

[@danielcarter305]

I'm almost 52, and I loved to go to Toys-R-Us and wonder the aisles. Sometimes, picking up a toy that catches my interest or a board game or two.🥲🥲🥲😢😢😢

[@cameronheidelauf9623]

Chemist warehouse is a australian based company at all times