Top 10 Forgotten Department Stores (Part 2)

A continuation of 10 Department Stores that were lost in time. Over time stores go through a series of growth and decline from the competition of other stores and a retail shift to e-commerce. Be sure to leave a comment below on stores that were left out or think should be added to a future video.
Part 1 of this video can be found at ( • Top 10 Forgotten Depar... )
Part 3 of this video can be found at( • Top 10 Forgotten Feder... )
Part 4 of this video can be found at ( • Top 10 Forgotten Depar... )
Part 5 of this video can be found at ( • Top 10 Forgotten Depar... )
Social Media:
/ sheednomicsonthego (Instagram)
/ sheednomicsonthego (Facebook)
sheednomics.blogspot.com/ (Official Blog)
(Important Links & Sources)
Narrator: Sekoyya Little
Script & Production
Rasheed Stevens (Sheednomics)
Ketan (Sensible Chhora)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnztn...
🎥 Official Video Script Is Below Starting at Number #5🔻
#5 Wieboldt’s:
Wieboldt’s was founded in the year 1883 as a Chicago general retailer store. It was later renamed Wieboldt Stores, Inc. If I could say one unique trait of Wieboldt’s, it would be the S&H Green Stamps. Anyone remembers getting S&H stamps with every purchase that was made? It was one of the many reasons, people in my neighborhood loved going over to Wieboldt’s. They had a total of fifteen department stores at its peak and they mostly focused on great value for money merchandise that you couldn’t get anywhere else. This is what made them so popular back in the day. They were the best for any working-class family who couldn’t afford merchandise from the fancy stores in the mall, but nothing good ever lasts forever. During the 1980s, the market was changing to a new era and Wieboldt became unprofitable and went bankrupt in the year 1987.
#4 J.B. White:
J.B. White mostly operated in the Southeastern part of the United States. It was a department store chain founded by an Irish immigrant, James Brice White in Augusta, Georgia in 1874. The store initially started with furniture, electronic appliances, community programs, and a clothing line but later expanded to become a complete department store having all the necessary items. The store had quite the success initially but later profits started to drop and in the year 1910, H.B. Calvin Company bought the chain of stores. Then it was sold again to Mercantile Stores which also purchased Gayfer’s and a couple of others. After a couple of years, even Mercantile stores became a thing of the past and it was sold again to Dillard’s in the year 1998. Some of them were rebranded to Dillard’s to join the Dillard’s family of stores while some of them were rebranded as Belk.
#3 Goody’s:
Goody’s was another department store that primarily focused on the clothing line. It was M. D. Good friend who founded the store in Athens, Tennessee in the year 1953 but later they headquartered in Houston, Texas. Their focus on the clothing line included trending apparel, accessories, footwear, housewares, and cosmetics. At their best, they operated nearly 500 stores all over the United States. So, you might be wondering how come such a big franchise go down in the history like that? Well, sales and profits started to go down in 2005. Later they closed a couple of shops and had a total of just 69 stores before filing for bankruptcy in the year 2008. It was then sold to Stage Stores who then later filed for bankruptcy on March 10, 2020, after the lockdown that was initiated due to the current Pandemic.
#2 J.J. Newberry’s:
J.J. Newberry was established in the year 1911 by Josiah Newberry and it was one of the top American Five and Dime stores of that period. It was headquartered in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. While it started as a Five and Dime store, it quickly adopted the variety business model. By 1918, they had a total of 7 stores. Then they later went on an acquiring spree and bought a bunch of other stores. It was reported that when J.J. New berry died in the year 1954, while the franchise had a total of 475 stores. By 1961, they grew over a total of 565 stores. The franchise quickly felt the heat from the competition and fell down hard.
#1 Zellers:
Zellers was a Canadian Department store based in Brampton, Ontario. It was founded by Walter P. Zeller in 1931 and was acquired by Hudson’s Bay Company in 1978. The owner made a couple of acquisitions and became one of the largest franchises in the late 1990s with over 350 stores. This was their peak point before they started going down. In 2011 U.S. retail chain Target purchased the leases of up to 220 Zeller stores and began converting them to the Target nameplate as Target Canada. Some locations were resold to Walmart Canada. The 64 Zellers that remained were not in good areas since Target picked out the most profitable ones. In 2013,
#departmentstores #forgotten #top10

[@undergroundretail]

The 3rd Installment of this video can be found @ kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpKziZuujNmWbdU. Apologizing in advance for the mispronunciation of some of the Department Stores. Some stores are pronounced with heavy accents I wasn’t aware of. Please feel free to comment below on the ones that needed to be corrected 😃.

[@glennso47]

There was a catalog store called Ardan Jewelers and Distributors I think headquartered in DesMoines Iowa. Also Ks Merchandise also a catalog store. Both businesses had stores in Rockford Illinois and both are gone.

[@berniemarkley]

It’s Wee Bolts not Why bolts. The word mercantile is pronounced mercanteeel

[@stephaniestavropoulos1639]

@@glennso47 K's Merchandise also had a store in Decatur. I had a cousin who worked there.

[@glennso47]

@@stephaniestavropoulos1639 Ks Merchandise in Rockford is now the state welfare office where you can get food stamps and other things like that.. I think something else is there in the building also. The welfare office takes up I think about half the building.

[@glennso47]

@@berniemarkley you can usually tell when someone isn’t from Illinois or surrounding states because they pronounce Illinois as”Ilinoiz” and they butcher the names of a lot of cities and towns also.

[@christianpatriot7439]

Truth be told the biggest factor in the demise of most retailers is being taken over by corporate raiders.

[@Truckngirl]

Yes! They come in, sell off valuable real estate, chop the advertising budget, cut back on staff, and play games with their suppliers' accounts receivables, and suck the companies dry. We're watching Sears die this slow painful death right now.

[@1990758]

No it's the awful customer service.

[@ValerieDee123]

Actually it's us. Long ago people went to many specialty shops. Things were delivered to your home. Then the general store came. That ended speciality shops. Then the general store went. We got grocery stores and department stores. Eventually Wal-Mart self serve. Why? We wanted fast and convenient. Soon we won't have a store. Call in your order sit in the car and pick it up.

[@swannoir7949]

Venture capitalist. Come in, and suck them dry, then claim bankruptcy. Rinse. Repeat. It's a disgrace. Now we're stuck with on-line shopping, and Walmart. There is no shopping experience anymore. It's just shopping.

[@swannoir7949]

To be honest, the quality of the products went down, too. I remember the last time I walked into a Montgomery Wards, the quality of their children clothing was similar to that of the dollar store. JCPenny is the same.

[@DavidSmith-xs3or]

My mom used to accumulate books of S&H Green Stamps when I was kid. That was the 60s. There was even an S&H Green Stamps store that sold household items.

[@rogerhass6227]

Yes I remember that as well

[@jettakrantz51]

Me too. We also had yellow stamps that i cant remember what was called.

[@vanessapagan9526]

Originally from Puerto Rico, my family and I lived in Florida from when I was 6 years old until I was 12. I remember my mother collecting the Green Stamps and going into a store to redeem them. Also, I was once arrested when I was just 12 at Zayre for shoplifting back in 1971. They and the police scared me straight and I never did it again! I returned to the USA 10 years later. On my 5th wedding anniversary my husband bought me a wedding band at Service Merchandise in Birmingham, Alabama. We were too poor to afford rings when we got married! I still wear that $50 band and we’ll be celebrating our 40th anniversary in May!

[@EnriqueLopez-hb5jn]

Well Congratulations,both👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌

[@charliejoson9145]

Cool story 👏👏👏👏👏 and congratulations

[@tvtimetravel]

Since you're from Puerto Rico, do you remember Gonzalez Padin?

[@vanessapagan9526]

@@tvtimetravel oh yes, I do! I worked there once, during the Mother’s Day sale, back in 1977 or 1978, I believe, at the Mayaguez Mall. It was a very high end store, like Dillard’s or Nordstrom.

[@tvtimetravel]

@@vanessapagan9526 Dillard's once tried to buy Gonzalez Padin, but the deal fell through.

[@Euorgos]

W.T. Grant was a major national chain that bit the dust in the 1970's. I'm surprised that they were not mentioned.

[@undergroundretail]

Thank You for the suggestion! I'll be sure to mention them in a future video.

[@gobbletegook]

​@@undergroundretail Yes, W.T. GRANTS was quite the store. They too, were one of the stores back then (like so many others) had their own lunch counter (The SKILLET) that we ate at quite a lot back in the 70's. And you could buy every imaginable household item there, from shades to lamps to shelf paper--and for a while, goldfish!

[@ut000bs]

My mother and I used to go to Grant's lunch counter and I would always order the turkey and dressing with iced tea. We're talking mid-1960s. Good times.

[@pghrpg4065]

The Nativity set under my parents' Christmas tree is from W.T. Grant.

[@Will-qs3ql]

@@undergroundretail My grandmother worked at Grants for years in the 70s

[@RobertCMoore]

I remember korvettes as a kid. Sorry to see them gone. 😥

[@lloydkline1518]

I remember kovettee,; kovettee was in metro Detroit it was like a department stone. ;: in metro Detroit Walmart; Meijer replace book stores;; kmarts ; I miss book stores;:

[@edythepavlov7874]

There are many of these stores I shopped in… Montgomery Ward, Woolworth, Wieboldt’s (pronounced Wee-boldt’s), Mervyn’s, Service Merchandise, Zaire, J.J.Newberry, May Co., Broadway, Marshall Field’s, Sears, KMart (I’m not sure they have closed, but I don’t live in their area anymore). I would like to see more. I have lived in the Midwest, the east and west coast, and for 72 years I have see a lot of stores just seem to disappear.

[@undergroundretail]

Apologize for the Mispronounce of Wieboldt's. Be sure to check out the Forgotten Macy's Stores. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpKziZuujNmWbdU

[@ch1ckmom217]

I remember my mom would always take us to Woolworth and Montgomery Ward, I used to go to Mervyn's, I do remember seeing J.J.Newberry but I really didn't shop there. KMart actually closed and Sears, I believe only has very few stores left still but they are mostly non-existance. While I understand that not all stores last a long time and eventually they all end up closing, what sucks is when you find a store you really like, becomes your favorite and then it closes down.

[@bartman1238]

He not from Chicago

[@anndinoto]

Do I feel old when I watch this series. In the day I was a shorespper at many of these stores which were located in the northeast/New England. I still have items I purchased at Zayers big yearly sales events. The current big box department stores are great, but those of us who remember the stores shown on your website sometimes wish that these stores would come back.

[@h.mandelene3279]

Ditto. The only store left(that I can go to) that I grew up with is JCPenny's- and they already went bankrupt.

[@undergroundretail]

Thanks for watching! No need to feel old, just think of the newer generation missed out on the joys of physically going into the stores.

[@anndinoto]

What I would like the younger generation to experience is tv with rabbit ears, telephone booths, non cellular phones, grocery stores that gave S&H green stamps, picking up groceries that came off a roller conveyer belt and not forgetting the number on your box. I got a degree in computer programming on a computer that filled a whole room and did less than the cheap adding machines you get for a dollar.

[@h.mandelene3279]

@@anndinoto Don't forget being dad's TV "remote control".

[@anndinoto]

@@h.mandelene3279 Not just Dad's remote, I remember in the early days of my 47 year long marriage being his remote and snack slave

[@lynnkanerva4519]

I don't remember any of these stores but remember Niesners and Kresge, and Montgomery Wards. I remember we got S&H green stamps from grocery stores. I remember licking the stamps and putting them in the books. My mom went to a store to redeem her stamps. The only thing l remember she got was a dark yellow square footstool. She got other things too but don't remember cuz l was a little kid then.

[@stephaniestavropoulos1639]

I remember S&H Green Stamps, and filling the redemption books. I remember how your tongue would turn green and go dry after so much licking! {After filling the books this way for a long while, we used a small bottle w/water and a sponge cap to moisten the stamps.} I can remember my mom and I going to the Redemption Store {usually it was her,} taking a bag full of books and counting them out to see if she had enough books to "buy" what she wanted.

[@lynnkanerva4519]

@@stephaniestavropoulos1639 I don't remember exactly what we did besides just licking the stamps, 😋and sometimes they weren't always placed in books too straight. I don't remember either how many books she had or if they were in a bag. It was kinda fun just helping put them in books🙂.

[@speerrituall1]

Yes, I remember monkey wards, they viciously redlined. Glad to see them go!

[@lynnkanerva4519]

@@speerrituall1 Monkey Wards we called it that too. I just remember going there to shop, but not IDK about the way they did business.

[@1990758]

Lol Montgomery wards That's where I 1st bought my 1st VCR from $215 way back win.

[@kevintucker322]

I remember weiboldts (it was pronounced “wee bolts” by my parents in suburban Chicago). After moving to Phoenix, we had a local Yellow Front where we got sports stuff. Memories!

[@undergroundretail]

Thank You for the correction, That’s going to be in comments a lot 😆. I never had the opportunity to go inside either one.

[@bellalegosi7850]

I remember going to weiboldts at Ford city mall

[@h.mandelene3279]

you are right. see comercial- kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJmrfH6mgLx6obM

[@elultimo102]

Remember when the downtown Chgo. Wieboldt's had the kid-sized monorail on the ceiling of the store during Xmas? (This may have lasted to the '60s).

[@luisvelasco316]

In German, IE is pronounced EE, and EI is pronounced II. I'm from Chicago, and it is supposed to be WEE-BOLTS. On the other hand, German also pronounces W like V, so I guess it should be VEE-BOLTS, but it isn't!

[@Mark-oo2nh]

We had Zayre Shoppers City in Minnesota. They sold the stores to Kmart. I also remember Spartan-Atlantic discount stores. Goodtimes

[@monstersofthemidway7125]

What about the retailer "Ben Franklin?"

[@bbcowboy39]

Ben Franklin still going strong in Hawaii

[@-elchoya9832]

@@bbcowboy39 he must be old by now

[@jons.6216]

Someone else mentioned a favorite of mine too which was Gemco that utilized the Lucky Supermarket brand for their grocery section. I also loved the Best Catalog company and actually saw an article about all of their different and whimsical store buildings throughout the country!

[@billchambersmarquez2768]

I remember the lady Lee brand!

[@starababa1985]

In Chicago the old Archer Avenue Big Store had its own brand of savings stamps. The book you stuck them in was big, but when filled, they would give you $3.00 in cash for it, which was a big deal back then. Gluing trading/savings stamps into books was a simple, interesting activity assigned to the youngest kids in the family. Some stamps had larger denominations, so you only needed one or two on a page. If you had a catalog, you could page through it at the kitchen table and dream of what you'd get. Our local health food store still gives out stamps.

[@dragonfire7734]

Seeing Zayre's kinda hurts, that store was a big part of my childhood and it's distinct smell reminded me of Christmas in the 70' and 80's, Ames was good too, had the same smell, but when it went away i felt like a part of my childhood died with it!

[@jameslundin5132]

It’s Weebolts not Wybolts. Spelled how you would say it. It was a popular Chicago store.

[@undergroundretail]

Apologize for the mistake. Wasn’t quite sure how it was pronounced. 😃

[@-elchoya9832]

weebles wobbles but dont weeble wobble

[@Mattimaginex1]

@@-elchoya9832 tounge twister

[@Diva369]

@@undergroundretail Hi 👋 There's an easy way to tell how to say names that contain ie and ei: ie is pronounced EE ei is pronounced EYE 👁 Wieboldts ~ EE Friedrich ~ EE Dieter ~ EE ‐--------------------- Geiger ~ EYE Schneider ~ EYE Freitag ~ EYE And, yes, my name, which people commonly mispronounce 😑: Heidi ~ EYE Hope this helps 🤞

[@candysmith8724]

I completely forgot about Zayres! We shopped there in the 70's. I grew up shopping for school clothes at Dillards, so I recognized that store. All the rest of the stores on this video, never heard of them. Before we moved to Texas from Ohio, Mom shopped at Gold Circle all the time in the 70's. I think it was like a Target basically from what I remember.

[@jtdesigns-childofgod6556]

Zayres was my first department store job as a young girl back east. Remember it well 🙂

[@dennisdeleo74]

By the mid ‘70s, Korvettes dept stores merged with the Hills Supermarket chain, known as “Hills-Korvettes”. They often could be found in the same strip mall...This didn’t last long....Korvettes dropped Hills, Hills went out of business, and Korvettes soon followed....the radio jingle boasted “You’ll Find the Finest Food Buys Yet At Your Nearest Hills-Korvettes!”

[@yogibearstie]

The most devastating closing was Eaton’s in Canada. It was a Canadian icon and every home had their catalog.

[@undergroundretail]

I will do some research on this chain. Never heard of them before.

[@Euorgos]

I remember a chain of stores in the Toronto area called Simpson's. If my memory is correct, I believe they were somehow related to Sears.

[@robertsitch1415]

@@Euorgos Sears eventually bought Simpson's out and most 1950s stores in Canada were called Simpson's-Sears. Sears took over some Eaton's stores including the Eaton Centre Mall location then liquidated all remaining stores in Canada when Sears Canada filed bankruptcy.

[@gobbletegook]

@@undergroundretail OMG! EATON CENTER shopping mall in TORONTO (QUEEN STREET) 330 stores! It was named after them and theeee anchor--and then bought out by SEARS! And you know THAT story!

[@elultimo102]

They used to have a Santa Claus parade, that was sometimes aired in the US. In the US, Macy's bought out some of the iconic stores----just to make them Macy's. (Marshall Fields & Bon Marche among others).

[@briangriffin4937]

Garfinkel’s was the Washington DC area equivalent of Sak’s Fifth Avenue. Stepping inside the flagship downtown DC store was like a trip back to the 1930’s. In the mid ‘80s, when times were good, I bought a fancy Seiko Chronograph wristwatch there. When times were bad, I sold it on eBay. The building, a block away from the U.S. Treasury and The White House, survives. The ground floor is Hamilton’s Restaurant and Bar.

[@sgtmayhem7567]

Thank you for posting this video, I was quite enamored with it. It’s literally been close to 50 years since I’ve thought about S&H Green Stamps or their store.This is a unique topic, KZbin really does have a field of interest for everyone. I remember going inside an S&H Green Stamp store when I was 5 or 6 with my Mom. They had merchandise arranged on shelves behind a long counter and the price in books of Green Stamps and cash.

[@undergroundretail]

Thanks for tuning in 😃. Glad you enjoyed enjoyed the topics as well. Which location did you shop at?

[@toastnjam7384]

My job as a kid was to affix the stamps in the booklets. The store in L.A. we went to had about 30/40 female clerks working the counters. That was back when a retail store could afford to employ that many people. Just like when a supermarket use to have a dozen or so cashiers each with a box boy. Now its maybe two at best and of course we now have the self service check-out.

[@sgtmayhem7567]

@@undergroundretail I think it was near Morristown NJ.

[@nickydancy4087]

Oh wow my mom still has a few of them left in the coffee can in the cabinet...

[@karltork6040]

Also had "Plaid Stamps", at least in the Chicago area. They had a "Redemption Store" in Cicero,Il..

[@davidsquires154]

I live in the Detroit, Michigan area and I remember the following department stores: #1.Arlan's #2.Korvette's #3.Shoppers Fair #4. Crowley, Milner &Co. #5.Spartan, Atlantic #6.Yankee This is the best that I could remember the Discount Department Stores from back in the day.

[@kennethscalir3092]

Besides Yellow Front, there was also a White Front department store chain in southern California

[@undergroundretail]

Are they related to one another?

[@billchambersmarquez2768]

We had a white front in azusa California

[@ilovegoodsax]

There was a White Front in Fresno.

[@ilovegoodsax]

@@undergroundretail I don't think the two are related. White Front was not a sporting goods store. It was a cheaper version of KMart.

[@-elchoya9832]

there was a white front in garden grove, california right next to toys r us.

[@MariaHernandez-jd2bi]

We had Zayre in Chicago. As a teen I would work there doing inventory.

[@BikerGeek]

I worked for Yellow Front from 1978 to 1988. It wasn't only a sporting goods store, it also sold clothing and shoes. Cheapest place to buy Levi's and Keds. Originally owned by Valley Distributing it was sold to Lucky Stores, a grocery chain. I lost track of who it was sold to after that. During that period I also worked for Checker Auto, also owned by Valley Distributing and Lucky and is now known as O'Reilly auto parts.

[@Joseph-og9jh]

Many of my family worked at the Korvettes in King of Prussia, PA. I remember that store as a kid.

[@snaomi67]

What about Gemco or Swan's? Does anyone remember these two stores?

[@ralphlozano9177]

I remember as a kid growing up in Chicago going to Goldblatt department store and Zayre and Zemsky and 3 sisters all in the Little Village area where all the stores on 26th street had the annual sidewalk sale and yearly pet parades down the street. Great memories!

[@benjimartinnc]

I still remember going to Zayre in High Point, NC when I was little. I also used to shop at Goody's stores also in High Point and Lexington.

[@BigSlotter]

I grew up in Illinois and I recall both Wieboldt's and Zayre as a kid like a few others have said here. I think the only reason we went to Wieboldt's was because we had to use up the S&H Greenstamps, that's probably what kept them going at the end. Zayre was kind of cool when it first came to town, I think maybe like 1986/1987? Then it was a mess towards the end. I still to this day remember walking around their stores and there were clothes all over the floor, shoes everywhere, like a tornado blew through the place and it wasn't just one time. Makes sense they were running out of cash to fund the business and have enough employees.

[@undergroundretail]

They way you described Zayre reminds me of present day Ross.

[@elultimo102]

I used to go to the Zayre's in Oaklawn, IL. It replaced CMA in the '60s---and I still have a winter jacket bought in '69 for $17.95 at Zayre's. Some place called Duckworth bought them out, and ran it into the ground. (Anyone remember McDade's?)

[@sharlenelaughlin2643]

So, What Happened to the Kress Stores? There were over 400 Stores across the United States!! JJ Newbery got his start working at a Kress Store!!

[@stephaniestavropoulos1639]

The Underground Retailer said: "the people in my neighborhood." in reference To Wiebolts. This led me to believe that he grew up in Chicago area. If so, then he should've known/remembered, that it was pronounced: WEEBOLTS, not WEYEBOLTS.

[@undergroundretail]

Thanks for tuning in. I apologize in a previous “pinned comment” about the mispronounced of the store name. I grew up in Macon, Georgia and those were quotes said by people in the area 😃.

[@tracyneer4311]

Zayre had a sign that would light up each letter at a time. As a small child, that was the first word I could spell.

[@undergroundretail]

That's an awesome way to learn how to read!

[@jamessawyer8889]

Growing up in Illinois, I have memories of me and my mom shopping at both Zayres as well as Wieboldts, not to mention that I also remember shopping at Korvettes so that's just 3 of the stores mentioned

[@undergroundretail]

Which store was your favorite or most memorable?

[@karltork6040]

Betting you grew up in the Chicago area Mr. Sawyer. Don't forget "Goldblatts" Dept. Srores. I think E.J. Kovettes was grrst.

[@tanyastiver9428]

Yes. Absolutely loved J.J. Neqberry's. We had one not far from where I grew up at. I have so many wonderful memories going there as a child. As an adult, I loved it every bit as much. Sadly, it has been closed for between 15 to 20 years now. I really miss not being able to go there, but the memories made there will last a lifetime. Thank you for an amazing video!!!

[@maxbrand4444]

These videos are DOPE!

[@undergroundretail]

Appreciate it!

[@MariaHernandez-jd2bi]

We had both Zayre and Wieboldts in Chicago. Ford City was where Wieboldts was located, they were my first credit card.

[@swannoir7949]

I remember Wiebolts, but I always thought it was a furniture store

[@christianpatriot7439]

Zayres lasted past 1990. The stores where I live didn't convert to Ames until sometime after 1992.

[@auapplemac1976]

There's a long list of some very famous department stores that had long lives, but finally went out of business: John Wanamakers - Macys (Phila), Gimbels, Frank & Sedar, Strawbridge & Clothier, Marshall Field's, Lit Brothers (it's building in Philly is part of the National Register of Historic Places, and Bonwit Tellers to name a few.

[@undergroundretail]

Some you listed will be in the next video for April. I made a Federated and May Department Store script over stores that converted to Macy’s. Burdine’s and Feline’s will be in there as well 😃.

[@ladyagnes9430]

I was not a big Gimbels person but my mom bought me my dishes at Strawbridge & Clothier( my pots are from their discount chain, Clover). I shopped at Lit Brothers, but my favorite store of all time was John Wanamaker's

[@h.mandelene3279]

Marshall Fields did not go out of business. They(their parent company) were bought by Macy's.

[@Will-qs3ql]

John Wanamakers was so cool at xmas! Also miss Bambergers, Strawbridge & Clothier, Gimbels, A & S, Sterns. B Altman, Bonwit Teller, Hess"s, Jordan Marsh, Burdines,

[@Will-qs3ql]

Macy's was originally known as Bambergers in the Philadelphia area

[@mal1465]

My mom loved to sew and got material from Newberry’s. I use to like to go with her because they had a great toy area. Also another great store that went away was Gemco. It was like Wally-world with a department store grocery store all in one

[@jeffking291]

In St.Louis, I’ve been to several on this list. I’m actually surprised at how long some of these names lasted. GONE, but NOT forgotten. 📻🙂

[@marycarson2923]

Miss going to Famous Barr at Christmas time and every window was decked out . St. Louis was so much fun at Christmas

[@kingclover1395]

I remember Zellers too because I lived right across the Canadian border in New York State and Zellers used to sell Tylenol with Codeine over-the-counter without a prescription. So I used to go to Fort Erie Canada to buy them. In New York you can only get them with a prescription, or else buy them on the street at ridiculous prices.

[@NightSprinter]

Oh yeah, regarding Gayfer's. Quite a prominent mall anchor in GA. Was one of the FOUR anchor stores in the Albany Mall.

[@undergroundretail]

I never got the chance to visit one 😔.

[@CEOdawg]

Y. Zayre DEFINITELY!! I do remember thumbing through the Garfinckle's catalog as a kid.

[@georgesetzer5283]

I had my very firs t job at NewBerry's. Worked behind the food counter, emptied garbage and cleaned dishs. Monday and Thursday nights and Saturdays during the day.

[@undergroundretail]

That's cool! Which location?

[@georgesetzer5283]

@@undergroundretail New Brunswick, NJ

[@ChrisBrown-pu8sm]

Yes, I remember going to Newberrys. I knew they were having problems I didn't know they filled Bankruptcy.

[@cecoya]

I used to go to Yellow Front and remember the S & H green stamps but from a different store than you mentioned though. Those stamps were great around Christmas time lol

[@undergroundretail]

Thanks for commenting and my apologies for the mispronunciation on that chain! If I could edit it out and change it I would 😭

[@georgesenda1952]

Used to shop at Newberry’s in Oakland, Ca in the 1990’s.

[@bonniem3754]

You’ve failed to mention all of the department stores that were on the west coast that are now gone. May Co, The Broadway, Robinson’s, Bullocks, I Magnin, Joseph Magnin, Zody’s, Gemco, Buffums, Akron and The Treasury

[@undergroundretail]

Most of those will be in my Federated and May Department store video. Stay tuned! 😃

[@valerieberry6174]

In MI their was a department store called Federals. Yes Spatan Altantic. Crowley's, Good Housekeeping,Kingsway, and Grants.

[@lolaensley-blankenship6530]

A few stores missing in California. Depending on what part of California you were in , there was Broadway, Emporium Capwell, and Weinstocks. If I recall correctly they were all the same store. I lived in Stockton California ad we used to have a Gemco which later became a Target store on Pacific Ave and March Ln. Also Weinstocks was on same corner and when the store cclosed it was razed, rebuilt and became Dilliards. There was also a Gottschalks store the next mall over. Gottschalks sold and became Kohls. Some of the Mervyns stores alo became Kohls or shut down completely.

[@seatspud]

How about Buffum's, Bullocks, or Best Products?

[@ilovegoodsax]

One of the Mervyn's in Fresno is now a Walmart.

[@lolaensley-blankenship6530]

In Turlock the old Mervyns was turned into a Walmart grocery store

[@DruinStLouis]

L. S. Ayres based in Indianapolis was a historic and well loved department store

[@undergroundretail]

Thanks for watching! That store is on my list for a future installment 😁

[@maryedmonds1003]

We also had a chain called G. L. Perry's which had branches all over the northern Indiana area and even a few in Michigan. They were well loved in this area and it was sad when their retiring Vice President took the store with him, by shifting the things people counted on buying to things other large stores carried, thereby replacing all their popular stock with inwanted items.

[@kingclover1395]

I remember that we always had a drawer full of S&H green stamps, But I don't remember ever cashing them in or even if there was a place where you could cash them in even if you wanted to.

[@dimitriberozny3729]

Modern day Target was a mix of three stores:Caldor,BA Dalton and Zeller’s.

[@heidifedor]

My mother use to refer to Zayers as upscale K-Mart.

[@dianehaskins8640]

Grew up outside Boston, most of my clothes came from Zayre. There was also a store like Zayre called Turnstyle.

[@user-ho3dx3od9y]

I loved Zayre as a kid and later as an adult. I still remember their slogan, “Compare you can’t do better than Zayre.” Ames ruined it.

[@nickydancy4087]

Lol ikr...i miss zayre.

[@AllycatlovesAG]

I remember zeller's! My local one had a post office we always went to and I remember looking at the pinata's (very random) and calendars. I was excited for it to be converted to a target but the building ended up staying empty as target canada went bankrupt

[@Babrossa1941]

I remember Zayre's stores as a child in the 1960s. There was one in Baden, PA, that we always drove past going to the Northern Lights Shopping Center.

[@pghrpg4065]

I was born in the '70s and I don't remember the Zayre there, but I vaguely remember going to JC Penney at Northern Lights.

[@ddivincenzo1194]

I loved Garfinkles at The Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, MD.

[@speerrituall1]

My mom was born and raised in DC. She told me her Garfinkels story many times. She was not allowed to try on clothing in the store, but could purchase-because of her skin color. When in high school, they hired her as a gift wrap girl, because of her skin tone-she could pass the paper bag test. Later in life, she got a good laugh when they filed for bankruptcy.

[@undergroundretail]

We can say Karma led to the downfall of that store chain.

[@653j521]

@@undergroundretail Terrible racist management, not karma.

[@josieg6743]

Boy,I sure didn’t pick up on that. I worked at Garfunkel’s through high school and college. I loved working there in the late 60’s through 1973!

[@kathleengivant-taylor2277]

Yeah I bet she did. That is horrible how they acted

[@sandeec6381]

Ellman’s in Georgia, Kresge's in Chicago, Rich’s and Richway in Georgia are some other stores you should mention.

[@undergroundretail]

Rich’s will be in the next video 😃

[@joannekaiman3466]

Yes. When I was young I went shopping with Grandma to J.J. Newberry Department Store in Northampton, Pennsylvania.

[@chasethecat3839]

Oh yes, Korvettes. Wow...forgot about them.

[@lloydkline1518]

They had corvettes a couple in metro Detroit

[@maryedmonds1003]

We had two wonderful department stores in Elkhart, IN. They were large and long lasting..Zeisels, and Drakes. Both owned by local families.

[@MarineRecon6682]

No Two Guy's?? How can it not be on this list??🤨😕😟🙁😮

[@Lydiamr]

I worked at Two Guys in North Syracuse NY in the late 70’s. My Dad worked at one in the early 70’s in Bordentown NJ.

[@MarineRecon6682]

@@Lydiamr remember shopping there is a kid with my mother

[@Lydiamr]

@@MarineRecon6682 They were one of my favorite stores. The first store I remember my Mom taking me to was J.M. Fields. They went out of business around 1978 I believe.

[@-elchoya9832]

used to be one on harbor blvd in garden grove california.in the early 1970s.its now a target.remember getting the fleetwood mac album RUMOURS IN 1977 at the store.

[@undergroundretail]

I will do some research on this.

[@georgesenda1952]

My Mother used to shop at Garfinkels in DC.

[@endtimeslastdays7777]

I remember Zayre! My sister used to work there in the 1970's

[@undergroundretail]

Which location?

[@stephaniestavropoulos1639]

For those of you who may be wondering: Goodys Department Store is not related, {I don['t believe it is, because the narrator didn't say so,} to the of course, now defunct Sam Goodys Record Store.

[@undergroundretail]

Thanks for clarifying that. I did a video on the defunct Sam Goody's Record Store. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZLTiGuhaq2ieZI

[@JohnArnis]

I grew up in Chicago and we always pronounced Wieboldts phonetically as “Wee-bolts” not “Why-Bolts”. I remember buying some of my first Hot Wheels toy cars there. The one closest to me was in the Ford City Mall.

[@revondacolbert7775]

We had a JJ Newbury in SF. We also had a similar store, called Gemco, which sold a variety of clothing and household items. Never heard of Yellow Front, but had a store called White Front, which sold furniture.

[@butchdugan]

My moms first job was at a Wieboldts in Chicago. She worked in the ‘Home’ section and made $1.25 an hour in 1969.

[@nickydancy4087]

Wow i remember that store. My mom shopped there. Life wuz much simpler back then...

[@undergroundretail]

Oh wow! The wages were so different. Today it's like $10 hr.

[@JasonTrew2018]

Yes, I used to go to Zayre a lot as a kid and we had 2 of them in the Chattanooga area

[@drmonica]

Piggly Wiggly had those green stamps too. Could cash in for merch.

[@MazichMusic]

My first job out of high school was as a door guard at the Madison Heights, MI E.J. Korvette in the summer of 1974. I did some crazy hours bring a member of the security team and plenty of faulty alarm sensors that only failed at night!

[@barttanner8162]

Yes, I shopped at Gayfers, Zayre and Goodys.

[@twisted2291]

My grandmother worked for Zayre for 30 years. She started working for them in Fairfax VA. Then transferred to the store in Woodbridge VA. where she retired in 1983. I was 11 in '83. I always remembered smelling the hotdogs, and popcorn from the snack bar when you would walk into the store.

[@ednicolaides8586]

Loved Zayres cafeteria in Manchester NH. When I was a kid in the 70' I would go there with my mom and sister. Great memories.

[@undergroundretail]

That's cool! 👍

[@DruinStLouis]

Gidding Jenny based out of Cincinnati was a MAGNIFICENT luxury store worth highlighting in the future

[@undergroundretail]

Thanks for watching and commenting. I will have to do some research on that. More videos to come. 😁

[@davinp]

One of the main reason that department stores go out of business is because of bad decisions made by the executives or upper management.

[@chuckinhouston9952]

Yes. And refusal to adapt.

[@markfaryniak4474]

There’s a nightlight sale at Zayre’s!! I miss S&H that was a blast collecting the stamps!!

[@alisongorski3664]

Loved JJ Newberry! They had 2 locations in Cincinnati. Shopped at the Downtown store.

[@Not-Great-at-Gaming]

5:26 That kid is saying "Look mom an Atari 400 that they have labeled as a 2600."

[@undergroundretail]

I just noticed that lol 😂

[@mikewrasman5103]

I shopped at Woolworths, S & H Green Stamps and Service Merchandise.

[@delphenia660]

I was born and raised in Chicago Illinois. I am 66 years old. The stores that I miss are Marshall Field, Robert Hall, Ventures,Community, Goldblatts, Kresge and a food supermarket which gave out S&H green stamps named Hi& Low.

[@nickydancy4087]

Oh wow do u remember the a&p? Once i became an adult, i went/shopped to Goldblatts on lawerence and wilson in uptown in 1995. Do u remember Belle-Scott(119th off Halsted West Pullman area in 1974 perhaps 1975 guessing yr i wuz very young),3 Sisters, Lerner shops, Fayva and Thom McCann shoe store, Service Merchandise in south suburban Homewood?

[@delphenia660]

@@nickydancy4087 Yes yes! I remember them now that you are bringing them to my attention!

[@nickydancy4087]

@@delphenia660 boi-o-boi thoz were the gud ol days wernt they? Life wuz much simpler back then.

[@nickydancy4087]

@@delphenia660 didja ever go old chgo indoor amusement prk or to fun town on 95th on Stony Island nxt to Courtsey home center on the corner at the red light? Up further on Stony Island the area wuz called Pill Hill. Did u have family members that visited Sweet Georgia Brown club/tavern? Growing up i ran into Cowboy and Cowgirl on 79th on Stoney. I went to a few plays at the Regal theater. I realky missed thoz days.

[@delphenia660]

@@nickydancy4087 OMG! This is like running into an old friend!. I don’t remember cowgirl or cowboy, but everything else I do remember. We used to love to go to fun town, it was so much fun. Did you ever go to the Riverview amusement Park? It seems there was one more popular amusement park, but I can’t remember the name or location. I am retired now but I worked at South Chicago Hospital / Trinity Hospital for over half my life. Yes, those were the good old days, and just think I wanted to hurry up and grow up to be an adult. Time has really flown by.!

[@tylerzorn6152]

I think you guys looked out to stores that I remember Gimbels and bamberger's both in New Jersey way back in the day when I was a kid

[@necroslair]

I remeber when Dillards was on sort of a buying spree in the late 80's to early 90's. Some malls wound having two Dillards anchors...

[@maryjoschlechty7590]

I remember YellowFront in Phoenix, and JJNewberry's Woolworths, S&H green stamps, Mervyn's in Phoenix as well but never heard of the other ones

[@denisemariner1235]

Belk and Dillard's two of my favorites in Virginia.

[@laurice8056]

At about 0:47 seconds in the video a man grabbed an ATARI box at Zayer while smiling down at it. He looked a lot like a young Bob Saget. End of an Era.🥀

[@undergroundretail]

😂

[@alisongorski3664]

Korvett's, I remember this store to my many trips to NYC in the 1970's. Never went there.

[@manfredmann2766]

The only one I remember, was Korvettes when they had commercials back in the seventies for like a Ktel record.

[@regisnyder]

Indianapolis had several from my understanding one was founded in Indianapolis. L.S. Ayres; Blocks Dept Store which was bought from Lazarus then Macy’s. There was a store in Chicago named Speigel.

[@stephaniestavropoulos1639]

Speigal catalogue would be shown and mentioned at the end of some game shows. As the place where some of the prizes were from, or where the "parting gifts" were from, for those who were unlucky to not have won anything.

[@patricebetts6531]

I got my First Holy Communion dress at e j korvettes

[@jackfinkelstein9364]

Love your channel. Just wondering, what do you know about the store Mansour’s? I recall there being a location in Macon which had closed like 15 years ago or so

[@undergroundretail]

I know a lot about it. It almost made this list too, but wasn’t a global chain. I’m from Macon and remember it being a stand alone store behind Chili’s for some time. The building was converted into a medical office. It’s unrecognizable now. They had one in Lagrange, Georgia as well.

[@jackfinkelstein9364]

@@undergroundretail Right right, I’ve lived here all of my life too! The changes the different areas that the city has gone through are dramatic to say the least, especially with the expansion of the north side.

[@undergroundretail]

Agreed! It’s sad to see the retail shift and how a city can’t support multiple retail stores in the same market. It seems like only Walmart and Target are the ones who can do that. Eisenhower Crossing in Macon is a great example.

[@razrramonel4077]

I remember going to Zayre back in the 1980’s because I had received 3 gift items from Zayre.

[@lindacross4726]

I remember my mom and dad shopping at jj newbury's store. We also enjoyed eating at their lunch counter. Those were the good old days!

[@undergroundretail]

Which location did you frequent?

[@jamisonlamkin5576]

I went to J.B. White a lot as a kid, nice trip down memory lane.

[@undergroundretail]

Which location?

[@jamisonlamkin5576]

@@undergroundretail The one in Augusta at the Regency Mall!

[@lindacross4726]

We shopped at Newberry's in Catskill, NY.