Some brands feel like they’ll be around forever—until they’re not. Whether due to changing technology, bad leadership, market shifts, or just plain bad luck, even household names can fade into history with shocking speed.
Lots of brands vanished from storefronts and headlines in a blink. Here are 25 iconic brands that once ruled their industries but are now nothing more than a memory.
1. Blockbuster
At its peak, it had over 9,000 stores. Now there’s one left in Bend, Oregon. Netflix and streaming sealed its fate.
2. Toys “R” Us
Generations grew up with Geoffrey the Giraffe. After bankruptcy in 2017, it vanished—though small comebacks keep being teased.
3. Borders
Once the second-largest bookstore chain in the U.S., Borders couldn’t pivot fast enough to digital. Amazon finished the job.
4. RadioShack
It was the place for tech tinkerers. But as DIY culture moved online, RadioShack couldn’t keep up.
5. Pan Am
Once a glamorous airline giant, Pan Am collapsed in 1991 due to rising costs and increased competition.
6. MySpace
Before Facebook, there was MySpace. It lost its user base and cultural relevance almost overnight.
7. Kodak (Consumer Side)
Kodak invented the digital camera—then ignored it. The consumer brand collapsed as film faded.
8. Circuit City
Best Buy outpaced them. Online shopping delivered the knockout punch.
9. Tower Records
Streaming crushed physical music sales. The once-global music chain filed for bankruptcy in 2006.
10. Compaq
They were once a leader in PCs. HP bought the company in 2002 and phased out the name soon after.
11. Woolworth’s
An American institution for much of the 20th century, Woolworth’s slowly declined and shut its last U.S. stores in the ‘90s.
12. American Apparel
Known for edgy ads and “Made in USA” pride, it filed for bankruptcy twice before disappearing from malls.
13. Pebble
It launched the smartwatch craze—then got steamrolled by Apple and Android.
14. Blockbuster Music
Yes, Blockbuster tried music too. It didn’t last long.
15. Beanie Babies (Ty Inc.’s Peak Brand Value)
Not a brand that fully died—but the 1990s obsession vanished almost instantly after the bubble burst.
16. Pets.com
The dot-com bust of 2000 killed this early online pet supply company, despite a beloved Super Bowl ad.
17. FAO Schwarz (Original NYC Store)
While the brand still exists in some form, its legendary Fifth Avenue flagship closed in 2015.
18. AltaVista
Before Google, there was AltaVista. Yahoo bought it and shut it down in 2013.
19. Delia’s
A go-to for ’90s teen girls. The catalog was everything—but the internet made it irrelevant fast.
20. The Sharper Image
It was the ultimate “dad gift” store. But overpriced tech toys and recession-era sales declines forced bankruptcy.
21. Yahoo Messenger
It defined chat culture for a generation, but was officially discontinued in 2018.
22. Palm (Makers of the PalmPilot)
They practically invented mobile computing. But they couldn’t compete once iPhones entered the scene.
23. iomega Zip Drives
They were the cool step up from floppies—until USB drives arrived and wiped them out.
24. Napster (Original Version)
The music-sharing site changed everything. But lawsuits shut it down before it could evolve.
Read More: 10 Brands That Used To Be Great—But Lost Their Value
25. Sears (As We Knew It)
Once America’s retail king. Today, only a handful of locations survive—a ghost of what it once was.
These brands once shaped pop culture and everyday life. Their fall is a reminder that no name is too big to fail—and no trend too strong to fade.
