Going to a store back in the day might have been an experience. That’s probably the nostalgia talking, but it really felt that way. Here are 30 nostalgic stores to get you feeling wistful for the good ol days.
Blockbuster
Blockbuster was all the rage back in the day. It was the place to rent movies and buy concessions to take home. However, Blockbuster now joins the group of stores of the past. There is said to be one left in Oregon.
Warner Bros. Studio Store
The Warner Bros. Studio Store was a store chain with all the best Warner Bros. merch. It was like the Disney Store, but more Looney Tunes and less Mickey. Unfortunately, these stores all shut down in 2001.
Zany Brainy
Zany Brainy was all about the kids! The main things the store sold were educational toys. The store also did workshops and even had authors make appearances.
Thom McAn
Thom McAn was a shoe store chain that was big until all the stores closed in 1996. The brand did live on, being sold at Sears and Kmart for a while. It was such a popular shoe store for a long time, where did it go wrong?
Imaginarium
Imaginarium was a toy store that was bought out by Toys R Us. In its heyday, there were toys galore to buy. However, the owners saw a decline in sales and decided it was time to close Imaginarium.
Delia’s
Delia’s was a clothing store for teenage girls. It carried graphic t’s, jeans, accessories, and dresses. I am a bit nostalgic for this store because it is where I got my first job. There was just something about Delia’s that was like home to me.
Discovery Channel Store
The Discovery Channel Store was a place where you could, well, discover new things. There always seemed to be something new and exciting for you to play with in these stores. Too bad they all shut down in 2007.
Marshall Field’s
Marshall Field’s was a department store chain that dazzled those who went into it. It went back to the 19th century! You are probably wondering where it went. Well, Macy’s bought out the chain. But the original building in Chicago is still standing, due to it being a historical landmark.
KB Toys
KB Toys was the best place to get toys back in the day. The store seemed to have everything a kid could want. However, good things don’t always last, and in 2009 all the stores were closed.
Sam Goody
Sam Goody was the place to get CDs and movies. It doesn’t matter that a lot of them were overpriced (so I heard). The store was around from the 1950s to the mid-2000s.
Sharper Image
Sharper Image may not be a physical store anymore, but it does live on! There is a website and catalog that keep the company alive. But too bad you can’t go into the store and lounge in the massage chairs it always had.
Linens N Things
Linens N Things was the place to get your housewares and accessories for your home. Of course, it had a lot of linens for you to choose from as well. All of its stores went goodbye in 2008.
Gadzooks
Gadzooks was a teenage clothing store that was mainly in malls. It was where all the hip kids bought their clothes. However, when Forever 21 bought the store, they closed all Gadzooks down.
Tower Records
Tower Records used to be the place to be if you were a music lover. Unfortunately, the digital age was one thing the store couldn’t compete with. All Tower Records locations closed in 2006. There is a website though so you can buy music from them again!
Circuit City
Circuit City used to be a rival to Best Buy. I got my first iPod from Circuit City! But their lasting glory was not meant to be. In 2009, all the locations of the store closed.
Woolworths
Woolworths wasn’t just a store to go to; it was an experience to be had. Some locations had lunch counters, so you could also eat before you shopped. The store was originally a five-and-dime store, meaning that products cost no more than five or ten cents. Talk about cheap for good quality!
Waldenbooks
Book lovers everywhere loved the mall store chain Waldenbooks. You could find so many different books there, and they had many great deals. However, in 2011, this chain store closed for good.
Duckwall-Alco
Some people won’t have a clue as to what Duckwall-Alco is because they were mainly in the Midwest. Duckwall’s were five-and-dime stores, and in the 60s, when Alco became a store, they were the bigger counterpart. The last Alco store closed its doors in 2015.
RadioShack
RadioShack was the place to get your electronics! It always had the most up-to-date tech. However, these days, the company is mainly online (I just checked, and they do have a working website). There are still stores around in some places, but it isn’t on the level that it was during its heyday.
Barneys New York
Barneys New York was an upscale department store chain. In 2020, the famous New York Barneys store closed. It is still around today but not in the same capacity that it was for many years. The brand was licensed to Saks Fifth Avenue, so it didn’t disappear completely.
Ames
Ames was a store that gave people in rural areas access to products they otherwise wouldn’t have. The store had affordable prices, making it a great place to shop. However, I shouldn’t talk about this store in the past tense since it is making a comeback and it even has a working website!
Gimbels
Gimbels first opened its doors in 1842, and last closed them in 1987. Gimbels is known for the first Thanksgiving Day Parade and was once considered a rival to the still-open Macy’s. In its heyday, Gimbels was in six states, providing department store finds for the people living in those states.
W.T. Grant Co.
The year was 1906, and the nation saw the first W.T. Grant Co. store, which opened in Massachusetts. The prices of the store were very affordable and the products were good quality, so many people could shop there knowing their money was not going to be wasted on low-quality products. However, what was once a thriving department store sizzled out in 1976.
Media Play
Media Play was home to so many great things, such as movies, music, books, anime, and more. It was the shop to be at, and it was always a blast going there. Unlike most of the stores on this list (except for a few), I actually went into Media Play a lot as a kid. It was always such a fun experience!
Sears
Sears was all the rage back in the day. It was the department store to be at! It also had a pretty cool catalog that helped you decide what toys you wanted. There are still some Sears stores around, but not at the level it was in its heyday.
National Record Mart
There is a technicality here because National Record Mart (or NRM) is not technically a department store. However, I do hear that for those who went there, it was an experience like no other. I mean, it was the first music store chain in the United States, so it set the blueprint for other stores.
Kmart
Originally known as Kresge’s, Kmart got its name in 1962. It used to be a huge department store that had a lot of shops across the nation. Now, there are less than there were before, but Kmart still has a working website!
Mervyn’s
Mervyn’s opened its doors in 1949 and closed them for the last time in 2009. However, instead of disappearing altogether, Mervyn’s is now an online store that you can shop from. The Mervyn’s experience is a little different now, but the quality is still there.
Read More: The 10 Most Overpriced Grocery Stores in the U.S.
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward had stores in operation from 1872 to 2001. Now, it is an online-only retailer that also has a mail-order catalog. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!
Read More: The 15 Best Grocery Stores in the US
Levitz Furniture
Levitz Furniture is another chain that was technically not a department store. It was a furniture store that delighted those who went in there. However, it closed its doors for good in 2008.
Read More: These 20 Stores Are Closing in 2024