Department stores used to be all the rage back in the day. They were places where you could go and have a real experience. Today is not exactly the same as it was though. Here are 15 nostalgic department stores to get you in your feels.
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 have access to products they otherwise wouldn’t have had access to. 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! (P.S. I know this technically isn’t a department store, but rules are meant to be broken).
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
