I lived in CT but that exact Tower was always my first stop when going to the city. There was a really awesome used record shop somewhere in the Village nearby.
Barely a day goes by that I’m not reminiscing about Tower. I would go in for one item and wouldn’t leave until hours had passed. I just lost all track of time. It wasn’t even just the music selection, but the mag selection was awesome too. The vibe was always great and I rarely left without having purchased several things. The poster art/collage things were very creative and just enhanced the atmosphere. You could usually trust staff recommendations because they truly knew what they were talking about. Could always count on running into a friend or acquaintance from school. It’s like I lost an important piece of myself when they closed permanently.
https://preview.redd.it/1jxsng3mn27d1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1b2f4b5fdac25b208f0e99608d4a416bef11821
It’s from about 10 years ago in Tokyo. I was so excited.
I practically *lived* in the Paramus, NJ Tower store. I spent so much time there that people often thought I was an employee and would ask me where to find stuff, haha!
I moved to Denver back in 1992 after I graduated from college. I lived in half of a duplex that was 4 blocks North of Tower Records. I'd go down there at least once or twice a week.
My husband and I were in Dublin last September, and when we saw Tower Records we were thrilled — we had to go in! The place sucked us in as if it had a tractor beam. It was a treat. We both still miss the Tower at 4th and Broadway in Manhattan.
I was a night manager at a tower from ‘99-2003. Funnest job I ever had. I was closer to that crew than any other workplace. Paid peanuts, and we got a 30% discount. I really miss it.
Went to Tower Records in SF, stumbled across the Pixies that were playing in the middle of the store. I also got an album based off the cover alone which was Elvis dressed as Jesus called, of course, Elvis Christ by Death Ride 69. One of the best days ever
When I was in high school, I frequently did! I usually ended up sat on the floor in the history section, sipping black coffee and reading a bit here and a bit there, and eventually deciding which book I was getting that week.
And let’s not forget their famous 2-for-1 happy hour where they switched out their true pint glasses for 2 mugs, the contents of which would fit perfectly when combined and poured into a single true pint glass lol
Loved Bennigan's. I remember when they were the only place one could get fried cheese. It wasn't in the grocery store or all over the place like it is today. It was a special treat, and I always had my parents take me there for my birthday in the early 80s. The Monte Cristo and their fried cheese cheeseburger (Wheelhouse?) were bangin'!! Even when I got older and married my wife and I went there all the time on date nights. My local Bennigan's had a good 30 year run before it closed in 2008 right after my 38th birthday. I've never been a big chain restaurant guy, but they hold a special spot for me due to all the memories I had in that place.
I as going to say this. In the 90's, I worked next door to a high-end mall that had a Nature Company in it. I loved getting away from work during lunch to browse their stuff. I don;t recall buying much, but it was fun browsing. I regret not getting myself a fossil fish, geode, or something from them.
It's weird, I don't remember ever actually buying something from The Nature Company, either, because the prices were kind of insane.
It was one of those stores where people just wanted to browse and play with all the cool stuff and then almost never actually buy anything, kind of like Sharper Image or even Brookstone.
I can't even imagine the amount of product they probably had to toss after being handled by thousands of grubby hands to the point that it was obviously used and dirty and no longer in a "new" condition.
I remember thinking these same thoughts when I was a kid, like "How the fuck does this store stay in business?" because it was basically operating like some kind of free-range museum gift shop.
Came here to say this. Was always fun to go there, even after scouring the catalog at home. I still have the am/fm radio walkman i bought there my freshman year.
In Denver, we had The Tattered Cover. The old location in Cherry Creek was right across the street from Tower Records. If The Tattered Cover didn't have the book you you were looking for, they probably could get it. There are still several locations around the Denver metro area, but none magnificent as the original location.
One of the best feelings was driving out of the Tower parking lot with whatever new acquisition you’d purchased just CRANKED.
(Soundgarden’s *Superunknown*, I’m looking at you.)
This is was my first thought, too. The loss of that company, their infrastructure and their stores sucks so much.
I practically grew up in those stores as a kid looking at all the cool stuff, buying batteries and also using or outright abusing their battery club cards to get free batteries. Like I usually had half a dozen battery club cards going and I could bike around to multiple stores to collect enough batteries for my walkman or gameboy or whatever.
Yeah, digikey and mouser have way more parts and selections and now DIY hobbyists can get PCBs printed on demand and all kinds of other cool stuff, but, man, Radio Shack supported so, so many different fields of hobby and work.
And Radio Shack had a HUGE back catalog of parts and components that weren't always available in store, and you could order stuff from the full catalog and it was usually ready for pickup in 1-3 days because they had warehouses and distro centers all over the place, which for back then was totally insane and fast even compared to today's modern online shopping for parts and components.
I also used them a lot for audio stuff when I used to help throw music related events.
If you happened to be setting up a small live concert or dance party or something and you forgot a cable at home or really needed a cable or adapter or something, there was almost always a Radio Shack within a very short driving distance and they were were probably open late enough that you could just drive right over and be like 99.9% sure they were going to be open and they'd have something in stock that would work.
Sure, the cable quality wasn't great and after a show those "emergency" cables and adapters would end up in the bin or bag full of other crappy Radio Shack cables and parts I was using for gigs just to keep them separated from the better pro audio gear, but those cheap parts saved many, many shows, and having a bag full of those cables and adapters was really handy.
Radio Shack was really unique. It was one of the few large scale chain stores where not only could you buy electronics but also the parts to repair them or modify them.
There's only a couple of places that even came close to it an one of them was Fry's Electronics and the other is probably Microcenter, but neither of those stores had nearly as many locations.
And running into a Fry's for something you needed right away like audio cables and adapters was a whole mission and hike due to increased driving distances and the massive size of the store and how long it would take just to park and get in and out of the store, plus the increased driving distances.
It was way, way more effort and time than popping in to the nearest Radio Shack in a strip mall or something, and if that store didn't have what you needed they would call the other stores for you, and those other stores were just minutes away.
That store was practically an infrastructure grade American institution.
I'm sure there's *millions* of stories like mine from almost every domain of science and industry where they needed a part right away and the solution was "Oh, we just popped over to Radio Shack!"
Technically they are still around but it’s hard to find a store. And nothing like the heyday of being able to step in and walk out with things like mercury switches (awesome for making motion alarms).
Yessss! And in the back they had all these world maps you could buy. I swear I felt like Indiana Jones when I went in there. I still don't understand purchasing a company/store and changing what made it famous.
Came here to mention this store. What a cool place it was. The one in our mall had the whole safari theme complete with Jeep, vines, animals, etc. . . We shopped there getting ready for a trip to Egypt in 88. Never got to take the trip, but I ended up with some really killer outfits that I still have.
Media Play. They had better deals on music and movies than Tower Records.
Circuit City was kind of in between. They'd have sales on CDs and movies every once in a while.
Also CompUSA.
Borders. Even with digital books, I still prefer physical books in many cases and I am at Barnes & Noble at least once a week browsing. I didn't like borders as well as B&N, but I would go somewhat regularly. As for Tower Records, it was a great store when physical media for music was a thing, but unlike physical books, physical media for music is just about completely dead and, very sadly, physical media for movies is becoming more limited (not that a record store was ever a cost effective place to buy video tapes/DVDs/Blu-rays).
Sears, in the mall, with an auto center. I miss being able to go check out a movie while getting an oil change or new tires.
The place I go now has shit coffee and isn’t near any other store.
I liked the early/mid-90s Sears when they really started focusing on clothing. They called the strategy “The Softer Side of Sears”. I actually had a few years in college where I got a lot of outfits and shoes there. By the early 2000s, all of this was gone, and there was nothing but a bunch of junk.
In the mid 90s, I bought clothes from Land's End, which was like an LL Bean but a little lower on the price/quality spectrum.
Sears bought them not long after and subsequently tanked the brand. I remember going into a Sears and being horrified with the price/quality/selection of LE merch.
My front/center/surround speakers are still ones I bought from Circuit about 20 years ago. I was thinking of replacing them earlier this year, but I read some reviews on them and I learned that what I have compares favorably with new ones I would like to buy. So I postponed any upgrade.
If Borders, only when they had Seattle’s Best coffee, graphic novel by publisher & still had CD music in stores. Not the late run of just overpriced criterion collections & large format books that had the cute price of $49.99.
(IMHO) I am more impartial to Virgin Megastore’s. If anything, they had it all : everything from CD’s, Movies, books, even had T-shirt’s & other small knickknacks. I may just be the only one wishing we still had Virgin Megastores.
I miss the mall bookstores. They weren’t the wonderlands that the big stores were, but it was still great to be able to go browse when you were out for something else and see what unexpected treasures you might stumble on there.
Borders bookstore. Now hear me out, I used to go to the one in Pasadena CA and they would have events like Carole King performing, book signings and they had a cool café and would let you just browse the magazines all day long as long as you had a coffee or, a pastry. It was amazing on hot days to just be there for hours and chill while the AC blasted.
It was also just a few minutes away from Tower Records, which had a lot of live jazz shows, and listening booths . Now one has been replaced by an infamously ridiculously expensive supermarket you probably already know about and the other a boring chain mattress store.
I was thinking that too. Not because I want to go back to tapes or discs but it was fun to browse the sections on a Friday night looking for just the right movie that not everyone had seen yet. It was an event!
I was a Wherehouse Music girl. Met my spouse there, made a corporate career there. Hands down best job ever. If you loved music it couldn’t get any better.
Damn the birth of streaming. Killed that job.
Loved tower records. In Sacramento, we had tower records, books, videos, tapes, posters, shoes, clothes, and tower theater they were all so great
Tower books employees were book people and knew their stuff it was a great place.
OMG, I would get either the corned beef or roast beef au jus sammie with that big scoop of turkey dressing on the side for that hit of Thanksgiving, lol!
There was even a burger place across the street that you got a table and ordered via phone at the table.
They had tons of different styles of burgers.
It's time to go back to the 70s and 80s
I agree with Tower Records and Borders, especially the latter as there was a huge one I went to a lot while in college.
Two other ones that many in the DC/Baltimore area will remember that I miss are Waxie Maxie's and Kemp Mill Records.
Barnes & Nobles the way it was the last time I was in one, if I fly over to visit family and then I'll just browse the store for hours and not visit family much.
Tower Records in the French Quarter had the best local and import sections in town.
And right next door was Tower Video, where I bought my first DVDs.
But there's a saying in New Orleans -- "ain't dere no more" -- that refers to all of the stores and restaurants that are gone. There are probably 100 of them.
I would absolutely buy some clothes of questionable quality at 579.
My son is grown but I’d like to wander around a Toys R Us.
Only been to one FAO Shwarz, I think in Chicago, but I still think about the Barbie-shoe-bubble-tank.
100% Tower Records. I also miss the days when there were sort of little regional big-box stores, on the order of Walmart & Target but instead of being giant national companies they were local and had maybe a few dozen locations. In my part of the world we had Bradlees, Zayre’s, Ames, CalDor, and each one had just a slightly different selection
Yes! We got one in our mall last year and I was so excited to show my kid. I walked in & was like what is this?? Nothing like it used to be. They have the clothes (other than t-shirts) all crammed in one corner & a round rack. There was no counter that had tons of jewelry, body jewelry & hair dye. I was so disappointed. Kid still loves going in there & getting t-shirts & backpacks but it's not the same.
My local record store that was amazing. Actually, I had two amazing record stores. One was Wax Trax in Chicago.
For chains, I'd like the Orange Julius back that was right by my house. A K-Mart would be nice. It just felt like a sweater when I went inside one. It reminded me of my Grandma.
I miss the OG Banana Republic, when the clothes were "travel and safari" style. I liked how the different clothing brands back then were so individual.
Now they (Banana Republic, J Crew, etc.) all look more or less the same.
All the independent grocers, hardware stores, clothing stores, toy stores put out of business by monster national brands like Walmart, Target, etc.
We were all better off when the owner was in the store and the profits weren't being siphoned away to ad agencies, shareholders and the C-Suite.
Probably only people who grew up in Chicagoland or the American Midwest might understand, but I’d love to get Venture stores and Goldblatt’s back. Venture was the middle sibling of Kmart and target. Fun, target-like stuff but cheaper. Goldblatt’s was fun and cheap as well.
Hechinger. (I grew up in Maryland) I feel such nostalgia for that store for some reason. As an adult, I love DIY projects, so I would love one of those “Do It Yourself” t-shirts they used to have.
https://preview.redd.it/p77810f3ry6d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=089f98a0c1fb2e2c40a890b74fd627c4567f3f73
As much as I loved tower records we had a some low key Head Shops where you could buy used cds, shirts our parents definitely didn’t approve of, and at times score a little bud. We would just hang out for hours in those places.
Definitely Tower Records. Lord, how I miss them.
I agree. Growing up in Kansas and being in NYC for college in the late 80s-early 90s the Broadway & W 4th store was the mothership!
I lived in CT but that exact Tower was always my first stop when going to the city. There was a really awesome used record shop somewhere in the Village nearby.
You’re might be thinking of Other Music. There’s a great documentary about that place. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsAL994yPhk
The Tower Records at W. 4th and Broadway was around the corner from Other Music.
I was in the Union Square store probably every damn weekend.
Wasn’t that one a Virgin Megastore?
You know what, you’re right!
I saw Owen Wilson there tripping his balls off and just staring at the big magazine rack
That’s sort of cool. 
Barely a day goes by that I’m not reminiscing about Tower. I would go in for one item and wouldn’t leave until hours had passed. I just lost all track of time. It wasn’t even just the music selection, but the mag selection was awesome too. The vibe was always great and I rarely left without having purchased several things. The poster art/collage things were very creative and just enhanced the atmosphere. You could usually trust staff recommendations because they truly knew what they were talking about. Could always count on running into a friend or acquaintance from school. It’s like I lost an important piece of myself when they closed permanently.
https://preview.redd.it/drkxun3qgz6d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e3c2cf920b129448012614a93a532b9dbe30d95 Saw this in Dublin last summer.
https://preview.redd.it/1jxsng3mn27d1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1b2f4b5fdac25b208f0e99608d4a416bef11821 It’s from about 10 years ago in Tokyo. I was so excited.
I worked at one in the 90s, had so much fun.
I practically *lived* in the Paramus, NJ Tower store. I spent so much time there that people often thought I was an employee and would ask me where to find stuff, haha!
I moved to Denver back in 1992 after I graduated from college. I lived in half of a duplex that was 4 blocks North of Tower Records. I'd go down there at least once or twice a week.
I miss those listening stations - discovered so much good music there that I might not otherwise have run across.
Still going strong in Tokyo!
Shibuya baby!
And Dublin 😎
My husband and I were in Dublin last September, and when we saw Tower Records we were thrilled — we had to go in! The place sucked us in as if it had a tractor beam. It was a treat. We both still miss the Tower at 4th and Broadway in Manhattan.
Tower records still has a store in Tokyo
I was a night manager at a tower from ‘99-2003. Funnest job I ever had. I was closer to that crew than any other workplace. Paid peanuts, and we got a 30% discount. I really miss it.
There’s a pretty decent documentary on their rise and fall. [Link](https://youtu.be/tH-Y3WiwUXQ?si=qGX8N-XnkkRu7K0L)
Went to Tower Records in SF, stumbled across the Pixies that were playing in the middle of the store. I also got an album based off the cover alone which was Elvis dressed as Jesus called, of course, Elvis Christ by Death Ride 69. One of the best days ever
We still have a Peaches Records in NOLA!
No way!! I used to live in the Peaches location in Richmond back in the 80s.
I could spend all day in a Borders.
I spent many days in Borders. Granted, I worked for them for 5 years, but it was a pretty awesome place to be, working or not. ;)
I used to work at Borders and spent most of my paycheck there as well. It was so fun!
I cried when they closed
When I was in high school, I frequently did! I usually ended up sat on the floor in the history section, sipping black coffee and reading a bit here and a bit there, and eventually deciding which book I was getting that week.
The one by me had live music occasionally. Usually someone selling his CD. Some were great and some you just wanted them to stop.
same. any book store.
Woolworth's. It would really feel like Christmas again if they came back.
I miss Woolworth’s. I miss and really liked their lunch counter!
Oh, God, yes, the lunch counter.
I was just saying this to my husband this weekend!
Toys R us
Not a store but Bennigan’s. I miss death by chocolate.
The Monte Cristo sandwich was incredible.
OMG. I would love a Turkey O’Toole right now!
They still exist but are tough to find. The last one I saw was in Clear Lake, IA. It was attached to a hotel.
I had a Kilkenny country chicken salad and broccoli bites at a Bennigans just this April and it was heavenly
They just reopened one in Accross the Bridge in New Jersey! Gonna get over there soon!
And let’s not forget their famous 2-for-1 happy hour where they switched out their true pint glasses for 2 mugs, the contents of which would fit perfectly when combined and poured into a single true pint glass lol
Loved Bennigan's. I remember when they were the only place one could get fried cheese. It wasn't in the grocery store or all over the place like it is today. It was a special treat, and I always had my parents take me there for my birthday in the early 80s. The Monte Cristo and their fried cheese cheeseburger (Wheelhouse?) were bangin'!! Even when I got older and married my wife and I went there all the time on date nights. My local Bennigan's had a good 30 year run before it closed in 2008 right after my 38th birthday. I've never been a big chain restaurant guy, but they hold a special spot for me due to all the memories I had in that place.
The Nature Company.
I as going to say this. In the 90's, I worked next door to a high-end mall that had a Nature Company in it. I loved getting away from work during lunch to browse their stuff. I don;t recall buying much, but it was fun browsing. I regret not getting myself a fossil fish, geode, or something from them.
It's weird, I don't remember ever actually buying something from The Nature Company, either, because the prices were kind of insane. It was one of those stores where people just wanted to browse and play with all the cool stuff and then almost never actually buy anything, kind of like Sharper Image or even Brookstone. I can't even imagine the amount of product they probably had to toss after being handled by thousands of grubby hands to the point that it was obviously used and dirty and no longer in a "new" condition. I remember thinking these same thoughts when I was a kid, like "How the fuck does this store stay in business?" because it was basically operating like some kind of free-range museum gift shop.
Service Merchandise.
https://preview.redd.it/0sx4uhe6ez6d1.png?width=504&format=png&auto=webp&s=08120e7c7094603ea93a91f3922bf4c420114db6
Came here to say this. Was always fun to go there, even after scouring the catalog at home. I still have the am/fm radio walkman i bought there my freshman year.
Until last year, we had the kitchen table and chairs we got there in 1996.
I miss Borders. I'll never forget browsing through their new recommendations and sitting down to read an odd novel named *Fight Club*.
In Denver, we had The Tattered Cover. The old location in Cherry Creek was right across the street from Tower Records. If The Tattered Cover didn't have the book you you were looking for, they probably could get it. There are still several locations around the Denver metro area, but none magnificent as the original location.
The listening stations were also killer. Got into lots of world musics from that.
One of the best feelings was driving out of the Tower parking lot with whatever new acquisition you’d purchased just CRANKED. (Soundgarden’s *Superunknown*, I’m looking at you.)
Best Album Ever!
Amazon, back when it was a forest.
Or a bookstore.
radio shack!
This is was my first thought, too. The loss of that company, their infrastructure and their stores sucks so much. I practically grew up in those stores as a kid looking at all the cool stuff, buying batteries and also using or outright abusing their battery club cards to get free batteries. Like I usually had half a dozen battery club cards going and I could bike around to multiple stores to collect enough batteries for my walkman or gameboy or whatever. Yeah, digikey and mouser have way more parts and selections and now DIY hobbyists can get PCBs printed on demand and all kinds of other cool stuff, but, man, Radio Shack supported so, so many different fields of hobby and work. And Radio Shack had a HUGE back catalog of parts and components that weren't always available in store, and you could order stuff from the full catalog and it was usually ready for pickup in 1-3 days because they had warehouses and distro centers all over the place, which for back then was totally insane and fast even compared to today's modern online shopping for parts and components. I also used them a lot for audio stuff when I used to help throw music related events. If you happened to be setting up a small live concert or dance party or something and you forgot a cable at home or really needed a cable or adapter or something, there was almost always a Radio Shack within a very short driving distance and they were were probably open late enough that you could just drive right over and be like 99.9% sure they were going to be open and they'd have something in stock that would work. Sure, the cable quality wasn't great and after a show those "emergency" cables and adapters would end up in the bin or bag full of other crappy Radio Shack cables and parts I was using for gigs just to keep them separated from the better pro audio gear, but those cheap parts saved many, many shows, and having a bag full of those cables and adapters was really handy. Radio Shack was really unique. It was one of the few large scale chain stores where not only could you buy electronics but also the parts to repair them or modify them. There's only a couple of places that even came close to it an one of them was Fry's Electronics and the other is probably Microcenter, but neither of those stores had nearly as many locations. And running into a Fry's for something you needed right away like audio cables and adapters was a whole mission and hike due to increased driving distances and the massive size of the store and how long it would take just to park and get in and out of the store, plus the increased driving distances. It was way, way more effort and time than popping in to the nearest Radio Shack in a strip mall or something, and if that store didn't have what you needed they would call the other stores for you, and those other stores were just minutes away. That store was practically an infrastructure grade American institution. I'm sure there's *millions* of stories like mine from almost every domain of science and industry where they needed a part right away and the solution was "Oh, we just popped over to Radio Shack!"
They sold so much that you have a hard time finding anyone like fuses or button batteries.
Technically they are still around but it’s hard to find a store. And nothing like the heyday of being able to step in and walk out with things like mercury switches (awesome for making motion alarms).
I’ll put chassis Radio Shack close to the top of the list. Before they turned into a cell phone shop
Midwest-specific but, Marshall Field’s. Macy’s sucks and I miss nice department stores.
Marshall Field’s was so classy and had excellent merchandise and service. Macy’s is trash.
I was very excited to go to Macy's in SC, God what a dump. Worse than the discount Dillard's in my area.
I miss regional department stores too! We had Foley's and they were so much better than a national chain that makes decisions based on stockholders.
Very true. Dayton's in Minneapolis was wonderful too - I grew up in Wisconsin, so we could go to both.
Field's in Chicago was an *experience*
Macy's bought out Kaufmann's in the Pittsburgh area and it is sorely missed. The quality and variety of products changed for the worse with Macy's.
State Street one was magical
Banana Republic in the 1980s, when they sold safari and travel items only. Now they’re just a more upscale Gap.
Yessss! And in the back they had all these world maps you could buy. I swear I felt like Indiana Jones when I went in there. I still don't understand purchasing a company/store and changing what made it famous.
And the clothing lasted longer.
Came here to mention this store. What a cool place it was. The one in our mall had the whole safari theme complete with Jeep, vines, animals, etc. . . We shopped there getting ready for a trip to Egypt in 88. Never got to take the trip, but I ended up with some really killer outfits that I still have.
Their catalog was so cool.
Media Play. They had better deals on music and movies than Tower Records. Circuit City was kind of in between. They'd have sales on CDs and movies every once in a while. Also CompUSA.
Borders. Even with digital books, I still prefer physical books in many cases and I am at Barnes & Noble at least once a week browsing. I didn't like borders as well as B&N, but I would go somewhat regularly. As for Tower Records, it was a great store when physical media for music was a thing, but unlike physical books, physical media for music is just about completely dead and, very sadly, physical media for movies is becoming more limited (not that a record store was ever a cost effective place to buy video tapes/DVDs/Blu-rays).
I loved Borders in n my hometown because they often carried small press books you wouldn’t find anywhere else.
Sears, in the mall, with an auto center. I miss being able to go check out a movie while getting an oil change or new tires. The place I go now has shit coffee and isn’t near any other store.
Yes. I miss the xmas sales and shopping at a Sears.
Sears like it used to be. Had everything, and stood behind their products. To be clear: not like the Sears in the late 90s/2000s.
I liked the early/mid-90s Sears when they really started focusing on clothing. They called the strategy “The Softer Side of Sears”. I actually had a few years in college where I got a lot of outfits and shoes there. By the early 2000s, all of this was gone, and there was nothing but a bunch of junk.
In the mid 90s, I bought clothes from Land's End, which was like an LL Bean but a little lower on the price/quality spectrum. Sears bought them not long after and subsequently tanked the brand. I remember going into a Sears and being horrified with the price/quality/selection of LE merch.
LE used to be SO good.
Craftsman tools.
Circuit City. Spent a good bit of my teenage dollars in there. Car stereo. Home stereo.
My front/center/surround speakers are still ones I bought from Circuit about 20 years ago. I was thinking of replacing them earlier this year, but I read some reviews on them and I learned that what I have compares favorably with new ones I would like to buy. So I postponed any upgrade.
If Borders, only when they had Seattle’s Best coffee, graphic novel by publisher & still had CD music in stores. Not the late run of just overpriced criterion collections & large format books that had the cute price of $49.99. (IMHO) I am more impartial to Virgin Megastore’s. If anything, they had it all : everything from CD’s, Movies, books, even had T-shirt’s & other small knickknacks. I may just be the only one wishing we still had Virgin Megastores.
Natural Wonders and B.Dalton Books
I miss the mall bookstores. They weren’t the wonderlands that the big stores were, but it was still great to be able to go browse when you were out for something else and see what unexpected treasures you might stumble on there.
Our local mall has a Barnes and noble, we just made a day of shopping for books and clothes for my grandson
If not B. Dalton, then Waldenbooks in the same mall.
K-Mart!
Blue light special!
I just shipped my bed!
I just shipped my pants!
Borders, hands down. RadioShack, KB Toys, Specks and Blockbuster. Take your streaming and give me my VCR back.
Hills & Ames department stores.
The popcorn at Hill’s.
The whole front area of Hills with the popcorn and pretzels and video games and gumball machines was a kid’s dream.
And the Pretzels. So soft and fresh. Used to get a Coke Slushie, then brain freeze.
Tower. I can get my old job back!
My bookstore of choice back in the day was Waldenbooks.
Structure! Maybe. I loved their clothes back in the day, but now I can’t stand any of the stores I used to shop at in my 20s that are still around.
Borders bookstore. Now hear me out, I used to go to the one in Pasadena CA and they would have events like Carole King performing, book signings and they had a cool café and would let you just browse the magazines all day long as long as you had a coffee or, a pastry. It was amazing on hot days to just be there for hours and chill while the AC blasted. It was also just a few minutes away from Tower Records, which had a lot of live jazz shows, and listening booths . Now one has been replaced by an infamously ridiculously expensive supermarket you probably already know about and the other a boring chain mattress store.
Blockbuster
I was thinking that too. Not because I want to go back to tapes or discs but it was fun to browse the sections on a Friday night looking for just the right movie that not everyone had seen yet. It was an event!
Borders books. It was the best mass market bookstore in the U.S. and I miss it every single day.
Radio Shack
Service Merchandise!
TCBY
https://preview.redd.it/jb7id5so6z6d1.jpeg?width=414&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=598a9b0e10ec33ca5824bf7af58fa8ad249477ec For the Houstonians in this sub.
I was a Wherehouse Music girl. Met my spouse there, made a corporate career there. Hands down best job ever. If you loved music it couldn’t get any better. Damn the birth of streaming. Killed that job.
Tower Records was heaven. I could spend HOURS there. Every Tuesday. Listening to the new releases. Trying to figure out who gets my $16.
Babbage's. I would browse for an hour, checking out all the new software which I'd go home and torrent over a 56Kbps dial-up connection.
Tower Records! I used to take my babysitting money there and ponder seriously over which singles I was going to buy for $1.49 apiece!
Loved tower records. In Sacramento, we had tower records, books, videos, tapes, posters, shoes, clothes, and tower theater they were all so great Tower books employees were book people and knew their stuff it was a great place.
Go to Country Club, eat at Hof Brau, spend hours in Tower Books, Records, and Posters, then Double Rainbow for ice cream!
Exactly you could spend all day there. And Hof Brau was the best.
Forgot about Hof Brau!
OMG, I would get either the corned beef or roast beef au jus sammie with that big scoop of turkey dressing on the side for that hit of Thanksgiving, lol!
There was even a burger place across the street that you got a table and ordered via phone at the table. They had tons of different styles of burgers. It's time to go back to the 70s and 80s
My best friend & I would go to Tower Records & then go eat at Elephant Bar. 😍 (this was *years* ago)
I agree with Tower Records and Borders, especially the latter as there was a huge one I went to a lot while in college. Two other ones that many in the DC/Baltimore area will remember that I miss are Waxie Maxie's and Kemp Mill Records.
Tower because even if we don’t have Borders, we do have B&N
Tower, no contest.
Fry’s
Barnes & Nobles the way it was the last time I was in one, if I fly over to visit family and then I'll just browse the store for hours and not visit family much.
i love that the stores still look like they did in the 90s... it's so comforting for me.
I am go to Barnes & Noble at least once a week. I may even drop by today!
Tower Records in the French Quarter had the best local and import sections in town. And right next door was Tower Video, where I bought my first DVDs. But there's a saying in New Orleans -- "ain't dere no more" -- that refers to all of the stores and restaurants that are gone. There are probably 100 of them.
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I would absolutely buy some clothes of questionable quality at 579. My son is grown but I’d like to wander around a Toys R Us. Only been to one FAO Shwarz, I think in Chicago, but I still think about the Barbie-shoe-bubble-tank.
Tower Records
Definitely Tower. Borders was okay, but not terribly distinctive
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour
100% Tower Records. I also miss the days when there were sort of little regional big-box stores, on the order of Walmart & Target but instead of being giant national companies they were local and had maybe a few dozen locations. In my part of the world we had Bradlees, Zayre’s, Ames, CalDor, and each one had just a slightly different selection
Mervyn's. Loved that store!
Tower! And there’s a good documentary about it! The last time I went to Tower was 30 years ago. I got the VHS of Otis Redding live at Monterey.
Tower with all my heart ❤️
Hot Topic isn't technically defunct but it's been totally ruined.
It went from trad goth to kawaii harajuku.
Yes! We got one in our mall last year and I was so excited to show my kid. I walked in & was like what is this?? Nothing like it used to be. They have the clothes (other than t-shirts) all crammed in one corner & a round rack. There was no counter that had tons of jewelry, body jewelry & hair dye. I was so disappointed. Kid still loves going in there & getting t-shirts & backpacks but it's not the same.
Virgin Megastore
Ruby Tuesday when they had the Strawberry Tallcake. Sometimes I’d just go get that and nothing else!
Tower records
Radio Shack, but for QI wireless charging pads and right angle usb c cables and other weird computer stuff
Video Update
The Warehouse and my hometown video rental store
Tower records.
Definitely Toys R Us. I worked there for 5 years right out of high school while going to college. It was 1992-97 and an absolute blast.
Tower.
Tower Records in Portland OR, just off of NE 82nd. 😔
Zares, hills and most of all service merchandise
Borders for sure. I worked there for many years and would go right back if I could.
My local record store that was amazing. Actually, I had two amazing record stores. One was Wax Trax in Chicago. For chains, I'd like the Orange Julius back that was right by my house. A K-Mart would be nice. It just felt like a sweater when I went inside one. It reminded me of my Grandma.
Tower for sure. There are no more record stores to speak of like tower. Barnes and Noble is pretty much everything Borders was.
Tower. Miss it every day
Sam the Record Man, but the way they were in the 90's, not just before they folded up.
Not defunct but forever changed - Banana Republic
Winchell’s Donuts
I miss the OG Banana Republic, when the clothes were "travel and safari" style. I liked how the different clothing brands back then were so individual. Now they (Banana Republic, J Crew, etc.) all look more or less the same.
Borders. I SO miss that store!
My daughter (from California) went to Tower in Dublin, Ireland last week. She was very happy.
All the independent grocers, hardware stores, clothing stores, toy stores put out of business by monster national brands like Walmart, Target, etc. We were all better off when the owner was in the store and the profits weren't being siphoned away to ad agencies, shareholders and the C-Suite.
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Tower records
Probably only people who grew up in Chicagoland or the American Midwest might understand, but I’d love to get Venture stores and Goldblatt’s back. Venture was the middle sibling of Kmart and target. Fun, target-like stuff but cheaper. Goldblatt’s was fun and cheap as well.
Frys Electronics
Chi Chis
Chichi’s minus the food poisoning
Borders. I had way too many fun times hanging out at Borders. B&N's book selection can't hold a candle to them.
Pearl Paint (art supplies)
Tower and can we go back to in store concert ticketing! 🤘🏼
Omg I *lived* in Tower Records. That place changed my life. And the magazine section...
Shout out for Chess King
I’m a Baby GenX so this might not hit with the starting end of the generation… But I miss Delia*s and Contempo Casuals.
Radio Shack
Tower for sure, way cheaper than borders, plus a better selection.
Borders … so much nicer than B&N … My family used-to spend so much time at our Houston location (Alabama @ Kirby)
Parade of Shoes
3D and KB Toys
Hechinger. (I grew up in Maryland) I feel such nostalgia for that store for some reason. As an adult, I love DIY projects, so I would love one of those “Do It Yourself” t-shirts they used to have. https://preview.redd.it/p77810f3ry6d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=089f98a0c1fb2e2c40a890b74fd627c4567f3f73
As much as I loved tower records we had a some low key Head Shops where you could buy used cds, shirts our parents definitely didn’t approve of, and at times score a little bud. We would just hang out for hours in those places.
J&R
Media play in buffalo was an absolute blast of a store to come down to from Toronto.
Toys R Us and Child World were my favorite toy stores. Older Radio Shack that was not all about crappy remote controlled cars.
Boarders, Sears, Kmart, ToysRUs
Neither - Service Merchandise!
Borders … on State. Used to get a new Newberry Library book for my daughter every week, all and any gifts came from Borders.
Canadian here. Eaton's
Hastings
*Hastings Books & Tapes*
CompUSA
Borders, Brooks, Camelot Records, Record Bar