And here it is. I always loved Best! I bought my first Christmas gifts in the USA there. I can close my eyes and still see it. It just brings a lot of memories.

ALCO and Shopko will always have a VERY special place in my heart I will never forget them...

I don't believe there's ever been a department store with more incompetent senior management than Best Products. They built a superb chain of store and then ran the company straight into the ground with lack of innovation, bad store locations and many other bad decisions.

Woolworths: absolutely loved the lunch counter!

If you are from the Midwest, Wisconsin and the UP (and old enough) you probably can finish this jingle: "Say hello to a good buy at..." . Is it stuck in your head? Your welcome!

When I was little my mom shopped at Montgomery Ward. I used to shop at Pamida, but it's pronounced Pa-my-da. It was a great store.

If you do a part 5 include Sage department stores and Gemco. There was a Sage store close to where i grew up in west Houston. Gemco was a early attempt at a membership department store. Gemco's were not around long.

Two Guys,Hills,Ames,WT Grant,Woolworth,AM&A’s,Murphy’s,GEX,Hens&Kelly’s,K mart, Twin Fair,and more I can’t remember.

Maybe in a future installment, you could include Schottenstein's/Value City Department Stores. Began in 1916 by Ephraim L. Schottenstein on S. Parsons Ave. in Columbus OH, with the first expanded location on 1887 S. Parsons Ave in 1947, it was the first department store in Columbus to actually open on Sundays (and closed on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath). Another Schottenstein location opened in 1961 on Westerville Rd, which became the North Store (also where the corporate office was located). During the 70s and 80s an East and West store were added. However, when Schottenstein began expanding outside of Columbus, they would become known as Value City Department Stores (the family's rabbi made it a rule that any of their stores in Columbus HAD to be named after the family). Schottenstein began to acquire more stores, often renaming them after the store plus Value City (like Grampa's-Value City in St. Louis, when the company bought them in 2002), as well as buying Filene's Basement, Widman's and American Eagle Outfitters. By 2002 the company, now officially known as Retail Ventures Inc., had 117 stores under the Schottenstein/Value City Dept. Stores umbrella. But because of poor management and misguided supply decisions (many of the item suppliers for our store, such as N. V. Spring (fishing supplies), hardware suppliers, paint and Health and Beauty Care, were eliminated under the idea our buyers could do better...they couldn't), plus expanding way too fast, the original store on S. Parsons was shuttered in March 2005, along with two Grampa's stores), then they renamed the three remaining Schottenstein stores Value City stores in Columbus (how they got by with this is a particularly shameful story for another time) soon after. But in December 2008, all remaining Value City Department Stores were shuttered, about a week before Christmas. These days, what remains of the original Schottenstein Stores are the East store, which was sold to Burlington Coat Factory...not sure if that's still open. The West Store eventually was sold to a small clothing outfit and is still open. The North Store was never sold, and today is an abandoned husk....a couple of people have done videos of the place over the past year for KZfaq, and the original store on S. Parsons? Torn down around 2010 and today a Primary One health center stands in its place. I still have a few bricks from where it was being torn down, since I worked there from 1992 to the end. Just for old time's sake, I guess.

Its sad, when stores close When your used to seeing them

Wow. BARNEYS! That store was FUN & FABULOUS! l loved the CHRISTMAS WINDOWS on 7th Avenue (at 16th). They used to do the trees out front in rainbow colors at Christmas time!

I visited mc Raes in Mississippi. Nice store.

I do remember shopping at Gottschalks a lot up until they closed in 2009. My hometown had 3 locations, 2 were at the same mall after Gottschalks merged with Harris (another great department store chain that also went defunct by 2009). I also remember shopping at BEST a few times as a kid. Funnily enough, my local BEST store would later become a Best Buy store 😂.

What about Olan Mills photography? Used to work for them back in the 70's selling their specials by phone. Had fun doing that too.

It's been decades since the time when thousands of independent department stores dotted the American landscape. But in the latter half of the 20th Century, large corporate department stores, like Walmart, put thousands of small town department stores out of business! Both the working owners and employees were left jobless, and together with other large corporations, owned by private individuals who do no work at all, sent factories overseas to places where children and desperately poor adults work in the most squalid of conditions for pennies an hour, or used their stolen wealth to weaken unions in the US in order to pressure workers to accept huge pay cuts, leaving American workers no other way to survive other than to take the pitifully low wages and zero-to-no benefits, such as what the typical Walmart employee receives! Interestingly, the justifications for stealing wealth from workers goes directly back to when the owners of large lands excused their claim to own, not just the wealth workers created, but the workers themselves--overt slavery! They, too, bragged about how "generous" they were, "providing homes, clothing and food" to their "servants"! They further claimed to have delivered their slaves from pagan darkness and "provided them with honest work"! Sure, we can be glad that over slavery was outlawed in the US, but the owner class has, ever since then, done all they can to get as close as they can to enslaving the vast majority of Americans by claiming it's OK to own, if not the workers themselves, all the wealth their work creates, only to return a very small portion of it back to them, and they return even less every chance they get! Rick Lannoye, author of www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Slavery-Taking-Workers-Illegal/dp/B08BD9CWLP

In Illinois there was also a ‘Venture’ discount. Somewhere around ‘84-‘85. Don’t know how long it lasted. Also a ‘Builder’s Square’ , like a Home Depot….but, there weren’t any Home Depot yet where I lived. There was also a Zayre as was mentioned in the previous episodes. There was also ‘Goldblatts’…..had everything, even a bulk candy counter. Then there was ‘Arlans’ discount. Anyone hear of these? Also ‘Pranges’, a really nice department store.

Good to see another installment! Nice work!

Borrowing money for huge expansion seems to be a common theme in retail bankruptcy

It's weird how some of them went out of business and closed and I never really even noticed. Paces like Hills and Gold Circle and Korvette's just disappeared and I never noticed before until you mentioned them. I guess I just wasn't paying attention.

My Mom shopped regularly at Emporium-Capwell and Best, seems like she was at one or the other all the time...

I had completely forgotten about gold circle. I remember there was a store in that shopping center called elder berhman, we used to buy our shoes there when I was a kid.

This is a good channel. I always appreciate those who stick to their theme "o)

Amazing work! I absolutely love reminiscing about some of my favorite childhood stores. Would love to see Jamesway, Ames, and Hess featured down the line. Also loved seeing Steve and Barry's featured. We had one about 20 minutes away that my dad would always take me to for clothes.

steve and barrys is a store i wouldve LOVED, im so sad i never got to see it

Back in the 1990s when I was a teenager my Mother and I would go to Town Center Mall in Kennesaw - Marietta Gorgia and there was a men's clothing store called J Riggns or J Riggings. I really loved their men's clothing their dress shirts and causal shirts were really beautiful and reasonably priced. Then sometimes my Mother and I would go to the Gadsden, Alabama mall and shop at Mc Rae's but years later Mc Rae's went out of business years later and the store was later changed to the department store starts with a P and I know how to pronounce it correctly but do know how to spelling correctly. My Mother and I lived in Floyd County, Georgia and these two malls were about a hour away from our county so I fell in love with both Malls, because both Malls always had what I was looking for.

I just finished watching all 4 of these videos, was surprised to not see a single one of the 4 stores I grew up with. GC Murphy's, McCrorys, Hecks, Fishers Big Wheel. I worked at Murphy's Mart from 1981 to 1986, my mom worked at Fishers from 1972 to 1999.

Best department stores had some great architecture. The part of the video showing 9 different stores with unusual architecture, i recognized the middle one. It was located in southeast Houston

Cussins and Fearns Hardware in Columbus O opened Buckeye Mart. Then became Gambles Buckeye Mart, Then Bought by Fisher's Big Wheel. Also was a Heck's discount Store. Gambles owned 2 or 3 different department stores.

Hudson's in Detroit area bought by Macy's, grocery stores .. farmer jacks bought by A&P

I miss Woolworths and Levitz (furniture store). Mom would spend hours browsing all the different furniture layouts in Levitz before deciding on a bed frame or dresser. They sold quality furniture unlike IKEA.

McRae's were once located at Western Hill Mall, Century Plaza Mall, Rivrchase Galleria, Roebuck, Downtown and Brookwood Village in the 80s/90s down here in Birmingham Al after it was changed to Pizitz

Used to shop at Heck’s and Magic Mart. GC Murphy and Ben Franklin as well. I do remember Hills. That’s where I got school clothes for high school. Steve and Barry’s was cool.

I used to work at a Shopko in Lincoln, NE.......many, many, many years ago. Btw, Pamida is pronounced pa-MY-da, not pa-ME-da.

Please feature more true department stores and less discount stores. There are many more full line stores that have yet to be seen.

Strawbridge and Clothier in center city Philadelphia: Winding through a Christmas village on your way to Santa, It had its own dedicated subway station.

Nice job Rasheed! They are redoing our old mall now thinking about putting a casino in it!

A few you may have missed were Roses (NC and SC), Sky City (NC) and Pace warehouse (CO)

I just passed by the former Best Product store in Hialeah, FL today (the glass terrarium one at 7:55). It has since been turned into a shared space between Office Depot and a storage center. Now they just repainted the building red and white to match Office Depot's color scheme.

I remember Best when I lived in the Washington DC suburbs in late 1980s early 90s. I knew it was going downhill when I bought a vacuum cleaner that was supposed to be brand new, but when opened had hair and carpet fiber in the roller brush.

Hess's department store Allentown Pennsylvania, and JJ Newberry founded in Stroudsburg Pa

Memories of Wanamakers in center city Philadelphia: Meet at the Eagle, the huge organ, the light show at Christmas, high tea in the cafeteria, the toy floor and its elevated train ride around the perimeter (great view of almost all the toys).

I worked for a company that had offices in the old BEST store on W. Marshall Street. I used to shop there with my mom when I was a kid.

Plz make part 5 these videos are awesome to watch also I know a department store that went out of business Bon-Ton and it’s other six department stores such as Boston Store, Bergners, Carson’s, Elder Beerman, Herbergers, And Younkers. They all liquidated in 2018.

Fedco was cool remember buying my atari games there

One store I haven’t seen listed is Gilchrist’s. It was one of the ‘big three’ department stores in Boston, MA along with Filene’s and Jordan Marsh. Don’t remember when it closed, but it was sometime in the 70’s. They had almost a dozen locations in Massachusetts at one point. All three stores are now gone, sadly.

Wow, Best had one wild and unique entrance there. Still hoping for coverage of some Long Island, NY lost stores like Jamesway, Alexanders, Great Eastern, Modells (yes, once a department store before they did sporting goods), Times Square Stores & Korvettes. If you ever cover defunct toy stores then Play World simply must be covered.

Can you do Ann and Hope ?

I miss shopping at Shopko, it had better quality merchandise than Walmart.

Well done

Hills had locations in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina, and the one that was closest to me was in High Point.

I miss BEST, their store in Burnsville MN had a very extensive selection of keyboards, probably a 25 foot aisle’s worth! They even had one those Bandai Pair/Match games, AKA the little pyramid shaped devices on the Ten Forward tables on ST:TNG. My aunt had several of their catalogs too. I’ve also been to Alco and ShopKo. Had many of my glasses done through their Optical department.

There used to be a location of Best in Yuma Arizona at the corner of 32nd Street and the 4th Avenue extension.

Korvettes on the Roosevelt Boulevard (far northeast Philadelphia). Located in a strip mall, Korvettes was the anchor store. Those of us who grew up there still refer to the Korvettes Mall.

Barring Barneys (where I remember getting a suit in the 80s) I never shopped at--or heard of--any of these. But that may be owing to the fact that several of these chains didn't have outlets in the northeast. Although there MAY have been a Best near where I lived between 1992 and 2008, but if there was, I never shopped there.

Was looking for a part 3, but did not find it.. some stores I remember are ,Two Guys, Gold Circle, DK Stores,Ben Franklin Stores, JB Hunter, JM Fields, kiddie City, Child World.

Please do a video of Wilson's Department Store in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Please do Goldbatts of Chicago

I remember going to the White Front in LA. My mom would take me and we would do some shopping there. Nice store. To bad thay are no longer with us I wish that thay were.

The HECHT Company in Baltimore never had any love shown by your channel. The HECHT Company remains my fondest Childhood shopping memory. Hoshchild Kohn in Baltimore. Hutzler's in Baltimore and last and least Stewart's in Baltimore. All department stores that ruled Baltimore in their day. Especially Hutzler's.

Wow! Does anyone remember Maas Brothers Department store ? My mom used to take us there. (St. Petersburg Florida)

If my memory is correct, BARNEYS NEW YORK was a sponsor of the soap opera DAYS OF OUR LIVES. 🤔🤔🤔✌✌✌✌

I used to shop at a Shopko in Escanaba Michigan in the 70s

There was a Shopko in the county seat city near my town that closed. They'd been here since sometime in the 80's. But they became over priced and got driven out by Wally World and Target. I think if they had moved to bigger cities and not got outpriced by Wally World they might have had a chance Since around 2015 we've lost JC Penney, Younkers, Sears, KMART and Best Buy. We're left with Wally World Target and Kohls.

Two I thought would be included in this series was Pomeroy's, mid Atlantic dept store chain and Korvette's. You did mention Korvette's but didn't go into any detail. Great series!

K-mart is nearly gone too I worked for Kmart in 1999 & 2000

W. Bell & Company I worked there part time from 1980 to 1985

I remember setting up a Hill's dept store in the late 80's. I liked that. It was something I knew how to do and could read a plan a gram. They liked the way I trained the others with respect. So, They offered me a manager position in the jewelry department which I gladly took. But once the store opened it was a total nightmare!! Because we had gold jewelry instead of trusting the employees and just let us ring it up and let the customer go in their way. We had to call security to come watch over that sale. It was a total waste of time. Plus we had to log it in the book of display sales. After a month I was done with that store.

I'm not sure if you did this but stores I remember are Woodward and Lothrop, Jefferson wards, Ivey's, Pranges, and Pizits to be honest this series could go on for a while

I haven't, I remember the chain stores I grew up around = Hills, Ames,, Grant's, Britts, Robert Hall Village, Nichols, The Big N, Town and Country.

We had a Steve & Barry's in our area for a few years. Still have some nice winter coats from there. However, I don't recall it being a department store; I remember it only being a clothing store. 🤔

I don't remember seeing you mention Murphy's, Heironimus (sp?), or Miller & Rhodes? The first 2 were in the same shopping center with Best. HA!! I remember the Best catalog but we also had a store. I remember being able to pick up items at the store but there was also an actual store that sold merchandise.

Sad one of my first jobs was at Hills. I'm glad Ames went out of business.

As a teen I worked at the Best Products location with the waterfall/Rain forest facade!

have you done Yellow Front yet? I have a ShopKo toy truck that is perfect for my HO scale trains its pah-my-duh actually

I also liked Steve n Barry's!

Back when my friend and I were 18 back in 1981 we heard on the radio of a new store opening called Dawahares. It sounded like the radio announcer was sayings Doll Hairs and we started laughing and we weren't going to shop at a place called Doll Hairs. 🤣

What about regional stores in New England? Ann & Hope, Mamouth Mart, Mal’s

Is that Pittsburgh Dad in the painting at 6:55?!??

The big Toy retailers FAO Scwartz , Toy’s’R’Us. Emporium Capwell, Montgomery Wards, Frederick’s of Hollywood 😂😂

Here's one to look into that went under Sky City

In Arizona there was a White Front, briefly ... but it was a tiny store, no sign of appliances. It was more in the vein of Standard Brands ... which is another store not covered in this series. We had a FedMart ... not FedCo .... though FedMart was as I remember a membership store as well.

Any one remember Big Ben dept stores, had one in Poughkeepsie Ny

The store I worked at is almost impossible to find info about because it was called “The Dry Goods.” There are other stores called Dry Goods. It closed in 1989 I believe. It was famous for having big dollar days sales.

Those crazy looking Bests did not look like the Best's I remember. The exterior was just normal and the interior was not like a costco there were toys, sporting goods, a big jewelry section, electronics, pretty much everything but clothes. It looked like a regular store except when you told them what you wanted it came down on a conveyor belt behind where you bought it. Kid me always wanted to know what was at the other end of the conveyor belt.

I remember the Hill's stores when I was a kid.

Chess king was in the old world trade center

Yeah, PharMor--I forgot that one. May I suggest Davison's (a Rich's rival?), GEM membership stores (I thought it was cool my dad's card was #007!), and JC Penney's Treasure Island chain with its signature crinkly roofline. The big TI in Doraville GA went under and became the site of a Zayre with the very 1st Home Depot store on its south end.

Living in Hawaii, I have only heard of one of these.

I loved Barney's!!

Welles, Rinks, Cooks, Chess King. Not sure if Chess King is still open somewhere but I loved that store as a teen in the early 1970’s. It was in our Lima Mall back then.

A list of other stores not touched upon. Roses, Jamesway, Woodies (Woodward and Lothrop) Memco, Drugfair (who also owned Trac Auto), and other more recent closures like Sears and Kmart.

What happened to Lehner's they used to have a lay-a-way that was the best. You could go there in the spring and put everything on their plan for the new school year.

Small chains in Maine

I'm miss my old store Steve and Barry's is the best one I been there before it's a good one

What happened to Stewart James way at and p Kmart

Please feel free to still bring your scripture of the day today...... Just in case you are busy or forgot..... Here's one temporarily. Everyone please note if we have not sent out a scripture by 3:00 ANYONE!!!!! please do. And the person who has that day still are welcomed to send it by 10:00 p.m. Please do not hesitate to send when you can. Today's Encouraging words from scripture: In Christ we are perfect through Faith. Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

There was a fedco in east harlem in the 70s

I wish you'd done a TG&Y. They were big in south georgia and some in florida. Not as big as these, but important to my small town.

I have always wondered about some stores that just disappeared so this was of some interest to me. Unfortunately I couldn’t help noticing the mispronunciation of many towns. The devil is in the details. Check out Greenwich CT and Mobile Alabama - to mention a couple. This is not hard.

Dayton -Hudson-Marshall Fields. 💟