Companies That Have Gone Out of Business Since I Was Born: 1983

Some of these stores were established in the 1800s and it upsets me that they are no longer around.  It helps to know I was an 80s child and grew up in New York and I only mention retailers that I remember.

Alphabetical order:

A & S: 
Department store. Established in 1881. Closed in 1995.

A.C. MOORE:
craft and hobby store. Established in 1985.  Defunct in 2020.  terrible

ALEXANDER'S: 
Department store. Established in 1928. Closed in 1992.

AJ WRIGHT:
Home goods store. Established in 1998. Shut down in 2011.

ATARI, Inc.
Video game company. Established in 1972. Shut down in 1984.

B. DALTON:
bookstore. established in 1966. Merged with Barnes and Noble in 1987. Shut down in 2013.

BABIES "R" US:
baby items store. Established in 1996. Closed in 2018.

BALLY TOTAL FITNESS:

fitness gym. Established in 1983.  Closed in 2016. 

BARNEYS NEW YORK:

high-end clothing store. established in 1923. closed in 2020. 

BED, BATH & BEYOND:

household goods. Established 1971.  Closed 2023

BEN FRANKLIN:
General store. Established in 1927. Closed in 1996.

BLOCKBUSTER:
Video rental company. Established in 1985. All stores shutdown in 2012.

BOMBAY COMPANY:
Furniture store. Established in 1978. Closed in 2007.

BUY BUY BABY:

Baby merchandise. Established 1996. Closed 2023. (Bed, Bath and Beyond was parent company)

CALDOR: 
Discount Department store. Established in 1951. Closed in 1999.

CHRISTMAS TREE SHOPS:

home decor.  Established 1970. Closed 2023. (Bed, Bath and Beyond was parent company)

CIRCUIT CITY: 
Electronic Store. Established in 1949. Closed in 2009.

CONCORDE:
Aircraft. First flight in 1969. Retired in 2003.

DELIA'S 

girls clothing store. established 1993. closed 2015

DeLOREAN MOTOR COMPANY:
 Car company. Established in 1975. Shut down in 1983.

EASTERN AIRLINE:
Airline. Established in 1926. Shut down in 1991.

ECKERD:
Pharmacy. Established in 1898. Closed in 2007.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:

weekly movie and music Magazine. first edition February 1990. Last paper edition April 2022.

FASHION BUG:
clothing store: Established in 1960: Closed in 2013.

FILENE'S:
Department store. Established in 1881. Closed in 2006.

FORTUNEOFF: 
Houseware store. Established in 1922. Closed in 2009.

GENOVESE:
Pharmacy. Established in 1924. Closed in 1998.

GIMBELS:
Department store. Established in 1887. Closed in 1987.

GRAND UNION:
Supermarket. Established 1872. Closed in 2000.

HARMON DRUGS:

drugstore. Established 1971. Closed 2023. (Bed, Bath and Beyond was parent company)

HERMAN'S: 
Sporting Goods Store. Established in 1916. Closed in 1993.

HESS:
gasoline station: Established in 1919: Sold in 2015 (company still supplies Christmas trucks)

HOLLYWOOD VIDEO:
Video rental company. Established in 1988. Shut down in 2010.

JACK LALANNE FITNESS:

fitness gym.  Opened in 1936. Sold to Bally Total Fitness in 1995. 

KB TOYS:
Toy store. Established in 1922. Closed in 2009.

KIDS "R" US:
Children's apparel store. Established in 1983. Shut Down in 2003.

KINNEY SHOES: 
Shoe store. Established in 1894. Closed in 1998.

KODAK:
camera and film company. Established in 1888: Shut down in 2013.

LEVITZ:
Furniture Store. Established in 1910. Closed in 2008.

LIFE:
Magazine. Established in 1883. Shut down in 2000.

LILLIAN VERNON:
American Catalog. Established in 1952. Shutdown in 2008.

THE LIMITED:
clothing store. established 1963. Defunct 2017

LINENS 'N THINGS: 
Houseware store. Established in 1975. Closed in 2008.

LUCILLE ROBERTS:

woman's gym. Established in 1969. Closed 2020. 

MAD MAGAZINE:
comic magazine. first issue 1952. Defunct in 2019.

MADEMOISELLE:
Women's magazine. Established in 1935. Shut down in 2001.

MAYS:
Discount department store. Established in 1927. Closed in 1988.

MCI:

telephone communication company: Established in 1983. Defunct in 2006

MEDIA PLAY:
music store: Established in 1992: Closed in 2006

MILTON BRADLEY COMPANY:
boardgames company. established 1860. Bought by Hasbro in 1984. Brand name defunct in 2009.

MODELL'S SPORTING GOODS:
sporting goods store.  Established in 1889.  Defunct in 2020.

MONTGORMERY WARD:
department store: Established in 1872. Defunct in 2001.

MUSICLAND:
Music company. Established in 1955. Shut down in 2006.

NECCO:
candy company. Established 1901. Defunct in 2018.

NEWSWEEK:
Weekly magazine. Established in 1933. Stopped all paper editions December 2012.

ORION PICTURES:
Movie producer. Established in 1978. Shut down in 1998.

PAN AM:
Airline. Established in 1927. Shutdown in 1991

PARKER BROTHERS:
boardgames company. established 1883. Bought by Hasbro in 1991. Brand name defunct in 2009.

PATHMARK:
supermarket: Established in 1968: Closed in November 2015

PAYLESS SHOESOURCE:
shoe store. Established 1956. Defunct in 2019.

PERGAMENT:
Home Improvement store. Established in 1935. Closed in 2001.

PETS.COM (sock puppet)
Online Pet Supply Company. Established in 1998. Shut down in 2000.

PIER 1 IMPORTS:
home decor store. established in 1962. Defunct in 2020

POLAROID CORPORATION:
Camera company. Established in 1937. Shut down in 2008.

REVCO:
Pharmacy. Established in 1956. Closed in 1997.

RINGLING BROTHERS AND BARNUM AND BAILEY CIRCUS:

traveling circus company. Established 1871. Closed in 2017

SAM GOODY: 
Music Store. Established in 1956. Closed in 2008.

SERVICE MERCHANDISE:
Gift department store. Established in 1934. Closed in 2002.

SHARPER IMAGE:
High-end electronic store. Established in 1997. Closed in 2008.

SPORTS AUTHORITY:
sporting goods store: Established in 1987: Closed in 2016

STERN'S:
Department store. Established in 1867. Closed in 2001.

SWEZEY'S:
department store: Established in 1894: Closed in 2003.

TIMES SQUARE STORES (T. S. S):
Department store. Established in 1929. Closed in 1989.

TOWER AIR:
Airline. Established in 1983. Shut down in 2000.

TOWER RECORDS:
Music Store. Established in 1960. Closed in 2006.

TOYS "R" US:
toy store. Established in 1948. Closed in 2018.

TWA:
Airline. Established in 1925. Shutdown in 2001.

WACHOVIA BANK:

bank. established 1879. Closed 2008

WALDENBOOKS, BRENTANO'S and BORDERS:
Bookstores. Waldenbooks was established in 1933. Brentano's was established in 1853, it merged with Waldenbooks in 1983. They were acquired by Borders (established in 1971) and Kmart in 1994 but retained their original company names. In 2004 Borders converts all Waldenbooks and Brentano's into Borders Express.  Due to over expansion and a drastic drop in book sales Borders suffered greatly.  Its last year to turn a profit was 2006.  Borders files for bankruptcy in February 2011. Complete  Shut down in September 2011.  I worked at a Waldenbooks from 1999 till it was shut down in 2009. Sad day.

THE WALL, RECORD TOWN, and COCONUTS:
Music stores all converted to F.Y.E in 2001

THE WARNER BROS. STORE

WB retail merchandise. established 1991. Last stores closed 2008.

WASHINGTON MUTUAL BANK (WAMU):

bank: established 1889. Closed 2008

The WIZ:
Electronic Store. Established in 1976. Closed in 2003. 

WOOLWORTH:
General Store. Established in 1878. Closed in 1997.

WORLDS OF WONDER:
Toy Company. Established in 1985. Shut down in 1990.