In L.A. County, all of the malls have a high vacancy rate, except for the Arcadia Mall, Del Amo Mall and the Newport Center. Everyone is shopping online. Please do a video on Balboa Island!
When I was 17 I worked as a electronic repair tech. I did all the warranty repairs in my area as we were the only manufacturer authorized center. Fun fact: all the electronics big box stores like Federated, Adrays, Circuit city were the same store. They would basically bankrupt the store on paper, change names, “sell” the products to “another store”, start again. Best Buy is the current iteration.
Nice video on the old times. I remember the smell of Toys R us, wonderful store to go in. Miss them. So many old stores and fun places from the 60s and 70s have vanished. Thanks for a nice walk back in time. Happy New Year.
I miss the many Fry's that were scattered about, but they went out of business fairly recently just before covid. There seems to be some incarnation of them now called Fry's Marketplace as some kind of food and drug venue and are even selling some electronics on site.
Thank you for this episode of Not Forgotten Stores.. Those Stores are so dear to everybody’s heart. I do have a Store in mind, a bookstore 📚 name Borders’. That was my favorite store I love the most. Of course Barnes and Noble still around but Borders was my favorite store and Tower Records 💿 Those also but breaks my heart 😭😭😭
2009, Family members had put me up for a couple of months while trying to close on a house. As a thank you for the hospitality I went to the local Circuit City that was liquidating stock and got a great bargain on a big flat screen TV as a thank you gift.
If there's one thing we can count on, it's change, and this edition of Oddity Odysseys is proof positive. Very clever and very nostalgic, Drew and Bethany. 👍
I used to work at Blockbuster Video back in 1998. It was crazy how angry people got over late fees, or not having a new release in stock at 11pm on a Friday night...
I didn't really go to Blockbuster because we had a Ma and Pa VHS rental store close by my house. They had a aracde that I would frequent. But I do have memories of going with my uncle to the Blockbuster on Hollywood to rent Eraser and getting some Burger King to enjoy the start of the weekend. I would go with my dad often to the Sunset Blvd Circuit City, I still own the Gameboy that I bought at that store. And I can't believe you can still go inside the Los Feliz Toys R Us. Greya video and I didn't know about the Blockbuster Take a VHS leave a VHS. That's right up my alley of retro finds.
Good old Circuit City. Many years ago it used to be part of the rounds my dad and I took to electronics/computer stores on the weekends (that and Best Buy, CompUSA, etc).
Last time I remember being in a Circuit City was Black Friday 2005. I was still renting from Blockbuster in 2010. I had a Netflix DVD subscription, but they didn't have everything or sometimes I wanted to see a movie that day. It was easy to pop into a Blockbuster and rent it. Until a couple years ago we had several Family Video stores in DFW with one right down the road from me. I rented from there several times over the last few years before they closed in 2021.
Souplantation! There's still a real one open in Tucson, AZ. But you can find a really cool almost perfect facsimile called Soup n Fresh in Rancho Cucamonga. It's in a former actual Souplantation, and the resemblance is eerie, down to the layout of the salad ingredients and soups. You should go check it out and make a video. Pure nostalgia!
Happy Saturday Fam I remember toys r us and blockbuster but there's another place in East Los Angeles in commerce it was called JC Video it was like a blockbuster but it had movies in vcr also theres another place in East LA that has more history its called the Tamale building its located on Whittier Blvd in East LA check it out The Tamale Building in East L.A. is one of the last examples of programmatic architecture in Los Angeles. Programmatic architecture is a style of architecture that is designed to look like what's sold inside or illustrate the name or theme of the building. The Tamale Building is located at the mouth of a tamale-shaped wagon that was originally designed and planned. The owner opted for a more permanent location on Whittier Boulevard and opened the Tamale in the late 1920s.
Frys Electric Store!!!! In San Diego, there is an abandoned building that has the same look. Only the lettering was removed. Off the 15 freeway not far from the 8 highway.
Toys R US is making a comeback! Besides their online stores, according to various articles they have opened a physical location in Mall of America and there is a partnership with Macy's store. There are allegedly physical locations left overseas as well.
I worked for Spirit Halloween in 2014 that was in an old toy’s r us building that had recently closed and all the signage and back rooms were left as is. Wish I would have taken videos..
Love watching your channel. I cover retail and abandoned places on my channel. I have come across several intact long gone retail giants of the past. This includes a blockbuster with its sign several circuit city’s as well as a few toys r us. I guess here in the Midwest we tend to let dead retail sit and rot and not get repurposed.
Circuit City also made a bad decision in the late 90's when they were trying to introduce a Divx DVD player. I was a 1 time only DVD that you could buy and it would only work in those players. I don't remember the exact details but but I was told their sales people were rewarded with heavy incentives to sell them.
So the whole corporate Enterprise and hundreds of thousands of employees deserve to lose their jobs because you had one knucklehead working at your local store? Great thinking there
@@stevesecret2515 - We had a check and balance system we'd run everymorning... nicknamed Found On Shelf. We's literally print a list of all late movies, then check the shevles before we opened against the list. Any movies found would get checked in, and late fee removed. So yeah, you weren't ripped off.
Each morning before we'd open, we ran a check and balance system called "Found On Shelf". It was a list of all the late movies, and we'd check the shelves just in case the movie didn't get checked in. Any movies found would be checked in, late fee removed. So, you weren't ripped off. We'd also call on movies 2 days late or more to remind people to return them...
I'm almost 52, and I loved to go to Toys-R-Us and wonder the aisles. Sometimes, picking up a toy that catches my interest or a board game or two.🥲🥲🥲😢😢😢
In L.A. County, all of the malls have a high vacancy rate, except for the Arcadia Mall, Del Amo Mall and the Newport Center. Everyone is shopping online. Please do a video on Balboa Island!
This shopping season my wife informed me there are Toy-R-Us sections in Macys now
The nostalgia of seeing these old buildings. Sometimes, it’s sad they aren’t around anymore, but also, the times have changed.
Thanks for the nostalgic look back. I spent so much time in all of those places, but I think I miss Toys R Us the most! (Just a big kid at heart) :)
Cool video, as always. I was surprised to see on a thumbnail Circuit City!!! Thanks again!!! 👍🏻😀👍🏾🇵🇭🇺🇲🇨🇦
1:38 thanks show our circus city in Burbank downtown 😊❤
I still have my Blockbuster card. Thanks for the interesting visits.
That sounds like a great collector's item to have!
When I was 17 I worked as a electronic repair tech. I did all the warranty repairs in my area as we were the only manufacturer authorized center. Fun fact: all the electronics big box stores like Federated, Adrays, Circuit city were the same store. They would basically bankrupt the store on paper, change names, “sell” the products to “another store”, start again. Best Buy is the current iteration.
Crazy! Fun episode & lots of nostalgia! Keep the great content coming. Cheers
Nice video on the old times. I remember the smell of Toys R us, wonderful store to go in. Miss them. So many old stores and fun places from the 60s and 70s have vanished. Thanks for a nice walk back in time. Happy New Year.
Now that was definitely interesting cool guys
Pretty cool to see how the "architectural DNA" of these places has lingered on. Thanks for another year of interesting and informative content!
I miss the many Fry's that were scattered about, but they went out of business fairly recently just before covid. There seems to be some incarnation of them now called Fry's Marketplace as some kind of food and drug venue and are even selling some electronics on site.
Thank you for this episode of Not Forgotten Stores.. Those Stores are so dear to everybody’s heart. I do have a Store in mind, a bookstore 📚 name Borders’. That was my favorite store I love the most. Of course Barnes and Noble still around but Borders was my favorite store and Tower Records 💿 Those also but breaks my heart 😭😭😭
Thanks for the trip down memory lane
2009, Family members had put me up for a couple of months while trying to close on a house. As a thank you for the hospitality I went to the local Circuit City that was liquidating stock and got a great bargain on a big flat screen TV as a thank you gift.
If there's one thing we can count on, it's change, and this edition of Oddity Odysseys is proof positive. Very clever and very nostalgic, Drew and Bethany. 👍
I loved Incredible Universe in Dallas Texas it was huge and they had everything... we will drive 150 Mi to get there...
I used to work at Blockbuster Video back in 1998. It was crazy how angry people got over late fees, or not having a new release in stock at 11pm on a Friday night...
The people at "family-friendly" establishments are always the crazy ones. 😅
I didn't really go to Blockbuster because we had a Ma and Pa VHS rental store close by my house. They had a aracde that I would frequent. But I do have memories of going with my uncle to the Blockbuster on Hollywood to rent Eraser and getting some Burger King to enjoy the start of the weekend. I would go with my dad often to the Sunset Blvd Circuit City, I still own the Gameboy that I bought at that store. And I can't believe you can still go inside the Los Feliz Toys R Us. Greya video and I didn't know about the Blockbuster Take a VHS leave a VHS. That's right up my alley of retro finds.
Good old Circuit City. Many years ago it used to be part of the rounds my dad and I took to electronics/computer stores on the weekends (that and Best Buy, CompUSA, etc).
You both are so entertaining. I wish you both a supper holiday season.
Happy Holidays!
Last time I remember being in a Circuit City was Black Friday 2005. I was still renting from Blockbuster in 2010. I had a Netflix DVD subscription, but they didn't have everything or sometimes I wanted to see a movie that day. It was easy to pop into a Blockbuster and rent it. Until a couple years ago we had several Family Video stores in DFW with one right down the road from me. I rented from there several times over the last few years before they closed in 2021.
Souplantation! There's still a real one open in Tucson, AZ. But you can find a really cool almost perfect facsimile called Soup n Fresh in Rancho Cucamonga. It's in a former actual Souplantation, and the resemblance is eerie, down to the layout of the salad ingredients and soups. You should go check it out and make a video. Pure nostalgia!
Happy Saturday Fam I remember toys r us and blockbuster but there's another place in East Los Angeles in commerce it was called JC Video it was like a blockbuster but it had movies in vcr also theres another place in East LA that has more history its called the Tamale building its located on Whittier Blvd in East LA check it out
The Tamale Building in East L.A. is one of the last examples of programmatic architecture in Los Angeles. Programmatic architecture is a style of architecture that is designed to look like what's sold inside or illustrate the name or theme of the building.
The Tamale Building is located at the mouth of a tamale-shaped wagon that was originally designed and planned. The owner opted for a more permanent location on Whittier Boulevard and opened the Tamale in the late 1920s.
Frys Electric Store!!!! In San Diego, there is an abandoned building that has the same look. Only the lettering was removed. Off the 15 freeway not far from the 8 highway.
Also, I miss Borders bookstore!
The Toys R Us store in Bangor, Maine on Bangor Mall Boulevard is now a Bob's Furniture Store
Toys R US is making a comeback! Besides their online stores, according to various articles they have opened a physical location in Mall of America and there is a partnership with Macy's store. There are allegedly physical locations left overseas as well.
There's still a Red Onion in Palos Verdes and in Puerto Vallerta
Memories!`
Bring back Baja Fresh
It still boggles my mind that Toys-R-Us totally shuttered.
I worked for Spirit Halloween in 2014 that was in an old toy’s r us building that had recently closed and all the signage and back rooms were left as is. Wish I would have taken videos..
Love watching your channel. I cover retail and abandoned places on my channel. I have come across several intact long gone retail giants of the past. This includes a blockbuster with its sign several circuit city’s as well as a few toys r us. I guess here in the Midwest we tend to let dead retail sit and rot and not get repurposed.
Circuit City also made a bad decision in the late 90's when they were trying to introduce a Divx DVD player. I was a 1 time only DVD that you could buy and it would only work in those players. I don't remember the exact details but but I was told their sales people were rewarded with heavy incentives to sell them.
Circuit City and CompUSA were the best.
Not surprised that Toys-R-Us is bankrupt, I went there with my kids, and told me I couldn't take pictures there. A bit of poetic justice.
Bethany, you don't rewind DVDs!
Forgot about frys electronics
Memory lane 😊
G`morning O.O.
G' Mornin' Friend.
Why does your logo look like an old Olive Garden commercial?
👍🏿
Blockbuster got what they deserved. They ripped me off twice saying tapes weren't returned.
So the whole corporate Enterprise and hundreds of thousands of employees deserve to lose their jobs because you had one knucklehead working at your local store? Great thinking there
@@stevesecret2515 - We had a check and balance system we'd run everymorning... nicknamed Found On Shelf. We's literally print a list of all late movies, then check the shevles before we opened against the list. Any movies found would get checked in, and late fee removed. So yeah, you weren't ripped off.
Each morning before we'd open, we ran a check and balance system called "Found On Shelf". It was a list of all the late movies, and we'd check the shelves just in case the movie didn't get checked in. Any movies found would be checked in, late fee removed. So, you weren't ripped off. We'd also call on movies 2 days late or more to remind people to return them...
I am first and no other can be!
I'm almost 52, and I loved to go to Toys-R-Us and wonder the aisles. Sometimes, picking up a toy that catches my interest or a board game or two.🥲🥲🥲😢😢😢