department stores that closed down

[VenomX73]

all the 80s and 90s arcades are gone as well

[pacman000]

Gibson's Discount Centers - Had 500 stores in the 70's. Dwindled to about 20 in the 90's. Chain went bust in 2002. There are still two franchisees using the name.

Gipson's Department Stores - Merged with another chain, who decided to focus on other stores.

Ben Franklin's - A 5 & 10, like Woolworth's. Went bankrupt about the same time Woolworth's decided to shut down their general merchandise stores. Still about 100 franchises in business, mostly as craft stores.

Is a chain really gone if there are still open franchises? I'd count Gibson's as gone, since the franchiser went out of business & no one picked up the trademark, but RadioShack & Ben Franklin's technically still exist; you have to pay someone to use the name.

Woolco - Woolworth's larger discount store. In the US it was driven out of business by Kmart. Canadian stores were sold to Walmart.

Shopko

Pamida

[sprite75]

We used to have a Zayre, Venture, then a ShopKo here in town.  All three chains have gone out of business.  The Mart of K is on life support these days, as is Sears - both of which closed where I live.  Some of the others that have come and gone around here include Younkers and Armstrong Dept. Store. 

It was kind of hard to get used to the lot being so empty at the Mart of K when they first closed their local store.  Even in their last years there were always a few cars in the lot and the shopping center seemed so empty without them around anymore.

Seems to me that the companies that own the mall and shopping centers around here always say that they have a few irons in the fire and they have so many interested in their buildings that they have to beat them away with a stick - but these buildings always seem to sit around for a while gathering dust.  Part of the former Mart of K is a VA clinic and another part is a Joann Fabric now but the center part is still empty.  ShopKo has been empty since it closed last year. 

[Alex]

Companies will sometimes pay other businesses to keep some lots empty to prevent competition moving in.I know in the UK businesses can claim tax relief from some buildings lying empty. There may be sound reasons from a financial point of view to leaving these lots empty, as much as it is annoying for people like us.

Or maybe they are just preparing for a Fallout style existence after the apocalypse.