Absolutely! I remember the last time we ever set foot in one, too. It was one in La Mesa, CA, in the 80's; my sister and I were in the store in the toy dept., and my mom was at the jewelry counter looking at something when 4 guys came in with shotguns and robbed the jewelry store. My mom hit the floor but got a good look at their faces. After that night, though, my mom was too traumatized to want to EVER go back in, so we never got to go back. I think within a year or two the location shut down, and a year or two later the company went out of business. Answer from Sprzout on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/80s › ever visit a best products showroom back in the day?
r/80s on Reddit: Ever visit a Best Products showroom back in the day?
July 2, 2025 - The BEST store I remember used to have this huge section for jewelry and their catalog pick up area, and then they had off to another side of the store a section where they had outdoor furniture, home goods, and a HUGE toy section. Continue this thread ... Best Products didn't go out of business until 1998.
Chainstoreguide
chainstoreguide.com › offthechain › 2013 › 10 › chain-store-guide-through-the-ages-1980s
Chain Store Guide Through The Ages: 1980s
Ross Stores debuted in this decade to serve as an outlet for designer brands. Tween Brands got its start in the late 1980’s as Limited too stores introduced designer styles for girls. Top brands such as Aeropostale, BCBG, Express, Guess, J.
Videos
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CLOSED! 12 Iconic 1980s Stores That Couldn’t Be Saved - YouTube
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20 Stores We Loved in the 1980s and Want Back - YouTube
15 Iconic 1980s Stores That Faded Into History!
28:22
20 Famous Stores From The 1980s, That No Longer Exist! - YouTube
51:23
20 Forgotten Stores From The 70s & 80s We Wish Still Around - YouTube
Absolutely! I remember the last time we ever set foot in one, too. It was one in La Mesa, CA, in the 80's; my sister and I were in the store in the toy dept., and my mom was at the jewelry counter looking at something when 4 guys came in with shotguns and robbed the jewelry store. My mom hit the floor but got a good look at their faces. After that night, though, my mom was too traumatized to want to EVER go back in, so we never got to go back. I think within a year or two the location shut down, and a year or two later the company went out of business. Answer from Sprzout on reddit.com
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Best_Products
Best Products - Wikipedia
3 weeks ago - The company had a strong sense of promotion and artistic sensibilities; it was legend in artistic circles that it would trade store merchandise for art. As a result, the company, as well as the Lewises, gathered a significant collection of 20th-century art. Much of the Lewis Collection can be seen at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and a café named after the company opened in that museum in 2010. In the 1970s, Best Products contracted with James Wines' "Sculpture in the Environment" (SITE) architecture firm to design nine highly unorthodox retail facilities, notably a tongue-in-cheek structure called the "Indeterminate Facade" in Houston, Texas with a severely distressed facade.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/genx › what’s a department store from the 80s or 90/“s that you wish was still around?
r/GenX on Reddit: What’s a department store from the 80s or 90/“s that you wish was still around?
August 23, 2024 -
I loved Mervyn’s. The last one that I shopped at was at Colorado Blvd in Denver.
Top answer 1 of 143
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I miss mall culture in general. That the people in the store were there to help you with purchases. I miss that people could support themselves working as a sales person.
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A lot of people mentioning stores that aren't department stores in the traditional sense. Yeah, yeah, Toys-R-Us has the doll department and the toy gun department and the Lego department, so I guess it counts. I miss Hudson's, a glorious department store chain in Michigan. I suppose you can say that Target is a direct descendent, but that's doing a huge disservice to the history of Hudson's. On the other hand, I'd probably not shop there and I'm part of the problem of stores disappearing: I literally had no idea that Mervyn's was defunct.
Groceteria
groceteria.ca › board › viewtopic.php
Best Products - Groceteria.com
Also, the Lewises and the Zimmermans of Service Merchadise were great friends and had a gentleman's agreement that neither would infringe on the other's turf - so no Service Merchandise on Virginia/Maryland/DC, and no Best Products in Tennessee, for example. Finally, until the late 1960's or early 1970's, Best was a membership store like a Sam's Club or Costco.
The Retro Network
theretronetwork.com › home › mall stores of the ’80s (and ’90s) that you’ll never shop at again
Mall Stores of the '80s (and '90s) that You'll Never Shop at Again : The Retro Network
June 20, 2023 - Woolworth, Kresces, Cavages Music store, Northern Reflections, McCroys, Steinmart, Hens and Kelly’s, God I miss the 80’s… ... Wow A&S haven’t heard that name In forever I used to live in Valley Stream and worked over at the Green Acres Mall so many place there I loved Alexander’s, Gimbels, Woolworths man that brought back the memories. ... Anybody remember Stuart’s, Lerner and Size 5-7-9? Those were my go-to places for clothes 1980s.
Pinterest
pinterest.com › danadavisbooks › old-stores
Pinterest
Ohrbachs Department Store.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/80s › retro retail! share your department store memories...
r/80s on Reddit: Retro Retail! Share your department store memories...
December 26, 2023 - Any other wisconsinites out there or people from the Midwest that had stores like that? ... Yes! I was hoping someone else would say Brendle’s. I still remember going there with my mom to pick out Precious Places playsets and birthday presents. ... Not heard of Best (or nearly any of them tbh) but its shop front is great. Were all branches like that? ... There were some others that had unique architectural design. https://www.archdaily.com/778003/the-intersection-of-art-and-architecture-the-best-products-showrooms-by-site-sculpture-in-the-environment
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Service_Merchandise
Service Merchandise - Wikipedia
November 20, 2025 - Service Merchandise's history can be traced to 1934, to a small five-and-dime store founded by Harry and Mary Zimmerman in the town of Pulaski, Tennessee. After leaving the wholesale business, they opened Service Merchandise, Inc., the first ...
Facebook
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Best Products behind Montgomery Mall in Bethesda 1980s. ...
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USA Store Fanon
usastorefanon.fandom.com › wiki › Best_Products
Best Products | USA Store Fanon Wikia | Fandom
October 29, 2024 - Some Best stores have an in-store Toys "R" Us. ... In the 1970s, Best Products contracted with James Wines' "Sculpture in the Environment" (SITE) architecture firm to design nine highly unorthodox retail facilities, notably a tongue-in-cheek structure called the "Indeterminate Facade" in Houston, Texas with a severely distressed facade.
Chainstoreguide
chainstoreguide.com › offthechain › 2023 › 09 › years-1980s-new-individuality
Targeted Sales Leads - Retail & Restaurant Leads | Chain Store Guide
Mall staples like Express, Aeropostale, and Guess were founded in this decade and leaned into the designer trend that had caught consumers’ attention. Designer fashions became more available to the public and were asserted as status symbols. Brands like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein grew ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/xennials › y’all remember best stores?
r/Xennials on Reddit: Y’all remember BEST stores?
March 22, 2024 - Stores are putting everything in cases due to theft. It would be better. ... Loved it! Something about the layout and variety of merchandise made it a fun and fascinating experience. Like truly lit me up as a kid to go to Best. I have no idea why though, lol. ... The Houston Best Products store had a really cool facade.