List of defunct retailers of the United States

For defunct restaurants and department (and variety) stores that were formerly a part of this list, please see List of defunct restaurants of the United States and List of defunct department stores of the United States respectively.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Across the United States, a large number of local stores and store chains that started between the 1920s and 1950s have become defunct since the late 1960s, when many chains were either consolidated or liquidated. Some have been lost due to mergers.

Below is a list of defunct retailers of the United States.

Automotive

• 10,000 Auto Parts – ( - 1990). Midwest; bought by Champion Auto stores
• 4-Day Tire Stores  – A California-based chain of tire stores that had operated between 1969 and 1996 and kept prices low by only opening Wednesday through Saturday.
• AllCar  – A Wisconsin-based chain that was acquired in 2000 by CSK Auto and rebranded Checker
• Al's Auto Supply – Chain that operated in Washington, California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and Alaska; purchased by CSK Auto. Founded by Abe "Al" Wexler in Everett, Washington in the late 1950s; sold 15 store chain to Paccar in 1987; Paccar sold chain (along with Grand Auto) in 1999 to CSK Auto which eventually rebranded stores as Schucks.
• Auto Palace  – A New England-based chain that had 112 stores in 6 states before it was acquired and rebranded by AutoZone in 1998
• Auto Source  – Founded in Indianapolis by Canadian Tire in 1991 and operated until 1995. Canadian Tire later used a similar concept in Canada to create PartSource. Some of the stores were sold to Pep Boys.
• Auto Works  – Began in Michigan in 1976 by Perry Drug Stores and which grew mostly through acquisitions prior to being sold to Northern Automotive in 1988. In turn, Northern became CSK and CSK sold Auto Works to Hahn Automotive in 1993 before Hahn finally closed Auto Works in 1997. At its height, there were 252 stores in 8 states.
• Big A Auto Parts – 142 stores and 10 distribution centers sold in 1998 bankruptcy proceedings to General Parts Inc. and BWP Distributors Inc. ("Carquest"), and Parts Source Inc., ("Ace Auto Parts").
• Big Wheel/Rossi Auto Parts – acquired by CSK Auto in 1999
• Carport Auto Parts – Alabama-based chain that was acquired and rebranded by Advance Auto in 2001
• Champion Auto Stores – Minneapolis-based chain filed for bankruptcy in 1998
• Checker Auto Parts – purchased by CSK Auto, Inc. In 2008, O'Reilly Auto Parts acquired CSK and phased-out the Checker brand.
• Chief Auto Parts – acquired and rebranded by AutoZone in 1998
• CSK Auto – based in Phoenix, Arizona with stores nationwide; bought by O'Reilly Auto Parts in 2008
• Discount Auto – Florida-based chain that was purchased and rebranded by Advance Auto in 2002
• Fleenor Auto Supply – Founded in 1926 as Fleenor Auto Parts in Alexandria, Indiana. Fleenor Auto Supply grew into a 50 store chain before it was acquired by the 11-store chain Auto Works in 1983. Auto Works rebranded the stores to FAS Auto Works and finally to Auto Works.
• Grand Auto – A California-based chain that originally started in a World War 2 surplus bus in Oakland in 1945 by 3 war veterans, Irving Krantzman, Max Brown, and Sam Garfinkle; first physical store was open in San Lorenzo in 1946; company was sold to Paccar in 1988; Paccar sold chain (along with Al's Auto Supply) in 1999 to CSK Auto which eventually rebranded stores as Schucks or Kragen. Also known as Grand Auto Stores and Grand Auto Supply.
• Guarantee Auto Stores – An Indianapolis-based chain founded in 1916 that operated 77 stores in 4 states prior to its merger with Nationwise Automotive of Columbus, OH in 1988.
• Kragen Auto Parts – purchased by CSK Auto, Inc.; acquired by O'Reilly Auto Parts in 2008 and brand phased out
• Murray's Discount Auto Stores – purchased by CSK Auto, Inc. in 2005; acquired and rebranded by O'Reilly Auto Parts in 2008
• Nationwise Automotive – a Columbus, Ohio-based chain founded in 1963 that went bankrupt in 1995. Most of the stores were acquired by the Parts America division of Western Auto and the rest by AutoZone.
• Oklahoma Tire & Supply Company – founded in 1918 by three brothers in Oklahoma; filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in 1988 and ceased operation shortly after.
• Parts America – Sears created the Parts America store concept in 1995 and tried to convert full service Western Auto stores into the parts only Parts America brand until it sold the stores to Advance Auto Parts in 1998. Upon merger, Parts America stores were rebranded Advance Auto Parts and the website partsamerica.com became a web only store for Advance Auto Parts. With financial backing from Sears, Advance Auto Parts decided to make the partsamerica.com into a portal for web purchasing of auto parts as part of a joint venture with CSK Auto. The website appeared to have been deactivated by 2009.
• Rose Auto Parts – Florida-based chain with 66 stores in the state was purchased and converted by Discount Auto in 1998
• Schucks Auto Supply – purchased by CSK Auto, Inc.; acquired by O'Reilly Auto Parts in 2008
• Super Shops – filed for bankruptcy in 1998
• Trak Auto – Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and West Coast; founded by Robert Haft (Crown Books) in 1981; purchased and rebranded by Advance Auto Parts in 2002
• Western Auto – nationwide, once had 1,800 locations, purchased by Sears in 1987 and sold to and rebranded by Advance Auto Parts in 1998
• Wheels Discount Auto – (owned by Fays Inc Fay's Drug and Paper Cutter) - acquired and rebranded by Parts America in 1995, subsequently purchased by Advance Auto Parts

Camping, sports or athletic stores

• Galyan's Trading Company – acquired by Dick's Sporting Goods in 2004
• Gart Sports – bought by Sports Authority
• G.I. Joe's – Oregon and Washington
• Herman's World of Sporting Goods
• Mages – Chicago
• Olympic Sports – Seattle, Washington
• Oshman's
• Sportmart
• Sportswest
• Sunny's Surplus

Catalog showrooms

• Ardan – 1950–1986; an outgrowth of a family-owned jewelry business dating back to 1885, Ardan showroom locations increased to 68 across the Midwest and California by 1983, when the company began closing and selling showrooms due to shrinking market share, and stopped retailing non-jewelry merchandise; some showrooms were acquired by Service Merchandise.
• Best Products – filed for bankruptcy for the second time in September 1996 and closed all of its stores by the following February
• Brand Names – 1952–2001; regional chain located in the Buffalo, New York, area; consisted of 12 showrooms and six furniture galleries when it closed 2001 due to changing market forces of web-based retail and big box stores
• Brendle's – became bankrupt and liquidated in 1996
• Ellman's – acquired by Service Merchandise in 1985
• H. J. Wilson Co. – Southern states, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; acquired by Service Merchandise in 1986
• McDade & Co. Inc. – operated eight catalogue showrooms in the Chicago area from 1958 to 1987.
• Service Merchandise – Closed all its retail stores by early 2002. The name was later resurrected in 2004 for an online retail operation
• Witmark – operated in southwestern Michigan; founded 1969, liquidated 1997

Clothing, shoe and specialty stores

• A&N Stores - a regional chain of Army-Navy surplus stores that later sold sportswear and footwear, A&N ceased operations in 2008.
• Anchor Blue - Youth-oriented mall chain, founded in 1972 as Miller's Outpost. The brand had 150 stores at its peak, predominantly on the West Coast. Anchor Blue declared bankruptcy in 2009 and shuttered more than 50 stores, and gradually shrank to include stores solely in California. It went bankrupt once more in 2011, with the remaining stores closed before Easter of that year.
• Anderson-Little - men's specialty retailer originally associated with a large Massachusetts-based men's clothing manufacturer; also known as Anderson Little-Richman Brothers; owned for many years by F. W. Woolworth Company. Ceased operations in 1998, revived as a small online retailer in 2008.
• Arden B. - A juniors store focused on trendy dresses and clubwear, launched by Wet Seal in 1998. Store count dwindled in the late 2000s, the brand went entirely out of business in 2014.
• Body Central - A juniors' store focusing on fast-fashion; experienced rapid expansion in the 2000s after an IPO, only to default on $18 million in debt and go bankrupt in 2014.
• Contempo Casuals/Petite Sophisticate - A duo of juniors brands established by Neiman Marcus that grew to more than 230 mall locations. Competitor Wet Seal purchased the brands in 1996 and gradually converted them to Wet Seal locations.
• County Seat - Founded in 1973, the denim-focused mall retailer expanded in the 1980s to nearly 500 stores. It filed for bankruptcy in 1996 and shuttered stores, and another bankruptcy in 1999 put the company out of business.
• Delia's - founded in 1993 as a juniors' clothing catalog, Delia's (stylized as dEliA*s) expanded to more than 100 physical locations before cheaper competitors sent it to bankruptcy in 2014. Reopened in 2015 as an online retailer.
• El Bee Shoes - a shoe store spinoff of the Elder-Beerman department store chain. The brand was liquidated in 1996.
• Fashion Bug - plus-size women's clothing retailer that once spanned more than 1000 stores. Parent company Charming Shoppes, which owned other plus-size retailers including Lane Bryant, shuttered the brand in early 2013.
• Gadzooks - Founded in 1983 as a T-shirt store, Gadzooks grew to a 250-store mall fashion retailer before making an ill-advised decision to discontinue menswear. The company was purchased by competitor Forever 21 out of bankruptcy in 2005, with its stores either closed or converted to F21 formats.
• Gottschalks - Founded in 1904, this middle-market regional department store was once the largest independently owned, publicly traded department store in the United States. Bankruptcy claimed the brand in 2009.
• Harold's – Founded in 1948 in Norman, Oklahoma, and liquidated through bankruptcy in 2008.
• Harry Levinson's – Indianapolis-based men's clothing chain that went bankrupt in 1995.
• J. Brannam – a unit of the F. W. Woolworth Company established in 1979 that operated primarily in the southern U.S.; closed in 1985
• Jay Jacobs – Seattle-based clothier founded in 1941 and closed in 1999
• 'Judy's – women's clothing retail chain founded in 1946 and sold in 1989 to Laws International Holdings Ltd.; entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from 1992 to early 1993. Larry Hansel/Westridge Partners purchased the 50 remaining stores in 1993 but the chain, including Hansel's Rampage Clothing went bankrupt by 1997.
• Kids "R" Us - A division of Toys "R" Us, created in 1983 to sell children's and preteen clothing; it folded in 2003.
• Kinney Shoes – manufacturer and retailer established in 1894 and purchased by F.W. Woolworth in 1963
• Kleinhans – a men's clothier in Buffalo, New York that operated from 1893 until 1992
• Klopfenstein's – a men's clothier in the Seattle-Tacoma area founded in 1918 and in operation until 1992
• Martin + Osa - Established in 2006 as the more mature counterpart to American Eagle Outfitters, the chain grew to 28 stores before millions in losses forced its parent company to discontinue it. The brand's stores and e-commerce site disappeared in 2010.
• Merry-Go-Round - The precursor to today's "Fast-Fashion" brands, Merry-Go-Round had more than 500 locations during its heyday in the 1980s. It went bankrupt in 1995.
• Mervyn's - A California-based regional department store founded in 1949. Mervyn's ill-fated expansion out of West Coast markets in the months before a recession sent the company into bankruptcy in 2008.
• Paul Harris - women's retailer based in Indianapolis-Started in 1952. Filed for bankruptcy protection in 1991 and again in 2000 only to close all stores in Spring of 2001.
• Raleigh's – also known as Raleigh Haberdasher, was a men's and women's clothing store in Washington, D.C. from 1911 to 1992
• Richman Brothers – men's specialty store and manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio; in 1969, it became a division of F. W. Woolworth Company along with its Anderson Little stores, and operated until the division became unprofitable and was closed in 1992.
• Robert Hall – Clothing store that existed from 1938 to 1977. At its peak, the store had locations in both New York City and Los Angeles. In addition, the firm invented the big box concept where all non-clothing lines were leased by other retailers.
• Rogers Peet – New York City based men's clothing retailer established in late 1874. Among the chain's innovations: Rogers Peet showed actual merchandise in their advertising, advertised fabric types on merchandise, and put price tags on merchandise. The chain went belly-up in 1981.
• Roos/Atkins - a San Francisco menswear retailer formed in 1957 and expanded throughout the Bay Area in the 60s. The brand went into decline in the 1980s and ceased operations by 1995.
• Ruehl No.925 – concept brand launched by Abercrombie & Fitch in 2004; poor sales and operating losses led to A&F ceasing operations of Ruehl in early 2010.
• Sagebrush – Casual wear retailer operated by Meijer from the mid 1970s until it was sold off in 1988.
• The Sample – Western New York based retailer founded in Buffalo in 1928 when its founder brought a sample set of 48 dresses back from New York City. At its peak, the retailer was noted for its semi-annual clearance known as the Pup Sale. The demise of The Sample was in 1991 following the death of the chain's chairman a year earlier.
• Sibley's Shoes – Was a show retailer founded by Harry Rosenfield in 1920. Sibley's had locations in Michigan and Ohio and closed in 2003 when the company's executives decided to not save the company.
• Sycamore Shops – a boutique founded by L.S. Ayres in 1968; later sold to managers when parent company divested; filed for bankruptcy in 1996.
• Thom McAn – Shoe retailer founded in 1922 and had over 1,400 stores at its peak in the 1960s. In 1996, the parent company decided to close all remaining stores, but Thom McAn footwear is available in Kmart stores.
• Today's Man - A men's suiting store that began in the 1970s and expanded rapidly in the 1980s and 90s. Overexpansion brought the brand to bankruptcy in 1996.
• Warner Brothers Studio Store - Meant to be the WB answer to the rapidly growing Disney Store, the Warner Bros. Studio Stores sold collectibles and apparel based around WB properties including Looney Tunes and DC Comics. The Studio Stores were a victim of the AOL-Time Warner merger, and shuttered operations in 2001.
• Yellow Front Stores - Founded in the 1950s as an army surplus store, Yellow Front transitioned to become a camping gear retailer before going bankrupt in 1990.

Department and discount stores

Main article: List of defunct department stores of the United States

Drug stores

A–M

• A. L. Price – Metro Detroit; part of Perry Drug Stores
• Arbor Drugs – Michigan-based chain; acquired by CVS Pharmacy
• Big "B" Drugs
• Cunningham Drug – Metro Detroit, Michigan area; dissolved in 1982
• Dart Drug – converted to Fantle's
• Disco Drug and Discount Centers – was a pharmacy chain based in California that operate during the 1960s and 1970s until its parent company, Daylin, Inc., experienced financial difficulties that force it to close the stores.
• Dorb the Chemist, Inc. – filed for bankruptcy in 1932
• Drug Emporium
• Drug Fair
• Eckerd Corporation – acquired by Rite Aid in the northern region and CVS Pharmacy in the Southeast
• Fantle's
• Farmacias El Amal – San Juan, Puerto Rico, firm; 20 locations bought by Walgreens in 2008; remaining closed in 2011
• G. O. Guy – acquired by Thrifty PayLess
• Giant T – owned by Thrifty PayLess
• Gray Drug – purchased by Rite Aid
• Haag Drugs – was started in Indianapolis in 1876 and was acquired by Peoples Drug in 1980.
• Happy Harry's – acquired by Walgreens
• Hook's Drug Stores – acquired by Revco
• K&B (also known as Katz & Bestoff) – a New Orleans, Louisiana-based pharmacy and general merchandise store chain
• Longs Drugs – acquired by CVS Caremark in 2008
• Medic Drug Inc. – Operated several drug stores in Cleveland, Ohio for 40 years before liquidating all assets through Hilco in October 2005. Walgreens acquired the Medic pharmacy records, as well as 8 former Medic locations from Hilco to fill gaps in the Cleveland market. Medic's home health care division continues to operate as Medic First Choice Homecare

N–Z

• Osco Drug & Sav-on Drugs – freestanding locations acquired by CVS Pharmacy
• Pay 'n Save
• Peoples Drug – acquired by CVS Pharmacy
• Perry Drug Stores – acquired by Rite Aid in 1995
• Phar-Mor – bankrupt due to $500 million embezzlement; some assets acquired by Giant Eagle
• Read's Drug Store
• Reliable Drug – existed from 1989 to 1993, mostly in Indiana; formed from former Peoples Drug stores that were originally a part of Haag Drug
• Revco – acquired by CVS Pharmacy
• Rexall
• Rx Place – Woolworth
• Sav-on
• Sav-Rite Drug – acquired by Revco in 1980
• Schwab's Pharmacy – Hollywood, California, hangout for movie actors; closed in 1983
• Skaggs Drug Centers – became part of Albertsons, Inc.
• Snyder Drug Stores – acquired by Walgreens in 2010
• Standard Drug Company – was part of Melville Corporation
• SupeRx – Kroger created the first SupeRx store in 1961 with most stores next door or very close to existing Kroger stores.
• Tam's Gold Seal Drugs – Central Indiana-based chain
• Thrift Drug – merged into Eckerd after J.C. Penney bought Eckerd
• Thrifty PayLess – acquired by Rite Aid in 1998
• Treasury Drug – acquired by J.C. Penney, then shuttered in 1980.
• Value Giant

Electronics stores

• Allied Radio – Chicago, Illinois, acquired by Radio Shack in 1970; some stores sold to Schaak Electronics in 1973, a few stores converted to Radio Shack, and the rest closed
• Burstein - Applebee Co. – A 1973 Billboard Magazine article described the company as a home entertainment equipment chain that use their tape and records section to attract customers into their store
• Cal Stereo – Los Angeles-based electronics store that went bankrupt in 1979
• Circuit City – filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and liquidated; now reopened online through CompUSA/Tiger Direct
• CompuAdd – bankrupted in 1993
• CompUSA  – on November 2, 2012, it was announced that Systemax would drop both the CompUSA and Circuit City storefront brands
• Computer City – CompUSA quickly closed this chain after purchasing it from Tandy in 1998
• Crazy Eddie – liquidated in 1989
• Douglas TV – bought out by Tweeter in 2000
• DOW Stereo/Video  – San Diego-based chain that was acquired by Tweeter in 1999 and closed in 2007 when Tweeter declared bankruptcy
• Egghead Software
• Electric Avenue – operated by Montgomery Ward
• Elek-Tek – filed for bankruptcy in 1997
• Erol's
• Federated Group – bought by Atari in 1987 and later sold most of the stores in 1989
• Fred Schmid – operated in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming; purchased by Fretter
• Fretter
• Golden Bear Home and Sport Centers – closed in 1986; was associated with Jack Nicklaus
• Good Guys – purchased by CompUSA in 2003.
• HiFi Buys – Atlanta-based chain purchased by Tweeter in 1997 and closed in 2008 when Tweeter declared bankruptcy
• Highland Superstores – Liquidated in 1993.
• Incredible Universe
• J&R – major New York City electronics and music store officially closed in April 2014
• Ken Crane's – Los Angeles-based television and home entertainment store chain that closed in 2010 after being in business since 1948; also known as Ken Crane's Entertainment City and Ken Crane's Magnavox City
• Lafayette Radio
• Lechmere
• Leo's Stereo – Southern California; filed for bankruptcy in 1991
• Luskin's – Baltimore, Maryland-based appliance and electronics retailer
• McDuff
• Mars Music
• Olson Electronics – a nationwide electronics store chain founded in 1927 by brothers Sidney, Philip and Irving Olsen in Akron, Ohio; at one time had more retail locations than Radio Shack; sold to Teledyne in 1968 and rebranded Teledyne Olson Electronics; later sold to 3 Chicago investors in August 1984 who later filed for bankruptcy just 15 months later; filed for bankruptcy in 1985
• On Cue – operated by Musicland in small towns and micropolitan areas until sold to Best Buy in 2000 along with Sam Goody. Stores were converted to Sam Goody within the following year.
• Pacific Stereo – had 67 stores before it went out of business in 1987
• Polk Brothers
• Rogersound Labs – filed for bankruptcy in 1992
• Schaak Electronics – liquidated in 1986 after filing for bankruptcy the second time in a decade
• Silo
• Soft Warehouse – founded in 1984 and changed name to CompUSA in 1991
• Sound Advice – Florida; acquired by Tweeter in 2001; closed when Tweeter declared bankruptcy in 2008
• SoundTrack
• Steinberg's
• Sun Television and Appliances – bankrupt and liquidated in 1998
• Tech Hifi – co-founded by Sandy Ruby at M.I.T. in 1964
• Tweeter
• Ultimate Electronics
• United Audio Centers – Chicago-based chain that was purchased by Tweeter in 2000 and closed when Tweeter declared bankruptcy in 2008
• University Stereo – started in 1960 and went bankrupt in 1986
• Video Concepts
• The Warehouse
• The Wiz

Five-and-dime; variety stores

• Cornet
• D&K Stores
• Danners 5 & 10
• E. J. Korvette
• F. W. Woolworth Company – successor corporation is Foot Locker Inc.
• G. C. Murphy
• GEM
• Gemco
• H. L. Green
• Hudson Brothers'
• J.G. McCrory
• J.J. Newberry
• Jamesway
• Jupiter Discount
• King's Department Stores
• Kuhn's Big K – acquired by Wal-Mart in 1981
• MacFrugals – merged into Big Lots!
• McLellan's
• Memco – locations became Bradlees
• Murphy's Mart
• Neisner's
• Nichols
• Otasco – Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas
• Richman Gordman – business model was overhauled and name shortened to Gordmans in the late 1990s
• Rodgers – Oregon
• S. H. Kress
• S. S. Kresge – renamed Kmart in 1977
• Shopper's City
• Sky City
• Sprouse-Reitz
• The Store – Wichita, Kansas
• TG&Y
• Two Guys
• Valu-Mart (alternatively branded as Villa-Mart)
• W.T. Grant  – went bankrupt in 1976
• Winn's Stores  – based in San Antonio, Texas; filed for bankruptcy in 1994
• Zody's

Furniture stores

• Barker Bros. – after being in business for 111 years, the largest furniture store chain in Southern California declared bankruptcy in 1991
• Bombay Company – U.S. stores
• Castro Convertibles – primarily Northeast and Southeast U.S.
• Fradkin Brothers Furniture – Baltimore County, Maryland
• Heilig-Meyers
• Levitz Furniture  – was in business for nearly 100 years before liquidating in bankruptcy in early 2008
• Linens 'n Things
• Rhodes Furniture
• Seaman's Furniture – merged into Levitz Furniture in 2005
• Wickes Furniture – went bankrupt February 3, 2008

Grocery stores and supermarkets

A–M

• A&P – also known as The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company; filed for bankruptcy for the second time in July 2015 and closed its last store in November 2015
• ABC Markets
• ABCO Foods
• AJ Bayless
• Alfalfa's
• Almacs – a Rhode Island-based chain that was liquidated in 1995 after filing for bankruptcy the second time in two years
• Alpha Beta – acquired by Food for Less / Ralphs
• Big Bear Stores
• Big Buy – part of Finast
• Bohack's
• Bottom Dollar Food  – acquired by Aldi 2015
• Boys Markets
• Buehler Foods – operated as Buehler's Buy-Low
• Buttrey Food & Drug
• Cala Foods and Bell Markets – rebranded as DeLano's IGA; others sold to other retailers
• Carter's Foods
• Clemens Markets – suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; acquired by Giant in 2006
• Colonial Stores
  • Big Star Markets
• Dahl's Foods – Des Moines, Iowa-based chain; acquired by Associated Wholesale Grocers after bankruptcy and rebranded as Price Chopper and Cash Saver in 2015
• Del Farm – founded in Chicago, acquired by National Tea in 1958, converted or closed by Loblaw by 1972
• Delchamps
• Dick's Supermarket – Southwestern Wisconsin; acquired by Piggly Wiggly in 2006
• Dominick's – Chicago; operated by Safeway from 1998 until the last closures in January 2014; some locations acquired by Jewel and Whole Foods Market
• Eagle Food Centers
• Eisner Food Stores – acquired by Jewel Food Stores
• Expo Superstore – Vons big-box format; Southern California
• FamilyMart – A&P
• Farmer Jack – A&P
• Fazio's – originally was Fisher Foods; in California, first known as Fazio's Shopping Bag and then just Fazio's
• Finast (also known as First National Stores) – purchased by Ahold; rebranded Edwards
• Fisher Foods – was named Fazio's after a merger in 1965
• Food Fair – later Pantry Pride
• Food Giant Markets – a California-based chain founded in 1951 and later owned by Theodore Cummings until the chain was merged with Vornado; prior to the merger, Unimart and Builders Emporium were a part of Food Giant; or a short time during the 1950s, Magic Chef was owned by Food Giant; In 1967, Food Giant was acquired by Vornado, the parent of Two Guys, which ran the firm into the ground through mismanagement and bad decisions
• Furrs Supermarkets – Furr's cafeteria division still in business
• Genuardi's  – defunct as of 2012 as a chain; 2015 all locations
• Giant – Ralphs big box format; Southern California
• Giant Open Air – merged with Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy
• Grand Union – New Jersey- and New York-area chain; bankrupt; bought and became Grand Union Family Markets in Upstate New York and Vermont; purchased by Tops Friendly Markets in 2012, converting them to the Tops banner in 2013
• Greenwich IGA – Greenwich, New York
• Hills Supermarkets
• Hinky Dinky
• Hughes Markets
• Jewel T – founded by the Jewel Companies as their discount chain, but was sold to Save-A-Lot in 1984 when Jewel was acquired by American Stores
• Jim Dandy – acquired by Lucky
• Jitney Jungle
• Kash n' Karry – became Sweetbay Supermarket
• Kessel Food Market
• Kohl's Food Stores – acquired by A&P
• Laneco – Eastern Pennsylvania/Western New Jersey; closed in 2001
• Liberal – Dayton, Ohio
• Loblaws – Northeastern Ohio, Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York
• Lowell's Discount Foods – the discount concept for the Indiana Grocery Company; stores converted to full service Preson-Safeway stores in 1986
• Maloley's Finer Foods – Fort Wayne, Indiana-based chain that was purchased by SuperValu in 1980 and then closed in 1984
• Market Basket – once a 65-store chain in Southern California; founded in Pasadena in 1930; purchased by Kroger in 1963 before being sold off in 1982 with the individual stores absorbed by other regional chains; Boys Markets briefly used the name, under license from Kroger, for some of their stores in the late 1980s; neither chain is related to the supermarket chain located in Texas and Louisiana
• Metro Food & Pharmacy – rebranded Shoppers in 2004
• Mr. AG's – Kansas; part of the IGA chain; last store closed in 1970
• Mr. D’s Fresh Food Market – A Central Indiana-based chain that went out of business in 2003.
• Mr. D's IGA – Wichita, Kansas

N–Z

• National Tea
• Omni Superstore – Dominick's big-box format
• P&C Foods, Inc. – a division of Penn Traffic; declared bankruptcy in 2009 and last store closed in 2012
• Pantry Food Stores – a Pasadena, California-based chain that was purchased by Cullum in 1967 and then by Vons in 1986 which eventually led to the stores being rebranded as Pavilions
• Pantry Pride
• Pay’n Takit – acquired by Safeway
• Penn Fruit
• Pick-N-Pay Supermarkets
• Preston-Safeway – a regional chain that briefly became the largest supermarket chain in Central Indiana, but was unable to withstand competition from national chains that were constantly entering the region; not related to Safeway Stores, Inc.; several courts ruled that Preston-Safeway had the right to use the name Safeway in Central Indiana due to prior use
• Purity Supreme – Boston area
• QFI
• Quality Markets – owned by Penn Traffic, Western New York; acquired by Tops Friendly Markets
• Rack N Sack
• Red Food – Chattanooga, Tennessee, area; acquired by Bi-Lo Stores
• Red Fox – small-town grocer in Illinois
• Red Owl – Chicago, Illinois; stores only were sold to National Tea; remainder acquired by Supervalu
• Sampson Food Stores – purchased by Hannaford in 1966, but name change did not occur until 1983
• Sanitary Grocery Stores – after losing the Supreme Court case New Negro Alliance v. Sanitary Grocery Co., Washington, D.C.-area stores were acquired by Safeway Inc.; Baltimore, Maryland-area stores were acquired by Twin Food Stores
• Sav-A-Center – A&P in the New Orleans, Louisiana, region
• Schwegmann Brothers – New Orleans; closed in 1999 after more than 125 years in business
• Seaway Food Town
• Seessel's Supermarkets – acquired by Schnucks
• Shopping Bag – Shopping Bag Food Stores was founded as a single store in Los Angeles in 1930 before growing in a 36-store chain by the time it was purchased by Vons in 1960; due to anti-trust issues, Vons was not allowed by the US Justice Department to integrate the newly purchased stores into their firm and was later forced to sell the stores in 1972 to Fisher Foods, which quickly rebranded the stores as Fazio's Shopping Bag and later as Fazio's after purchasing additional stores from A&P
• Skaggs-Alpha Beta
• Smitty's Marketplace – acquired by Albertsons in Missouri, rebranded Fred Meyer in Arizona
• Standard Food – later Standard Dell Farms; Central Indiana; purchased by National Tea in 1947 and closed by Loblaw in 1982. At one time, largest supermarket chain in central Indiana. Locations were sold to Marsh and Preston-Safeway.
• Sunflower Market – SuperValu-owned natural foods market; closed in 2008; never affiliated with the southwestern U.S. chain of the same name
• Super Duper
• Super One Foods – acquired by Albertsons
• Super Saver Foods
• Sure Save – Chicago, Illinois; acquired by National Tea in 1961; stores changed to National Tea in 1964
• Tianguis – Vons' Hispanic format; Southern California (1988–1994)
• Ukrop's  – Richmond, VA chain acquired by Ahold and converted to Martin's in 2010. Notable for pioneering ready-to-eat foods in the 1980's.
• Walt's IGA – Wichita, Kansas
• Weingarten's  – Houston area, Arkansas, Louisiana
• White Hen Pantry – merged with 7-Eleven in mid-2007
• Wild Oats Markets
• Xtra Super Food Center – in Florida, Xtra operated 60,000-square-foot grocery stores in a warehouse format until it was closed in 1996 by its Venezuelan-based parent company

Home decor and craft stores

• Bombay Company
• Frank's Nursery & Crafts
• Leewards
• Old America – bankrupt 1999; liquidated remaining stores
• Waccamaw's Homeplace/Waccamaw Pottery

Home improvement

• Builderama – Georgia-based chain
• Builders Emporium – an Irvine, California-based chain formerly owned by the Santa Monica-based Wickes Companies; the chain was started in the San Fernando Valley in 1946. Victor M. Carter bought the ailing Van Nuys hardware store in 1949. He introduced the concept of a self-service hardware store with a "do it yourself" training component that became the model for The Home Depot. Carter built Builder’s Emporium into a leading self-serve retail operation and the largest hardware store in the United States, selling it in 1956, to acquire controlling interest in Republic Pictures just a few years later. The chain was later acquired by Wickes which dismantled its operation in 1989. Builders Emporium was forced to closed 1993 after its former parent had a number of financial problems during the previous decade.
• Builders Square – subsidiary of Kmart; sold to Hechinger
• Central Hardware – a St. Louis-based chain that went bankrupt in 1995
• Channel Home Centers
• Chase Pitkin – owned by the Wegman's (of grocery store fame) family of Rochester, New York
• Coast to Coast Hardware
• Eagle Hardware & Garden – founded in 1989
• Ernst Home Centers – Seattle, Washington
• EXPO Design Center
• Forest City – became Handy Andy
• Furrow's – a part of Payless Cashways
• Gamble-Skogmo – bought by Our Own Hardware in 1986
• Grossman's
• Handy Andy Home Improvement Center
• Handy City – a part of W. R. Grace and Company and later Channel Home Centers
• Handy Dan
• Handyman – formerly owned by Edison Bros. Stores; closed in 1986
• Hechinger
• Hill-Behan
• Home Quarters Warehouse
• HomeBase
• House 2 Home
• House Works – a part of W. R. Grace and Company and later Channel Home Centers
• Hugh M. Woods – was a part of Payless Cashways
• Knox Lumber – a part of Payless Cashways
• Lechters Housewares – a kitchenware and home decor store
• Lindsley Lumber
• Moore-Handley Inc. – founded as Moore, Moore & Handley by James and Benjamin Moore and W. A. Handley in Birmingham, Alabama in 1882; filed for bankruptcy and liquidated in 2009
• Mr. Good Buys – Eastern Pennsylvania/Maryland, closed in 1991
• Mr. HOW Warehouse – owned by Service Merchandise, went bankrupt in 1986
• National Lumber – A California-based company that had declared bankruptcy in 1990
• Ole's – Ole's Home Centers was a Pasadena-based Southern California home improvement chain that was originally founded in Rosemead in 1946; acquired by W.R. Grace in 1984 before it was purchased by the Santa Monica-based Wickes Companies in 1986 and then merged into Builders Emporium
• Our Own Hardware – bought by Hardware Wholesalers in 1997
• Pay 'N Pak
• Payless Cashways – included Furrows & Payless; all assets liquidated as of November 2001
• Pergament Home Centers
• Rickel
• Roper Lumber Company – Virginia-based
• Scotty's Builders Supply
• The Wickes Companies  – at one time this Santa Monica-based holding company owned several home improvement store chains such as Wickes Lumber, Builder's Emporium, Ole's Home Centers, and Wickes Furniture before it was finally dismantled in 1989. The only remnant of this organization that appeared to have survived is a chain of DYI stores in the United Kingdom called Wickes. Mt. Vernon, Illinois-based Wickes Lumber appeared to have survived almost a decade later before it appeared to have disappeared.
• Yardbirds Home Center

Music, booksellers, and video stores (records, tapes, books, CDs, DVDs, etc.)

A–M

• B. Dalton – closed in 2010
• Blockbuster Music – sold to Wherehouse Music in 1998; some locations converted to Wherehouse Music; majority were closed
• Blockbuster Video – sold to Dish Network in 2011; all company-owned stores were closed January 12, 2014, but 50 franchise stores remained open
• Borders Books – filed for bankruptcy in 2011; some locations purchased by Books-A-Million; borders.com website acquired by Barnes & Noble
• Camelot Music – converted to FYE stores
• CD World – merged with Streetside Records in 2002, bankrupted in 2003 and then purchased by Trans World
• Coconuts – acquired by Trans World in 1986; rebranded f.y.e in 2001
• Crown Books – founded by Robert Haft in 1977; liquidated in 2001 after second bankruptcy
• Disc Jockey – acquired by Trans World Entertainment in 2000
• Flipside Records – Chicago, Illinois, area
• Harmony House – Michigan
• Hollywood Video  – ceased operations in May 2010
• House of Music – Hawaii-based chain founded in Waikiki in 1949; purchased by National Record Mart; closed when NRM went bankrupt in 2001
• Incredible Universe
• J&R – New York City; closed their music store at the beginning of 2014
• King Karol – New York City
• Kroch's and Brentano's – Chicago-based bookstore chain; filed for bankruptcy in 1995
• Licorice Pizza – a Glendale, California-based chain that was founded in 1969; purchased by Record Bar in 1985; stores were rebranded as Sam Goody after Musicland purchased Record Bar a few months later in 1986
• Media Play – closed and dissolved in 2006; a media superstore (books, music, and video) concept created by Musicland in 1992
• Movie Gallery – operated stores under the Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery, and Game Crazy brands; liquidated and closed in 2010
• Music Plus – a California chain that was purchased by Blockbuster in 1988 with the stores later converted into Blockbuster Music stores
• Musicland – founded in Minneapolis in 1955, acquired by American Can in 1977; Musicland Group acquired Sam Goody in 1978 while keeping brand separate until 1997 when the Musicland Group decided to rebrand all existing Musicland stores as Sam Goody; Musicland Group acquired by Best Buy in 2001 and eventually sold to Trans World Entertainment

N–Z

• National Record Mart – a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company that went bankrupt in 2002
• Odyssey Records & Tapes – bankrupted in 1979
• On Cue – a music, book and video store concept for small towns that was tested by Musicland; first store opened in 1992 Stores were converted to Sam Goody in 2002 or liquidated.
• Oranges Records & Tapes – Chicago chain; owned at one time by JR's Music Shop of Chicago
• Peaches Records and Tapes – a Los Angeles-based chain that went bankrupt in 1981
• Quonset Hut Records & More – Ohio-based company went bankrupt in 2005
• Rainbow Records – Oklahoma City; closed in 2007
• Record & Tape Outlet (later CD & Tape Outlet) – Ohio; closed in 1990
• Record Bar – malls; acquired by Blockbuster in 1993 and converted
• The Record Shops at TSS – was a division of Record World that was located within Times Square Stores until the latter declared bankruptcy
• Record Town – store name changed to FYE by parent company Trans World Entertainment
• Record World – company also operated The Record Shops at TSS; was purchased by W.H. Smith after declaring bankruptcy in 1992; rebranded The Wall the following year
• Rose Records – Chicago, Illinois, area, was acquired by Tower Records from its owner and founder in 1995
• Sam Goody – most locations converted to FYE, but a small number of locations continue to operate as Sam Goody
• Sound Warehouse – acquired by Blockbuster Inc. after 1992 bankruptcy; subsequently converted some stores to Blockbuster Music, the remainder to Blockbuster Video
• Spec's Music – Florida-based chain; last store closed in 2013
• Square Circle – store concept created in 1986 by Record World
• Strawberries – Massachusetts; acquired by Live Entertainment in 1989 just before Live Entertainment's founder and CEO was murdered by his sons; became independent in 1994 taking the other Live Entertainment's music store chains with it; acquired by Trans World in 1997 after declaring bankruptcy; rebranded f.y.e. in 2001
• Streetside Records – a St. Louis-based chain founded in 1971; acquired by Trans World Entertainment in 2003; last store closed in January 2013
• Tape World – a store concept created by Trans World Entertainment in 1979 but later replaced by its f.y.e. store concept
• Tower Records – founded in 1960 in Sacramento, California; all retail stores were liquidated in 2006 and the name was purchased for use as an online-only retailer
• Turtle's Records & Tapes – acquired by Blockbuster in 1993 and converted
• Vinyl Fever – small Florida record store chain; went out of business January 2011
• Virgin Megastores – all Megastores in the United States were closed in 2009 and the remaining airport stores closed a few years later
• Waldenbooks  – in 2011 the chain was liquidated after parent filed for bankruptcy
• The Wall – chain was originally created by W.H. Smith which later sold it to Camelot Music in 1997 and Trans World Entertainment, then purchased Camelot the following year
• Wall To Wall Sound & Video – acquired by W.H. Smith in 1990 after Wall To Wall declared bankruptcy in 1990; parent company rebranded stores The Wall in 1993
• Wallichs Music City – the largest music retailer on the West Coast during the 1950s and 1960s; founded by Glenn Wallich, founder of Capitol Records; had stores in California and briefly in Arizona before it went bankrupt in 1977
• Waves Music – store concept launched by National Record Mart in 1987; stores closed when parent company declared bankruptcy in 2002
• Waxie Maxie – Virginia; purchased by the parent company of Strawberries in 1989; became part of the new Strawberries in 1994; acquired by Trans World in 1997 after bankruptcy
• Wee Three – Philadelphia chain acquired by W.H. Smith in 1989; later rebranded The Wall in 1993
• Wherehouse Music – filed for bankruptcy in 2003; Trans World took control of 111 stores and liquidated nearly a third of them

• Yesterday's Records/Discs – Wichita, Kansas; closed in 2004

Office-supply stores

• Burrows Brothers (known as Burrows from 1944–88) – Ohio, with 45 stores in 1979; last stores closed by 1993
• Chandler's – Evanston, Illinois, and Chicago, Illinois, suburbs; closed in 1995
• J. K. Gill Company – Pacific Northwest; stationery, office supplies, books; all stores closed by 1999
• McWhorter's – San Francisco Bay Area chain that closed in 2001
• Office Warehouse – a Virginia-based office supply chain that was acquired and absorbed by Office Max in 1992
• Paper Cutter – New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania; division of Fay's Drug until it was sold in 1996 to a party supply store; the party supply store had to declare bankruptcy in 1998 shortly after converting all of the acquired stores to the party supply format
• Tam's Stationers – Los Angeles, California; liquidated in 1996 after filing for bankruptcy for the second time
• Ulbrich's – Buffalo, New York, filed for bankruptcy in 1990

Toy stores

• All Wound Up – acquired by Borders in 1999 and closed in 2001
• Child World (also known as Children's Palace) – liquidated in 1992
• Children's Bargain Town – Chicago, Illinois; purchase by Interstate Department Stores in 1969; merged into sister company Toys "R" Us just prior to its parent company Interstate declaring bankruptcy in 1973
• Children's Palace – acquired by Child World in 1975; liquidated in 1992
• Circus World – acquired by Melville in 1990 and converted to KB Toys
• F.A.O. Schwarz – sold to Toys 'R Us after bankruptcy in 2009; all stores closed except original NYC flagship store, which closed in 2015
• Family Toy (also known as Family Toy Warehouse) – Pittsburgh-based company that was forced to close in 2002
• The Great Train Store – Dallas-based company; filed chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000
• KB Toys – liquidated February 9, 2009, which closed all of the remaining stores; sold to Toys "R" Us
• Kiddie City – see Lionel Kiddie City below
• Lionel Kiddie City – founded in 1957 by Leonard Wasserman; liquidated in 1993
• Lionel Playworld – liquidated in 1993
• Muirhead's – Detroit, Michigan, founded by John and Alberta Muirhead as a toy store in 1946 that later developed into a department store and then finally closed in 1990
• Noodle Kidoodle – acquired in 2000 by Zany Brainy and rebranded
• Playworld – see Lionel Playworld above
• Tons o' Toys
• Toy Box – San Antonio, Texas; rebranded Always Collectible in 2001; closed all stores in 2004
• Toy King – Orlando, Florida; founded and incorporated by Sam Levy in Orlando in 1959; the company ceased operations in 1990
• Warner Brothers Studio Store – stores closed in 2001
• Zany Brainy – liquidated in 2003 after parent company filed for bankruptcy

Warehouse clubs and membership department stores

• American Wholesale Club – started with first store in Plano, Texas in 1985 by Jeffrey Zisk with financial assistance from Ross Perot; locations in Dallas and Chicago areas; closed by 1989
• Club Wholesale – located in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana; closed in 1990
• E.J. Korvette – gradually liquidated by 1981 after declaring bankruptcy
• Edwards
• Fedco
• GEM – initially called Government Employees Mutual Stores, and later Government Employees Mart before settling on G. E. M. Membership Department Stores, a profit-making company that was aimed at the governmental employees market; first store was opened in Denver in 1956; after several expansions, the company filed for bankruptcy in 1974
• Gemco – acquired by Lucky Stores in 1961; closed in 1986 and stores sold to Target; known as Memco in the Chicago and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas
• G.E.S. – officially called Government Employee Store Co.; a membership store that was started by a former G.E.M. executive; opened its first store in Louisville in 1960; the chain (along with sister company Govco) was sold to G.E.M. in 1970 and rebranded
• GEX – officially called Government Employee Exchange; a membership store subsidiary of the retailer National Bellas Hess that was geared toward personal sales to governmental employees and military personnel; first store was opened in Oklahoma City in 1960; stores were liquidated when the parent company, National Bellas Hess, filed for bankruptcy in 1976
• Govco – founded in Indianapolis as a membership store in 1959; acquired by Retail Centers of the Americas, a division of National Industries in 1965; opened more stores in Indianapolis; the chain (along with sister company GES) was sold to G.E.M. in 1970 and rebranded
• Gov Mart – Seattle-based chain founded by Joe Diamond in 1956; sold to Big C Stores, Inc., parent of Baza'r in 1964
• Metro Warehouse Club – Chicago, Illinois area; acquired by BJ's Wholesale Club in 1986
• Pace Membership Warehouse – founded in Denver in 1983 and quickly expanded to the East Coast; acquired by Kmart in 1989; later sold to Sam's Club in 1993 and rebranded
• Price Club – merged with Costco in 1993 and rebranded.
• Price Savers – purchased by K-mart in 1991 and converted to PACE
• PriceRite Warehouse Club
• Source Club – owned by Meijer (Grand Rapids, Michigan); first store opened in 1991; all stores closed in 1994
• Warehouse Club, Inc. – became bankrupt in 1995
• Wholesale Club, Inc. – purchased by Sam's Club in 1991

See also

• Lists of companies
• List of defunct fast-food restaurant chains
• List of defunct restaurants of the United States