12 Stores Everyone Shopped At We Wish Would Reopen

Can you think of any stores you used to shop at that are no longer around? Don’t you wish you could step foot in one of them again? There are tons of stores that everyone shopped at in the 1970s that have since gone out of business.

Perhaps another store came around that forced it out, or online competition got too fierce. Whatever the reason, we really wish we could go to some of these places again! Check out a list of stores from the 1970s that we really wish would reopen!

1. Gimbels

Gimbels was a department store that basically sold everything. They had home appliances, furniture, clothing, toys, art supplies, and more. Gimbels was started in 1887 but became a chain department store in the 1920s. Sadly, they went out of business in 1987. Gimbels started the department store parade idea in the 1920s as well. The store has been featured in many movies and TV shows over the years including Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, and The Goldbergs.

2. Sharper Image

Sharper Image was founded in 1977. Do you remember checking it out at the mall and seeing what new gadgets they had? Sharper Image first started as a catalog company to sell jogging watches, but later included those electronic gadgets, massage chairs, and other futuristic goodies. Unfortunately, they went bankrupt in 2008 and all of the stores left malls. You can still shop online though, but it is not the same.

3. KB Toys

KB Toys was a popular toy store that was mainly in malls. It started in 1922 and was originally just a candy store. For a while, it was the second biggest toy store in the United States. KB Toys eventually went out of business in 2009 and Toys “R” Us bought the remaining products.

Read on to the next page for more stores, including Woolworth’s!