When we think of February, many of us think of Valentine’s Day and the people that we love and who we celebrate being in our lives. I started thinking about the retail brands that I have loved and lost over the years. Retailers come and go. Some have left the market and I have not even missed them; while others who have said goodbye, I really miss having in my shopping life. And, if I am honest with myself I sometimes think about these brick and mortar stores and ask myself, “Why didn’t they make it”?
Here are the Top 3 retail brick and mortar brands that I miss the most:
#3 Toys R Us – it was so easy, convenient and affordable. It was great to walk the Toys R Us aisles and play with the toys; get overstimulated with the bright colors and the noises coming from the toys. I recently saw an area in a department store with the Toys R Us branded sign; and, I took a look. The section was not even close to the original Toys R Us! Honestly, it was sad. A once iconic brand! It was so near and dear to my heart that I wrote a blog about it when I thought it was coming back. I was super excited but as far as I know, it has not happened. Here is the blog.
#2 The Bombay Company – I loved this brick and mortar store! It is so nostalgic for me. When I was living in New York City we had a great store on the Upper East Side on Third Avenue and 87th Street. There were a number of reasons I loved this store and miss its brand. I loved that it had stylish pieces that would fit nicely in a NYC apartment; I loved the uniqueness of the pieces big and small; I loved that when I walked into this store I knew that I was going to find a special treasure. While, at the time, I could not buy everything I wanted from the store, it helped me dream!
And the Top #1 Spot goes to …
#1 Pier One Imports – I cannot be the only one on earth missing Pier One Imports! This was my “go to store”. It filled any gaps of chipped buffet plates for white dishes; or, shattered wine glasses. My guests always commented on the beauty of paper goods at my parties. Pier One Imports always had a wonderful assortment of paper goods that you could not find anywhere else. Believe it or not, I am still using everyday dishes (the complete set) that I bought from there more than two decades ago. They look great and have held up to the dishwasher over and over again. Most importantly, I miss their seasonal merchandise that was always unique whether Halloween, Christmas or Easter. I could always find something to add to my home décor.
I miss all three of these retail outlets in my love life of retail; but, Pier One Imports covets the #1 earned spot because it was truly part of my shopping life; one of those stores that I would pop into once a week to just see what they had. I would see Pier One Imports in different cities or states and make it a point to stop and shop to see if the merchandise was that different from my home store.
I would love to hear about your Love, Life & Retail brands you have been forced to say goodbye to and miss. Please share them with me at sonya@jarvisconsultants.com.
Sonya Ruff Jarvis is a Business & Marketing Consultant; Content Creator & Connection-Maker; Thought Leader & Industry Expert and Book Author & Entrepreneur. Areas of expertise include: Retail; Marketing; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI); and Human Resources. Sonya has been a part of the B2B retail industry for more than 30 years. Interested in Sonya’s books? They can be found on Amazon or get an author autographed copy at www.jarvisconsultants.com.
Let’s talk about your next project and how Jarvis Consultants can support your initiatives; email sonya@jarvisconsultants.com. www.jarvisconsultants.com