List of defunct retailers of the United States

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 may have been lost due to mergers, while others were affected by a phenomenon of large store closings in the 2010s known as the retail apocalypse.

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

Automotive

 * 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 six states before it was acquired and rebranded by AutoZone in 1998
 * 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 eight states.
 * 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
 * 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.
 * 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

Camping, sports or athletic stores

 * Davega Stores bankrupt in 1963
 * Galyan's Trading Post – acquired by Dick's Sporting Goods in 2004
 * Gander Mountain now Gander Outdoors
 * G.I. Joe's – Oregon and Washington
 * Golfsmith – bankrupt in 2017
 * Herman's World of Sporting Goods – bankrupt
 * Koenig Sporting Goods – filed for bankruptcy in 1997, 27 of 40 stores sold to Woolworth
 * MC Sports – filed for bankruptcy in 2017
 * Oshman's Sporting Goods – merged with Gart Sports in 2001 and rebranded
 * Sportmart – bought by Sports Authority
 * Sports Authority – bankrupt in 2016
 * Sport Chalet
 * Sportswest
 * Sunny's Surplus

Catalog showrooms

 * Best Products – filed for bankruptcy for the second time in September 1996 and closed all of its stores by the following February
 * Brendle's – became bankrupt and liquidated in 1996
 * Consumers Distributing –  sought bankruptcy protection 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
 * K's Merchandise Mart – liquidated in 2006
 * Service Merchandise – closed all its retail stores by early 2002; the name was resurrected in 2004 for an online retail operation
 * Witmark – operated in southwestern Michigan; founded 1969, liquidated 1997

Clothing, shoe and specialty stores

 * Abby Z. – plus size design label founded by Abby Zeichner in 2004. The Abby Z flagship store opened in SoHo, New York at 57 Greene Street in 2008 and closed in 2009 when its parent company filed for bankruptcy.
 * 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.
 * Casual Corner – liquidated in 2005
 * Chess King – sold to Merry-Go-Round in 1993; liquidated along with that chain in 1995
 * 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.
 * Cygnet Shops – women's fashion store that closed in 1975
 * DEB – closed its stores in 2015, and returned later that year as an online-only retailer selling plus-size clothing
 * 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.
 * Edison Brothers Stores – operator of numerous shoe and clothing chains, including Bakers Shoes, Wild Pair, J. Riggings, Oaktree, Foxmoor and Fashion Conspiracy. Company was liquidated in 1999, though some chains it operated, including Bakers, have survived.
 * 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.
 * Florsheim – mall shoe store; still sells online
 * 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.
 * Goodlyne Dress Company was a Manhattan clothing business which was incorporated in August 1931. In January 1934 the firm leased floors in an establishment at 152 - 156 West 25th Street. The corporation was headed by Herman Kleinmetz.
 * 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.
 * Hahn's Shoes (1876–1995) – Washington, D.C. region
 * Harold's – founded in 1948 in Norman, Oklahoma, and liquidated through bankruptcy in 2008
 * Hess Shoe Store (1872–1999) –  Baltimore, Maryland region.
 * J. Brannam – a unit of the F. W. Woolworth Company established in 1979 that operated primarily in the southern U.S.; closed in 1985
 * J. Byrons – Florida-based retailer, sold to Uptons, closed in 1996
 * Jay Jacobs – Seattle-based clothier; founded in 1941 and closed in 1999
 * Kids "R" Us – a division of Toys "R" Us, created in 1983 to sell children's and preteen clothing; 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
 * The Limited – filed for bankruptcy and liquidated in 2017
 * Margo's LaMode – Dallas-based women's clothing store that closed in 1996 after corporate parent underwent bankruptcy reorganization
 * 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.
 * Miller's Outpost – see "Anchor Blue" above
 * Raleigh's – also known as Raleigh Haberdasher; a men's and women's clothing store in Washington, D.C., 1911–1992
 * 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 – a show retailer founded by Harry Rosenfield in 1920; had locations in Michigan and Ohio and closed in 2003 when the company's executives decided to not save the company
 * Steve & Barry's – "extreme value" retail clothing chain that operated 276 stores in 39 states.
 * Sycamore Shops – an Indianapolis-based women's clothing retailer; spun off from L.S. Ayres; was later forced into bankruptcy and liquidated by early 1996
 * Thom McAn – shoe retailer founded in 1922; 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.
 * Virginia Dare Dresses, Incorporated – merged with Atlantic Thrift Centers, Inc in 1963
 * 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.

A–M

 * A. L. Price – Metro Detroit; part of Perry Drug Stores
 * Adams Drug Company
 * Arbor Drugs – Michigan-based chain; acquired by CVS Pharmacy
 * Big "B" Drugs
 * Brooks Pharmacy – chain of more than 330 pharmacies located throughout New England and New York with corporate headquarters were located in Warwick, Rhode Island; was acquired by Rite Aid in 2007
 * Cunningham Drug Stores – Metro Detroit, Michigan area; founded 1889, dissolved in 1982
 * Dart Drug – converted to Fantle's
 * 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
 * F&M Super Drug Store
 * Fantle's
 * Farmacias El Amal – San Juan, Puerto Rico, firm; 20 locations bought by Walgreens in 2008; remaining closed in 2011
 * Fay's Drug
 * G. O. Guy – acquired by Thrifty PayLess
 * Genovese Drug Stores
 * Gray Drug – purchased by Rite Aid
 * Haag Drug Company
 * 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
 * LaVerdiere's Super Drug Stores – a Maine-based pharmacy acquired by Rite Aid in 1994
 * Longs Drugs – acquired by CVS Caremark in 2008

N–Z

 * Osco Drug & Sav-on Drugs – freestanding locations acquired by CVS Pharmacy; some Osco stores exist within Jewel
 * 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 Stores
 * Revco – acquired by CVS Pharmacy
 * Rexall
 * Rock Bottom Stores became part of Duane Reade
 * Rx Place – Woolworth
 * Sav-on
 * 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
 * Wellby Super Drug

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
 * Bernie's
 * Bryn Mawr Stereo
 * Circuit City – filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and liquidated on March 8, 2009;   reopened online through Tiger Direct in April 2009; closed again in late December 2012; intellectual property was sold again to Circuit City Corp. in January 2016, which plans to open an online operation and retail stores
 * 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
 * Davega Stores bankrupt in 1963
 * Douglas TV
 * DOW Stereo/Video
 * Erol's
 * Fretter
 * Gateway Country – operated by Gateway from 1996 to 2004
 * Good Guys – purchased by CompUSA in 2003
 * Heathkit
 * H. H. Gregg, Inc. in 2017
 * HiFi Buys
 * Highland Superstores – liquidated in 1993
 * Incredible Universe
 * J&R – major New York City electronics and music store officially closed in April 2014
 * Lafayette Radio
 * Lechmere
 * Luskin's – Baltimore, Maryland-based appliance and electronics retailer
 * Mars Music
 * Newmark & Lewis
 * Polk Brothers
 * Schaak Electronics – liquidated in 1986 after filing for bankruptcy the second time in a decade
 * Sharper Image
 * Silo
 * Soft Warehouse – founded in 1984 and changed name to CompUSA in 1991
 * Sound Advice
 * SoundTrack
 * Steinberg's
 * Sun Television and Appliances – bankrupt and liquidated in 1998
 * Video Concepts
 * Tech HiFi
 * TigerDirect – In 2015, TigerDirect phased out brick-and-mortar retail operations. Online operations continue.
 * Tweeter
 * Ultimate Electronics
 * United Audio Centers
 * The Warehouse
 * The Wiz

Five-and-dime; variety 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
 * King's Department Stores
 * Kuhn's Big K – acquired by Walmart in 1981
 * MacFrugals – merged into Big Lots!
 * McCrory
 * McLellan's
 * Neisner's
 * Otasco – Arkansas, Kansas, 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 – sold all original S.S. Kresge stores, renamed Kmart in 1977
 * Shopper's City
 * Sky City
 * Sprouse-Reitz
 * TG&Y
 * Two Guys
 * W.T. Grant –  went bankrupt in 1976; more a small scale department store than a 5 and 10 variety store
 * Woolco –  big box store version of Woolworth – owned by F.W. Woolworth
 * Zody's

Furniture stores

 * Barker Bros. –  Los Angeles-based furniture store chain which was at one time the largest furniture store chain on the west coast for nearly a century before it filed for bankruptcy in 1992
 * 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
 * Mattress Barn –  Florida
 * Rhodes Furniture
 * The Room Store
 * Seaman's Furniture – merged into Levitz Furniture in 2005
 * Sleepy's – merged into Mattress Firm in 2016
 * Wickes Furniture – went bankrupt February 3, 2008

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
 * Alpha Beta – converted to Ralphs or Food 4 Less in 1994
 * Big Bear Stores
 * Bohack
 * Bottom Dollar Food –  acquired by Aldi 2015
 * Boys Markets – converted to Ralphs or Food 4 Less in 1994
 * Bruno's
 * 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
 * Chatham Supermarkets – chain headquartered in Southeastern Michigan founded by Royal Supermarkets in the mid-1950s, bankrupt in  1987, acquired by Kroger after defunct
 * 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
 * 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, Whole Foods Market, Mariano's Fresh Market, and Heinen's Fine Foods
 * Eagle Food Centers
 * Eisner Food Stores – acquired by Jewel Food Stores
 * Family Mart – Florida-based Family Mart division of A&P was closed in 1999
 * Farm Fresh (Maryland) –  chain of 18 stores in Baltimore, MD operated by Jack Millman; most stores sold to Richfood; not related to existing Virginia-baed Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy
 * Farmer Jack – supermarket chain based in Detroit, Michigan acquired by A&P in 1989, closed July 7, 2007, then liquidated
 * 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
 * Fresh & Easy
 * 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
 * Hills Supermarkets
 * Hinky Dinky
 * Hughes Markets – a Southern Calfornia-based supermarket chain that was first acquired by QFC in 1996 and then merger into Ralphs the following year when the parent companies of both Hughes and Ralphs were simultaneously acquired by Fred Meyer
 * 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
 * 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
 * Loblaws – Northeastern Ohio, Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York
 * Marsh Supermarkets – Indiana and Ohio chain that was liquidated in 2017

N–Z

 * National Tea
 * O'Malia's Food Markets – Central Indiana chain that was liquidated in 2017
 * Omni Superstore – Dominick's big-box format
 * Pantry Pride
 * Pathmark
 * Pay'n Takit – acquired by Safeway
 * Penn Dutch - Small south Florida chain that shut down in 2019.
 * Penn Fruit
 * Pick-N-Pay Supermarkets
 * Purity Supreme – Boston area
 * QFI
 * Quality Markets – owned by Penn Traffic, Western New York; acquired by Tops Friendly Markets
 * Red Food – Chattanooga, Tennessee, area; acquired by Bi-Lo Stores
 * Red Owl – Chicago, Illinois; stores only were sold to National Tea; remainder acquired by Supervalu
 * Sav-A-Center – A&P in the New Orleans, Louisiana, region
 * Seaway Food Town
 * Seessel's Supermarkets – acquired by Schnucks
 * Skaggs-Alpha Beta
 * Sunflower Market – SuperValu-owned natural foods market; closed in 2008; never affiliated with the southwestern US chain of the same name
 * Super 1 Foods – acquired by Albertsons
 * Super Duper
 * Super Fresh
 * Super Saver Foods
 * Twin Valu – hypermarket launched by SuperValu (owner of Cub Foods and ShopKo) in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in 1989 and Euclid, Ohio (1990); closed March 1995
 * Ukrop's –  Richmond, Virginia chain acquired by Ahold and converted to Martin's in 2010; notable for pioneering ready-to-eat foods in the 1980s
 * Victory Supermarkets – sold to Hannaford
 * Waldbaum's –  New York metropolitan area (liquidated in 2015)
 * Weingarten's –  Houston area, Arkansas, Louisiana
 * White Hen Pantry – merged with 7-Eleven in mid-2007
 * Wild Oats Markets

Home decor and craft stores

 * Bombay Company
 * Frank's Nursery & Crafts
 * Hancock Fabrics – bankrupt 2016; intellectual property acquired by Michaels
 * Leewards
 * Old America – bankrupt 1999; liquidated remaining stores
 * Waccamaw's Homeplace/Waccamaw Pottery

Home improvement

 * Builder's Emporium
 * Builder's Square – subsidiary of Kmart; sold to Hechinger
 * Channel Home Centers
 * Contractor Supply
 * Eagle Hardware & Garden – bought by Lowe's in 1999
 * Ernst Home Centers – Seattle, Washington
 * EXPO Design Center
 * Forest City – became Handy Andy
 * Furrow Building Materials
 * Gamble-Skogmo – bought by Our Own Hardware in 1986
 * Handy Andy Home Improvement Center
 * Handy Dan
 * Hechinger
 * Home Quarters Warehouse (HQ)
 * HomeBase
 * Hugh M. Woods Building Materials
 * Knox Lumber
 * Lechters Housewares –  a kitchenware and home decor store
 * Lumberjack Building Materials
 * Orchard Supply Hardware, closed by Lowe's in 2018
 * Pay 'N Pak
 * Payless Cashways – included Furrows & Payless; all assets liquidated as of November 2001
 * Pergament Home Centers
 * Rickel
 * Scotty's Builders Supply
 * Somerville Lumber
 * Triangle
 * Yardbirds Home Center

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 1 franchise store remains open in Bend, Oregon.
 * Bookstop
 * 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 – converted to FYE
 * Coconuts Music – converted to FYE
 * Crown Books – founded by Robert Haft in 1977; liquidated in 2001 after second bankruptcy
 * Disc Jockey – converted to FYE
 * Family Christian Stores – filed for bankruptcy in April 2015, forced to liquidate all stores in 2017
 * Harmony House – Michigan
 * Hastings Entertainment –  filed for bankruptcy in June 2016. Remaining stores closed October 31, 2016
 * Hollywood Video –  ceased operations in May 2010
 * Incredible Universe –  Several stores bought by Frys
 * 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 – Southern California chain that was acquired by Sam Goody and converted
 * 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
 * MovieStop
 * Music Plus – Southern California-based chain that was acquired by Blockbuster and converted
 * 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
 * Planet Music – converted to FYE
 * Record Bar – malls; acquired by Blockbuster in 1993 and converted
 * 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
 * Sam Goody – most locations converted to FYE, but a small number of locations continue to operate as Sam Goody
 * Saturday Matinee – converted to FYE
 * Spec's Music – Florida-based chain; last store closed in 2013
 * Strawberries Music – converted to FYE
 * Streetside Records – converted to FYE
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * Wherehouse Music – filed for bankruptcy in 2003;  Trans World took control of 111 stores and liquidated nearly a third of them

Jewelers

 * Crescent/Friedman's Jewelers

Office-supply stores

 * J. K. Gill Company – Pacific Northwest; stationery, office supplies, books; all stores closed by 1999
 * Office Warehouse – a Virginia-based office supply chain that was acquired and absorbed by OfficeMax in 1992

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
 * 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
 * KB Toys – liquidated February 9, 2009, which closed all of the remaining stores; sold to Toys "R" Us and then to Strategic Marks, LLC; set to reopen stores in 2019.
 * Lionel Kiddie City – founded in 1957 by Leonard Wasserman; liquidated in 1993
 * Lionel Playworld – liquidated in 1993
 * Noodle Kidoodle – acquired in 2000 by Zany Brainy and rebranded
 * Playworld – see Lionel Playworld above
 * Toys "R" Us – liquidated in 2018; still active in Canada and other countries. Set to return in 2019
 * Warner Bros. Studio Store – stores closed in 2001
 * Zany Brainy – liquidated in 2003 after parent company filed for bankruptcy

Video games and personal computing software

 * Babbage's
 * Egghead Software
 * FuncoLand
 * GameCrazy
 * Rhino Video Games
 * Software Etc.

Warehouse clubs and membership department stores

 * E.J. Korvette – gradually liquidated by 1981 after declaring bankruptcy
 * 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
 * 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