5 Major Stores You Loved Making A Comeback Online
Every year many of your favorite stores either close their brick and mortar locations or end up filing for bankruptcy. They will often try restructuring the business and may stick around for a little while, but eventually succumb to their poor financial circumstances. However, some of these stores make a comeback after they are sold to savvy investors and companies hoping to revive the brand.
I took a deep dive and looked into five stores you’ve definitely heard of and may not have realized are still active as online retailers. The five stores I will showcase are Circuit City, RadioShack, ToysRUs, Brookstone and Pier 1. Some of these stores are even planning to open brick and mortar locations in the near future furthering their comeback. Let’s take a look at each store.
Circuit City
Circuit City was one of the few larger consumer electronics retailers that rivaled Best Buy throughout the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. By the end of 2008, most of their locations were closed as they filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The brand would remain for a few more years until it was consolidated into the TigerDirect brand.
In 2018, Circuit City made it’s comeback as an online consumer electronics retailer. Today they sell some of the top brands in electronics including ASUS, Sennheiser, HP, Garmin and more.
Brookstone
Brookstone never really left the market, but did close all of their mall locations in 2018. This change allowed them to focus on their online business as well as their airport locations. Today, they sell a wide variety of unique items including massage devices, personal care items, and home essentials.
If you are familiar with Brookstone, their selection of items remains the same as it has throughout the years. If you’ve checked out their website over the last few years, you will have noticed the progress and changes they have made in terms of the amount of items sold and the design of their website. Thus, it is safe to say that Brookstone will remain as a go-to store for unique gifts and home essentials going forward.
ToysRUs
Did your kids say their last goodbyes to Geoffrey in 2018? The good news for them is that it may not have been their last goodbye to the popular toy retailer, ToysRUs. The last few years they have operated two store locations in the United States and have had multiple pop-up-shops during the Holiday shopping season. Sadly, ToysRUs closed their two locations earlier this year.
I’ve seen a few articles recently that ToysRUs plans to make a comeback for the 2021 Holiday shopping season with a limited number of store openings throughout the United States. I would expect these locations would be scaled down versions of their previous stores. For those that cannot wait for these new stores to open, you can still visit the brand you love online. Take a look at their website as they offer a number of fun articles, printables and toy lists you and your kids will love.
Pier 1
Pier 1 is the only store on this list that closed all their stores in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Later in the year, Retail ECommerce Ventures purchased the brand to be operated online. Today you can shop their latest selection of indoor furniture, patio furniture and home decor on their eCommerce website.
The quick turnaround that Pier 1 has experienced meant the brand was never really gone too long for their fans. The same proprietary products their customers were accustom to purchasing can now be found on their website.
RadioShack
RadioShack was the go-to store for those looking for specialty electronics parts and devices. If you couldn’t find it at Best Buy or Walmart, this was the place to go through the early 2000’s. RadioShack has experienced several rounds of bankruptcy proceedings over the last few years and has since found a home after being purchased by Retail ECommerce Ventures (the same company that acquired Pier 1) in 2020.
If you are looking for a marketplace for tech products, RadioShack might be a place to check out. Today, they sell a wide variety of batteries, unique tech devices, mobile accessories, and so much more. They operate exclusively online, so you won’t be able to find a location near you anytime soon.
These five stores have made their comeback online and serve those nostalgic to these brands. It will be interesting to watch these companies over the next few years as they compete in the eCommerce space.
Out of the five stores featured in this list, which one did you miss the most when they seemingly decided to shutdown? Share your thoughts with our readers in the comments below.
