Retailer

Nostalgic Retail Series #12 - B. DALTON BOOKSTORE

Founded in 1966 by Bruce Dayton (a member of the Dayton department store family), the name B. Dalton was chosen because it "connoted quality, dependability and authority." Although the chain was originally intended to operate in downtowns and suburban areas, the majority of the stores were opened inside regional shopping malls.

B. Dalton grew to become the largest seller of hardcover books in the United States. At its peak, the chain had 779 stores open.

As a result of the declining profits, Dayton Hudson Corporation sold the B. Dalton chain to Barnes & Noble in 1987. Under Barnes & Noble's ownership, B. Dalton acquired Scribner Book Stores, Inc. from Rizzoli International Bookstores in 1989, and began a video game store called Software, Etc. (now GameStop). At the same time, the chain began closing outlets and relocating others, while opening other prototypes. By 1997, the chain had shrunk to 528 locations. (Ghosts of Retailers Past Wiki) All of the B. Dalton locations were closed by January of 2010.

For some strange and unknown reason, Barnes & Noble rebranded their Oveido Mall (FL) store to B. Dalton reviving the brand with a 1 store presence. RIP? Or are more coming?

Sales Was Never the Warning Light

I walked into a Nordstrom Rack recently, and a large chunk of the front of the store was sealed off. It wasn't a remodel or a pop-up. It was boxes, stacked and waiting for pickup customers. That space is still in the denominator of the store'

𝐍𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 #60 - 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐘 + 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢'𝘴 𝘕𝘰. 2 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘢, 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘮𝘢. If you grew up in a small Southern town, your video store was probably a Movie Gallery. Empty boxes on the wall, the tapes behind the counter, a bin of Sega and Nintendo games by the register, and a late fee waiting for you on Monday. In 1985,

Nostalgic Retail Series #59: W.T. GRANT

Grants sat somewhere between the five-and-dime and the department store. It had a Bradford House restaurant inside and Bradford brand electronics in the back. Near the end, the clerk at the register was told to hand you a credit application whether you asked for one or not. William

The Household Has a Rent Roll Too

In 2024 the average American household spent $1,993 on vehicle insurance and $1,985 on all apparel and services combined. Shoes, coats, work clothes, school clothes, alterations, dry cleaning, the whole category. Car insurance edged it out by eight dollars. That number comes from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey,

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Sales Was Never the Warning Light

𝐍𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 #60 - 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐘 + 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎

Nostalgic Retail Series #59: W.T. GRANT

The Household Has a Rent Roll Too