Do you remember these now defunct stores? Watch the throwback commercials and read about some of your Long Island stores from yesteryear.
Video: YouTube.
Genovese - Founded by pharmacist Joseph Genovese in Queens back in 1924, Genovese Drug Stores was headquartered in Melville at its height with over 130 stores, mostly on Long Island and Queens. In 1998, the chain was bought out by JCPenney and merged into its Eckerd subsidiary. Eventually the name disappeared completely as all remaining stores were converted to Eckerd, which then sold to Rite Aid.
Video: YouTube.
Pergament - First opened in 1935, Pergament closed for good in 2001 but not before the hardware store proliferated the island, making a name for itself as the go-to spot for home improvement supplies. Again, this store fell victim to the bix box stores, namely Home Depot.
Video: YouTube.
Caldors - If you didn’t shop for your back-to-school clothes at Caldors then were you really from Long Island? This 1950s department store closed for good one year before Y2K. (Trivia: Cladors was a combination of the names of the co-founding husband-and-wife team Carl and Dorothy Bennett.) Another regional store that couldn’t keep up with the national discount brands like KMart.
Video: YouTube.
Models - This sporting goods store that also sold your favorite team apparel. Need a pair of roller blades, soccer cleats, or a pair of winter gloves? Gotta go to Mo’s! The chain eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and liquidated all its physical stores.
Video: YouTube.
Nobody Beats the Wiz - You probably bought your first portable CD walkman here. Founded in the Bicentennial year of 1976, The Wiz became the place to find your electronics on Long Island. The store was bought by Cablevision in 1998 for $80 million and closed permanently in 2003.