Gone But Not Forgotten

Hostess has been in the news lately as imminently disappearing, though I believe the brand is too strong to stay dead for long; someone will resurrect it…I hope.  Here are others which have yet to rise from the dead.

Tower Records.   I loved this record store.  The branch at Tyson’s Corner consistently had a great selection, and I got quite a few Hawkwind CDs here.  The staff were arrogant hipsters, I know, but I’d take that if it meant a better selection than what we could find at FYE or Sam Goody.  Objectively, though, it’s hard to beat Amazon’s model of online buying, especially if you’re looking for something you’d never find at Best Buy.

Borders.  My two favorites, books & music, in one place.  I’d lose myself at the Bailey’s Crossroads branch (now an Ashley Furniture) reading the Osprey Men-At-Arms books.  Borders kept them all together on a spinning rack, while Barnes & Noble spreads them out by era throughout the military history department.  WRONG!

Burger Chef.  The food itself wasn’t that special – generic burger-oriented fast food.  But they served it in these very clever boxes that opened up.  THAT was imaginative.  Each time you went, you had NO idea what the theme would be, like the Grateful Dead of fast food.

Mr Hero.  This was  a fast food place at Bailey’s Crossroads, in Virginia.  Although it looked like a franchise, it was the only one.  They served excellent steak & cheese subs with fantastic waffle fries.  The owner lost the lease, and now it’s a Quiznos.  ZZZ.

Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, Purple Potamus Video.  Most people know of the first two.  I joined the third, formerly on King Street near NOVA, because they had a naughty movie section…then never rented a single one.  Instead, I rented movies like “Repo Man” which BB & HV didn’t carry.

The Village Mall.  I came back from Paris (France) in August 1990 and looked for this in Montgomery Village.  I looked, and looked, and couldn’t find it.  Finally the CVS – formerly People’s Drug – people informed me that the Mall was gone.  It had been a very 70s place, with wooden signs, cobblestone floors, huge fountains.  I have to ask if the equivalent in Columbia is still around.

Rockville Mall.  This was in downtown Rockville near the Montgomery County courthouses.  It wasn’t too special, but it was a mall.  The 50’s era Giant down the street is closed too.

Malibu Grill & Greenfields.  These two Brazilian steakhouses, churrascarias, have gone out of business, plus the similar one in Paramus, NJ, on Route 4 at Continental Plaza, next to Riverside Mall.  These featured a flat rate for all-you-can-eat steak, which is typically delicious.  Greenfields was considerably more expensive than Malibu Grill.  The remaining chains, Texas do Brasil and Fogo No Chão, are still around, but are very expensive.

Close, but not quite.  Jack In The Box and Dairy Queen disappeared.  Jack is still in business on the West Coast, whereas Dairy Queen made a comeback in my area in recent years.