18 replies to this topic

[StevenRocks]

The Best Products showrooms by SITE were Post-Modern icons, giving the suburbs their own landmark architecture.  Does anone remember these store designs?


Houston


Richmond, VA


Scaramento


Towson, MD


Hialeah, FL


Richmond, VA

Check out the article Best Thing Going

[colin]

That's some really great architecture. It definitely gave it a unique look.
I think I remember the one in Houston (not remember the actual store, just the abandoned building), just south of Almeda Mall behind the Popeye's. I saw the crumbled building and just thought that it was deteriorating.

When did these go out of business?

[AvianKeahi]

colin, on Jun 1 2005, 02:26 PM, said:

That's some really great architecture. It definitely gave it a unique look.
I think I remember the one in Houston (not remember the actual store, just the abandoned building), just south of Almeda Mall behind the Popeye's. I saw the crumbled building and just thought that it was deteriorating.

When did these go out of business?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is what happened in Houston:

http://www.texaschap...facadeintro.htm

Scroll down to the bottom to see the building today.  

[StevenRocks]

colin, on Jun 1 2005, 02:26 PM, said:

When did these go out of business?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think the whole chain went out of business around 1997.

[colin]

AvianKeahi, on Jun 1 2005, 01:57 PM, said:

This is what happened in Houston:

http://www.texaschap...facadeintro.htm

Scroll down to the bottom to see the building today. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for that link.
I lived right around there in 99/00 and it looked slightly different than that, but not by much. The parking lot was also in worse condition then.
It was in a terrible location (on a side street two blocks from an outdated mall) and was in a pretty bad neighborhood, so I'm not surprised that it never sold.
It's a shame though that someone didn't pick up on that idea and turn it into like a laser tag place or some other sort of themed attraction.

[StevenRocks]

I only know of a handful of Best Products stores that are occupied today.  The way its stores were constructed worked for that kind of retailer, but not so well for modern stores.

[jazzman]

I lived near the one in Houston in the 80's. I mentioned once to a friend that I was going to Best and invited him to join me. He said they were tearing it down. He didn't understand that the deconstruction was the architecture. I wonder how many potential customers they lost due to misunderstanding.

[StevenRocks]

^ The designs were a little out there.  I can kind of see where your friend was coming from.  

They were very cool though.  A lot more distinctive than today's 'cookie-cutter' retail model.

[avalone]

gods i can remember those stores expecially the pealing wall in south richmond,  the one that looked like an outdoor garden, in western henrico county near regency square, and i think the one near valley view mall in roanoke near the airport

[StevenRocks]

The Roanoke one was a conventional Best Products showroom though, not nearly as interesting as many of the others.

[hood]

What kind of store was Best Products showroom?

[StevenRocks]

It was a catalog showroom.  Typically, they only showed one example of each item they sold on the floor.  If you wanted an item, you filled out a order ticket and brought it to a desk (or called it in).  They then retrieved your item from the back warehouse while you waited at this contraption that looked like the baggage carousel at the airport.  When you got the item from the carousel, you then paid for it at the checkouts.

Edited by StevenRocks, 13 February 2006 - 07:13 PM.

[DigitalSky]

I remember there used to be a Best store next to Target in Matthews (which eventually became the spot where Rhodes Furniture was)..

[UrbaniDesDev]

James Wines was the head of my department in school. He was the head of SITE

[Miesian Corners]

Great pics Steven.  I had forgotten how cool all the Best stores were.

[StevenRocks]

I found them on a magazien website.  I wish I had a camera back when those stores were in full bloom.

[debbied]

StevenRocks, on Jun 1 2005, 03:57 PM, said:

I think the whole chain went out of business around 1997.

trying to find out who took over best jewelry warranties

[pdxstreetcar]

vintage 1970s film on SITE Best Showrooms

(part I of IV)
(part II of IV)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m5jDFJDl0Y (part III of IV)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-gLZvFp8sg (part IV of IV)

[richthofen]

Wow...I certainly remember Best Products, my Dad was an assistant manager and customer service manager for them for about 10 years in the 80's and 90's.  But the two stores he worked in (Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC) were of very conventional/uninteresting architecture; I didn't even know about these early stores that were such unique designs.

Does anyone remember their trucks from the 80's?  The trailers had the Best logo, of course, but they were painted in interesting fashions...I remember one had giant paperclips painted on the side, I think another pens, another some sort of abstract painting...they were unique too.