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Posted: 15 Mar 2006 22:10
by ascjon
We had a former LaBelle's store that became Best in Mesa, AZ in the late 1980's (now a Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Service Merchandise was on the other side of the street. It is now closed although the exterior signage reamins intact.

Re: Best Products in Sacro

Posted: 16 Mar 2006 01:32
by bigbubby
norcalraclerk wrote:Was this Sacramento one in the Arden Fair parking lot(now a 2-story building with Linens-n-Things on one level and Best Buy on the other)or near Florin Mall(don't know what became of that one)?I know Citrus Heights now houses a furniture store...

It was Arden Fair.

Re: Best Products in Sacro

Posted: 16 Mar 2006 08:12
by Dave
norcalraclerk wrote:...now a 2-story building...
Typically all Bests were two stories to begin with - the first floor being the showroom and the second floor for the actual storage of the merchandise, which was carried down a conveyor to merchandise pickup.

They didn't necessarily have climate control on the second floor. Back in the seventies, a buddy of mine worked at Best's second store ("peeling facade" on Midlothian Turnpike in Richmond). He told me it got up to 115 to 120 F in the summers, since it was bascially unfinished space under a metal roof. His boss also was armed with a pistol for "loss prevention".[/quote]

Posted: 14 Apr 2006 17:02
by Paper or Plastic

Posted: 14 Apr 2006 19:41
by Dave
Funny that this thread was brought back up top today. I just obtained a 1975 Best Products catalog ("Buyer's Book") complete with 1974-vintage warehouse clearance brochure today.. I already had a 1964 catalog and copies of the last couple of years of catalogs they ever produced. They're fun to look at. I'm going to post a scan from one of the catalogs that poses an interesting architectural question soon.

Posted: 14 Apr 2006 20:11
by Dave
O.K. - here's a scan of the cover of a 1974 Best Warehouse Clearance flyer. Does anyone recognize the store on the flyer as having any particular prototype? The original Best store in Richmond was a plain brick box without any scalloped awnings like the one on the catalog - and the other Best stores around here were either SITE creations or a regular-looking sort of store. It doesn't match up to the warehouse and showroom in Ashland, VA, either.

Image

Best Stores - Las Vegas

Posted: 04 Jul 2006 16:02
by mgrmk
There were 2 operational Best stores and a 3rd was all set up and partially stocked in Las Vegas when they closed. All 3 stores sat empty for about 6 months back in the mid 90's until Copeland Sports took over all 3 locations.

Posted: 04 Jul 2006 18:20
by shopnbag
I remember a Best store in Clovis CA (near Fresno) at the corner of Shaw and Clovis Avenues in the Longs Drug shopping center. I loved how the conveyor belt brought out the merchandise from the back, like they do at Circuit City today.

Posted: 05 Jul 2006 23:22
by Daniel
Where in the shopping center was this? I only remember the anchors of the center being Longs, Safeway, Sprouse-Reitz, and Big 5... Was the Best store in one of these stores?

Posted: 06 Jul 2006 23:04
by shopnbag
Daniel wrote:Where in the shopping center was this? I only remember the anchors of the center being Longs, Safeway, Sprouse-Reitz, and Big 5... Was the Best store in one of these stores?
It's been a while but I believe there is a pet store in the Best building now. I'll double-check, but I think that's right.

Posted: 06 Jul 2006 23:55
by Daniel
Oh, OK, the Best building was demolished, then. Before the Petsmart opened, there was a dirt lot at the end of the center. (It had been a lot since at least 1986 or 1987 -- we visited the center a lot because I forced my mom to shop at the Safeway there up until it closed) I had always wondered why there was nothing on that land, I never knew something had been demolished.

Best Products Milwaukee Inside/Outside Showroom

Posted: 28 Jul 2006 12:01
by sd01
Dave wrote:Yep. I understand the Milwaukee store was retrofitted into a Wal-Mart.
I saw that in an article awhile back too. But actually, the giant holes in the building were filled in, and it became a Kids 'R Us, Office Depot, and then a K&G Fashion Superstore.

The Milwaukee store was called the "Inside/Outside" building...really amazing looking piece.

Posted: 02 Oct 2006 06:42
by TheStranger
Speaking of Service Merchandise and BEST, South San Francisco had one of each - BEST at Gellert Square, and Service Merchandise in the old White Front space at Spruce/El Camino.

The Service Merchandise closed around 2000 and Safeway wanted to expand its store into the vacant space, but Bally's Total Fitness took the site instead.

As for BEST, it closed in the early 90s and is now an Orchard Supply Hardware location; the building was in the same very generic fashion as the rest of Gellert Square and wasn't particularly distinctive, though it was built on the side of the hill and I THINK is a two-story structure.

Posted: 05 Oct 2006 23:09
by RandallFlagg
We had two best stores that I remember shopping in. One was located in Montclair, CA. It was located on the sw corner of Central Ave. and I believe Arrow Hwy. It is now a Best Buy. The other one was in San Bernardino. I was right next to the I-215 on the east side. It was across the street from Carousel Mall on G st. behind the In and Out. I think its some kind of vocational school now.

Posted: 12 Jan 2007 01:13
by Dean
RandallFlagg wrote:We had two best stores that I remember shopping in. One was located in Montclair, CA. It was located on the sw corner of Central Ave. and I believe Arrow Hwy. It is now a Best Buy. The other one was in San Bernardino. I was right next to the I-215 on the east side. It was across the street from Carousel Mall on G st. behind the In and Out. I think its some kind of vocational school now.
Yes, adjacent to 215 is a former BEST. I believe it is a office of some type. The former MERVYNS across the street is now a CALTRANS office!