Remembering Best

[roto204]

I was having a Wikipedia-digging moment when I remembered one of my favorite retailers of the eighties and early nineties--Best Products. Oh, how I miss digging through the catalogue, and then going to the showroom and asking for whatever, and having it roll out on a conveyor.

What I didn't realize was Best's illustrious architectural history with SITE. Check out the amazing showrooms SITE developed for Best--it's such a shame that Best went under.

I think the Miami, FL site is my favorite. Look carefully!

http://www.siteenvirodesign.com/proj.best.php

 

[maytagbear]

Oh, me, too!

I just totally freaking miss Best Products. I spent several fortunes there in the day...my first Sony Walkman, lots of gifts....

I wore those catalogues out! Yeah, browsing on Amazon, or Chef's or LL Bean.com is almost as good, but I refuse, utterly refuse to take this computer into the bathroom!

"My" Best's is now a Dick's Sporting whatever. I've never been in. I see the Sunday ads, and notice a distinct lack of Le Crueset or KitchenAid.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[appnut]

Sounds almost like the equivalent of Service Merchandise we had in Houston.

 

[maytagbear]

Bob-

--makes wavy hand motion--

Yeah, similar, but I shopped once at a Service Merchandise in Southern Ohio, and the product mix was all right, but frankly, Best's was a little better. Prices to me, were comparable, though.

L/Mb

 

[danemodsandy]

Oh, God...

...Serviceless Merchandise!

We had them in Atlanta, and they were a tuh-rip.

Merchandise mix was great, the prices were very good indeed.

The problem came when you ordered and went to pick up your item. Their personnel made the Keystone Kops look like the Rockettes; they could never find your order, and they spent what seemed like hours running around scratching their heads and bumping into each other and comparing paperwork to merchandise that obviously didn't match it.

If I had a dollar for every time I saw someone stalk out of their in a huff for having been kept waiting forever, I'd be rich. More than once, I heard someone say, "It's not worth all this to save a few dollars."

Gone now, and I'll bet you the idiots who ran it still wonder why.

 

[roto204]

Oh Oh Oh!

Totally, me, too, Lawrence! That was the thing about Best--it gets compared to Wal-Mart, but it wasn't. It was name-brand stuff, all at your fingertips. Not crap. Well, before name-brand became crap.

Here's a MUCH more comprehensive site on the Best stores--check-out the "store opening" in Sacramento!

Sadly, all but two of the buildings have been normalized or razed--sickening, really.

 

[danemodsandy]

Yikes!

"stalk out of their in a huff"

Um, I meant "stalk out of there in a huff," obviously.

I know better, I really do. ;-)

 

[roto204]

Better link

Sorry, here's a direct link if you don't want to have to step into the article...

http://blog.ounodesign.com/2009/03/15/still-unsurpassed-box-store-architecture-site/

 

[maytagbear]

For me,

Best's was like Macy's (or local name equivalent) without the attitude. When I went to Best's, I KNEW I was in for a stripped down shopping experience, and therefore was rarely disappointed, and usually quite pleased.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[roto204]

Oooh!

Video. Popcorn! This is a great way to experience these buildings. (I apologize--I have some undue fascination with this sort of thing )

It still saddens me to think they did away with most of these buildings, but then again, when you're iconic, you're also a hard act to follow. Or, as I said to David, it's like trying to wear someone else's shoes, when you try to move into one of Best's former showrooms:

http://archidose.blogspot.com/2009/01/site-best-stores.html

 

[roto204]

LOL

I like your style, Lawrence. Sandy and Bob, I never experienced Service Merchandise, though David brought that up too when I mentioned Best's catalogue-showroom concept.

 

[rp2813]

I shopped at Best a few times. More than at Service Mdse. I remember their interesting architcture but we didn't have a dramatic store locally. I wouldn't be surprised if the city wouldn't approve it back in those days. They ended up doing a trompe-l'oeil instead, which has long since been covered over.

 

[alr2903]

In the New Orleans area we had Wilson's, i thought that was what evolved into Service Merchandise, there could of been a closure and reopening between the two, i can't remember alr2903

 

[perc-o-prince]

catalog showrooms

We had Brand Names when I was growing up near Buffalo, NY. I remember them being slow to serve, but I was a kid so it might have just been slow to me. IIRC you could redeem S & H Green Stamps there. I do remember buying a cheap acoustic guitar there. It was about the same quality as a Searsucker (You bought that at Sears? Sucker!!).

Chuck

 

[roto204]

LOL

Nice. (Actually had to go Google "seersucker" to satisfy my curiosity. Welcome to the Internet Age. )

David and I had an interesting discussion about catalogue-showroom stores. When you read about them, you read about all the fatalities along the way--Montgomery Ward for one; Sears' catalogue for the other, and then one could argue that, while Penneys still publishes a full catalogue, their stores are more department store and much less catalogue showroom anymore.

But there was one retailer I could think of that still follows the Best Products model, nearly to a tee--even boasting a comprehensive website through which you really can't ship much of anything if it's substantial. So, you have to visit the showroom. And it's a true catalogue showroom--there is a comprehensive catalogue, and you try out the products and then request them to be pulled for you. Can anyone guess?

 

[58limited]

I vaguely remember Best from when I was a kid. I really miss Service Merchandise. We had one in College Station and there was one near our house in Spring. I never had a problem with my orders and was surprised when they closed.

 

[whirlcool]

There was a Best store on Fondren Rd in SW Houston. The building was built so the roof was lower to the ground on one side than the other. The building is still there and is now housing an estateliquidation company. I went in there are few times, I think we bought a coffee pot from them once.

We did go into Service Merchandise a few times. The wait for your merchandise was long. Sometimes the item would be handed to you with a damaged box, you had to open it to see if everything was ok. Thy always told you if it didn't work you could bring it back. My thought was if it takes them this long to get the product to you, just imagine how long it would take for them to take it back!

 

[washabear]

We had the Best building with the tilted-up front facade in Towson, Maryland. I loved it, but many people in the area hated it. It's long gone, replaced by a Target.

 

[amyswasher]

I remember going to the one in Virginia Beach on Witchduck Road.(that was the actual name of the road) It was bigger on one side than the other. I always remember looking at what we wanted, then going to the counter and someone writing it down and sending it through the tubes(like the drive up bank. It did take a long time to get your order, but they had so much neat stuff. It was a lot like Service Merchandise. I miss them both.