Store Brands of appliances and electronics that are gone

[wayupnorth]

I brought this up to some friends and we came up with these interesting finds. Please add to what we came up with. Seems that Kenmore is the only store brand left, leaving behind Coldspot, Homart and Silvertone. Montgomory Wards Signature and Airline, Western Auto's Wizzard and W.T. Grants Bradford line. We had a nice time talking about our experiences (many years ago) with these in our homes. If you can think of others, add them to the list. Granted, those were the stores we had around here so I am sure there are alot more.

 

[DADoES]

 
JCPenney Penncrest appliances and MCS audio equipment.

 

[joeekaitis]

FedMart (Southern California-based discount store, now out of business) sold water heaters under the house brand FairMont.

 

[joeekaitis]

Don't know when it happened but a quick check of RadioShack.com turns up nothing under their store brands Realistic and Archer.

 

[DADoES]

 
FedMart had a small presence in this area years ago.  The store carried Whirlpool appliances, it was my first hands-on viewing of an LAA9800/LAE9800 pair in the early 1970s.

 

[gefilterflo]

I've noticed that some Whirlpool-built refrigerators at Sears still say "Kenmore Coldspot" on the sticker inside the fridge. Sears also had LXI and SR brands of audio equipment and I still have a Penske auto timing light from Sears. Recently on the forum BOL Sears brands Galaxy and Capri have also been mentioned.

 

[rp2813]

Macy*s used to carry "Supremacy" electronics as their house brand.

 

[joeekaitis]

Wasn't Viscount a JCPenney brand, or was it Woolworth's?

And here's a really obscure one: Sage's, a combination grocer/discount department store in San Bernardino county, sold radios, record players and cassette recorders under the house brand Daisy-Tone as well as photo film (most likely sourced from 3M) as Daisy-Color (color prints) and Daisy-Pan (black and white).

 

[dirtybuck]

For Those Who Don't Remember

White's Auto and Home Center was a competitor to Western Auto. Their brand of appliances and electronics were under the name Catalina.

 

[gansky1]

"Lady" Kenmore

"Her Majesty" at Montgomery Wards

 

Lots of local store brands are gone - a local grocery store, Baker's had Baker Boy and Betsy Baker on many products - named for the owner's son and his wife.

 

Soundesign audio equipment was very popular for a while at the Service Merchandise - type stores.

Does K-Mart still have the "Focal" brand around?  They also had a K-something brand for their house brand electronics...

 

 

 

[laundromat]

Duracest (May Company), Blue Ribbon refrigerators and freezers, Leonard,Korvair (E.J.Korvette), Big Ben,and Coronado.

 

[ptcruiser51]

In The Garden State it was

"Vornado" appliances (large and small)at Two Guys from Harrison discount stores. Try to find anything but a fan still operational today! IIRC, they carried off-brand stuff like Indesit, Welbilt, and others.

 

[wayupnorth]

I had forgotten about Radio Shack's Realistic and Archer. We never got a Pennys until around 1980 and Macy's just within the last few years. Now almost every chain store and restaurant is within a short drive to the ever expanding mall area. Its funny that Red Lobster at the mall never made it here...go figure.

 

[rp2813]

Wards

Montgomery Ward also had "Hawthorne" brand for things like bicycles, "PowerKraft" for tools, and "Garden Mark" for outdoor-related tools and equipment.  I think they also used "Style House" for their home decorating line.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

The last years of Montgomery Ward seemed to have "Designer Series by Tappan" on their dishwashers, microwaves & ranges...

(And my mom's electric range had me thinking of this being a "real deal" Tappan brand, before the owner's manual revealed from the yellow-print design that it was really a "Montgomery Ward brand MADE by Tappan"...!)

The same thing was done w/ Admiral refrigerators, freezers & even microwaves: "Designer Series by Admiral"...!

I was appalled at the cheapness of one sideXside fridge w/ seemingly cheap handles that was at least in almond & the right cu. ft. as well as capable of fitting where the old one did, but had wire shelves in both fridge & freezer compartments, wheras a larger one in white seemed to be a bit better made & the freezer and refrigerator compartments had glass shelves, but too large to fit where our old Frigidaire did...

I settled for a Whirlpool sideXside w/ ice & water through the door, after almost getting a GE which did, before thinking I'd buy a GE which didn't have that feature...

It's a "cute" Whirlpool, at 22 cu. ft. in almond & still at my parents' house...! Bought at Ward's...

-- Dave

 

[circlew]

Federated Dept. Stores (Shillito's, Lazarus, etc.) had a store brand of major appliances by the name of AMC.

Sears had the Ted Williams brand of sporting goods.

 

[washlogic]

IIRC, Sears also had a brand of audio electronics called "Silvertone"

 

[washlogic]

Oh, one more thing, Sears also had a brand called "Homart".

 

[whirlcool]

In the early 90's we got stores here in Houston called "Federated", they were California based. Was that the same company as FedMart? They had a nice selection of stereo equipment. I bought a VCR from them once. But if I remember correctly they were only here for about 18 months and one day they all shut down.

I used to see the "Homart" brand on Sears pool equipment and central air units. I think Sears even had Homart hot water tanks.

Another name missing... Manor House paints by Sears.

 

[polkanut]

I remember my dad finding a complete set of box wrenches in my grandma's garage that were branded "Riverside", Mom & Dad also have a "Signature" brand box fan and I believe these all came from Montgomery Wards.  Mom's cousin Martha worked for Gambles, and they had a few Coronado appliances in their home.

[this post was last edited: 5/5/2012-08:36]

 

[kenmore58]

Jordan Marsh has the Ambassador brand (I have an avocado electric fry pan by that name).

Also, Sears used to brand their typewriters and other items with the "Tower" name.

Ron

 

[xraytech]

Sears used to have the Counter Craft line of small appliances, then there was there Maid of Honor line, as well as the Harmony House line of home goods.

JCPenney had the PennPREST line of linens

 

[aegokocarat]

carlton and matsui, these brands were both used by DSG retail up until recently, they have replaced both brand names with new one, LOGIK and sandstrom,

 

[paulg]

Some more...

Costco maintains a house brand of appliances: Kirkland.
Another KMART house brand was KMC.
Woolworth's house brand was AUDITION, I believe. It had a microphone logo.
LOGIK and HARVARD were house brands of Fretter (I think??)
Hmmm. Would FIRESTONE count? I've seen their radios and TVs. Don't recall who made those..
ETHAN ALLEN marketed color TVs which were rebadged GE TVs in fancy cabinets. Remember XAM sold at Korvette's ?
Also, SINGER sewing shops sold TVs and electronics under the SINGER brand.

 

[polkanut]

Sam,

Thanks for jogging my memory!  My grandma had a service for 8 of Harmony House Melmac dinnerware in brown, yellow, turquoise, and gray.  Grandma also had a floor model Silvertone radio that received overseas broadcasts on the different frequencies.  Mom & Dad have a Coldspot dehumidifier that still works like a champ.  Just saw a Silvertone organ for sale at an estate sale last weekend too.

 

[this post was last edited: 5/5/2012-12:58]

 

[112561]

What store brand electronic was used in TGY? Anyone remember Juliette, and Silver Marshall? Not the early radio S-Ms, the '70s and '80s cheapies. Eagle Army-Navy had Eagle electronics.

 

[dirtybuck]

Although they didn't have their own brands, does anyone remember Silo, Best or Service Merchandise?

 

[wayupnorth]

We had one of the original Value House stores before it bacame Service Merchandise. Alot of my Pioneer stereo came from there. You did your ordering from a catalog and the warehouse would ship it out on a big conveyor belt to you at the checkout.

 

[joeekaitis]

Although they didn't have their own brands, does anyone

We had a Best Products showroom in San Bernardino, CA. A pity the concept didn't catch on.

You want a waffle iron? You looked over the pristine samples on the shelf while the boxed stock is safely tucked away in the warehouse. Ah, this one's perfect! Take the paper slip to the counter, wait nearby and watch the unblemished box emerge from the warehouse on the conveyor belt.

Pay and go.

Compare that with a trip to WalTargMart. Try to make a choice based on the vandalized floor samples, look over the boxed stock below and take your chances on finding a box that hasn't been opened with parts missing. Now you know why Amazon.com has become such an attractive alternative when you can wait for a new waffle iron.

Pardon the drift. Had to get it off my chest.

 

[xraytech]

I remember Service Merchandise, I only recall us purchasing one item there, and I still recall it today, it was early 1989 and mother picked out a then all new Hoover Elite cleaner. I recall seeing that box rolling down the conveyor belt.
As I recall our local Hills department store had a similar conveyor belt in its layaway department.