Liquor by any other name may sell the same but these closed and abandoned ‘package’ stores couldn’t succeed in what most say is a can’t-miss business.

The OTHER White Castle

What the heck is a “package store”, anyway? Why not call a spade a spade? Blame the lingering effects of the Twenty-first Amendment that repealed the Eighteenth Amendment (aka Prohibition) but left alcohol marketing in the hands of individual states. Local idioms and societal culture led to retail outlets being named Package stores, ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) stores, and South Carolina’s famous Red Dot stores.

Flickr member Robby Virus captured the shuttered store above, located in Omaha, Nebraska, in July of 2016. Sad to say that even including “package” and “liquor” on the sign couldn’t stanch the flow of red ink.

Don’t Drink OR Drive

Prohibition was literally the Law of the Land for over a decade – and for some states, even longer: Mississippi didn’t relax its state-wide booze ban ’til 1966. Other states such as Connecticut went the Package Store (“packie”, in local parlance) route, as shown in the above shot of an abandoned gas station / package store combo (“two great tastes that taste great together”) snapped by Flickr member Greg (63vwdriver) in the summer of 2016.

Dispeptic

What isn’t rusted is faded (and vice versa) at this VERY long-abandoned market and package store in Belcher Square, Great Barrington, Massachusetts. How long? Well, that particular Pepsi logo was used between 1940 and 1950 so… yeah. Flickr member Lisa DeLange (LisaSez) captured the desolate, post-apocalyptic storefront in December of 2009.

Coors’s, Foiled Again

You won’t find any Coors (or any Coors-competitors) in this ramshackle abandoned package store in Federalsburg, MD. Plenty of free parking, though… just don’t park a hot vehicle over those mangy weeds. Flickr member Adam Myers (adamkmyers) snapped this way overgrown and woefully understaffed wobbly-pop shop in the fall of 2016.

Packaged Deal

This blockhouse-like abandoned package store in Watertown, MA would make a great anti-zombie fortress, even without shelves stocked with “adult beverages”. We can’t say why this structure, seemingly built to withstand an atomic apocalypse, couldn’t withstand the mid-2000s retail apocalypse. Flickr member ChinatownKicks recorded the concrete cube corner colossus for posterity in May of 2008.

Joe’s Deli-cate Condition

It’s a Package Store, it’s a Deli, it’s… the poster child for abandoned shops! It’s not certain which of the two buildings dispensed drinks while the other served eats but both have seen better days, MANY days ago. Likely the same can be said for “Joe”.

Flickr member DjD-567 visited the decrepit and decayed short-bus of strip malls in Brimfield, MA back in October of 2011. “The inside is in much worse shape, from what I saw through the window,” states the photographer. Contrast that with the still sharp-looking sign out front – Joe shoulda got his sign guy to work on the interior.

Flown the Coop

Signs are known for their staying power; sometimes a store’s sign manages to hang (literally) around longer than the store itself. Such was the case at Cooper’s Package Store on New Park Avenue in Hartford. CT. Nothing lasts forever, mind you. “I’m so glad you got a picture of this sign,” stated one commenter at Flickr member Pixel (improbcat)’s post dated September 17 of 2008. “I went there to photograph it a few weeks ago and it’s gone.” One might say, this package has been de-livered, de-listed, and deleted. We’d buy Pixel a drink in tribute to their excellent timing but… oh.

These closed and abandoned pet shops eerily echo with the long lost sights, sounds and smells (oh, those smells!) of what were effectively urban retail zoos.

Why Not Both?

It’s a pet shop, it’s a seafood store, it’s… both? It would appear so! Sure, Donna’s Aquatic Pet Shop and Lee’s Seafood Co., Inc may sport different signs but, as Flickr member Fuzzy Gerdes‘ horrified friend Erica reportedly and repeatedly shouted, “It’s the same phone number!” Our lead image of the fenced-over Chicago store(s) dates from April of 2008 while the second photo from Flickr member crowbert depicts a slightly more active scene from a couple of years previous.

Old Age of Aquaria

The hell is an “aquaria”? Also, shouldn’t that golden creature on the sign be a fish and not a bird? Looks like a “screaming chicken” from a Trans-Am’s hood ended up as roadkill and was painted over by a lane-line paint truck. So much for this broke-ass Bird of Paradise… Paradise Pets, to be exact. Flickr member Jon Southcoasting captured the closed not-quite-fish-or-fowl shop from Shoreham-by-Sea, UK, in April of 2014.

Reptile Needsssss

Much like a snake shedding its skin, Godiva Reptiles in Coventry, UK seems to be sloughing off its signage to reveal – no, not its final form – a previous incarnation as a video rental store. Unlike the apocryphal serpent, however, the sign’s piecemeal decomposition was a harbinger of things to come. According to photographer and Flickr member Hazel Nicholson, “As of May 2017 the shop has closed down and the former owner has been found guilty of trading without a licence.” Guess the most important “reptile need” is a license to trade in reptiles. Who knew?

Our Fur Feathers

According to photographer and Flickr member shrinkin’violet, “the number 9 in the telephone number on the signage is different from the rest. This was probably added after 1995 when Bristol received the new area code.” In related news, this rather bland “petfoods” (is that even a word?) shop in beautiful downtown Bristol, UK, managed to stay in business for well over 20 years. Still plenty of fur-lorn feathered customers (or freeloaders) hanging around outside the shop, though.

Zoohaus, Raus!

Sorry, Fur & Feathers, but the pet store longevity prize goes to the former Zoohaus-Altrock, a pet shop in Wiesbaden, Germany. From 1919 to 2011 – an incredible span of 92 years – Zoohaus-Altrock pet shop supplied the local Hessians with “erlebniswelt heimtiere” (“adventure world pets”) typified by the intrepid tuxedo kitty doing an adventurous spider-cat imitation just to the right of the sign. Flickr member Arjan Richter snapped the shop’s charming two-piece (three, including the cat) signage in March of 2011.

IAMS Abandoned

Ah, the pride of Pittsgrove Township… seriously, that is one sharp shop! From the outwardly-angled brickwork buttresses framing the store entrance to the snazzy Mid-century Modern eggcrate-grill window framing, this shop has got it all. Well, except for a tenant, of course. Flickr member Thomas captured this former Jersey store (near what appears to be a Jersey shore) in June of 2008.

Non-Starter

STOP me before I sell pets again… or buy POTS back from previous customers, whatever. Kudos to Flickr member Victor Reynolds for posting an explanation: it seems the store’s original name was “PET STOP” but once the store stopped selling pets, they removed the “PET” from the sign. You’ll find this abandoned pet shop in Pohatcong, New Jersey, where the photographer stopped to snap the sign in the summer of 2015.

Mattress stores are so omnipresent these days it’s become a real struggle for sleep shops to stand out from their stuffed, sprung & padded competition.

Mattress stores (along with dollar stores) are the rats and roaches of the retail apocalypse, spreading across the nation(s) under so many names it’s hard to keep track of them all. On the flip side, mattress store owners are doing their utmost to rise above the tide. Take Houston-based Mattress Firm, for instance. Flickr member revjdevans snapped a series of evocative photos that feature a red tube man advertising a store in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Ironically, since 2010 the City of Houston has banned tube men, stating their use “contributes to urban visual clutter and blight and adversely affects the aesthetic environment and the safety and quality of life for the community and the citizens of the city.” Sucks to be you, safe and aesthetic Houston.

Myers, Myers, Myers!

Is their life on Myers? More to the point, are there mattresses at Myers… and if so, WHICH Myers? No less than six Myers-centric sign legends look out from the otherwise subdued-looking store in Crouch End, London, UK. Flickr member gingerbeardman found himself “Myer’d” in mattress store heaven (or hell) in February of 2009.

The Gift of Good Nights

Most mattresses we’ve seen better resemble plains than mountains, though perhaps the former is a tad too “plain” to use for advertising purposes. Speaking of which, Mountain Mattress in central Appalachia has labeled itself as a “gift emporium”. Remind us to reference them next time a friend or family member gets hitched – they’ll never, ever forget your thoughtfulness. Kudos to Flickr member da_mere for reading the sign’s double-take-worthy subtext back in the summer of ’06.

Civil Snore

Southern sleepers will rise again… every morning, soon as the alarm goes off. And by “southern”, we mean southern Portland, Oregon, according to Scott Beale / Laughing Squid who posted the above photo at Flickr. Beale captured the incongruous (did any Civil War battles take place in Oregon?) mattress store in early 2010, though likely not without a fight.

Dublin Down

Ethnic humor ain’t what it used to be – not that we’re complaining – and these days only Canadians, Scots and the Irish are still fair game for stereotypical profiling. Problem? Not for “Mick” (if that’s really your name) of Mattress Mick’s Superstore in Coolock, Dublin. In related news, it would appear that mattresses are being made in Ireland, presumably stuffed with shamrocks and Lucky Charms marshmallows… NTTAWWT. Flickr member William Murphy photo-documented Mattress Mick’s garish storefront in early 2016.

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Box Springs Eternal 10 Sheet Kickin Mattress Stores

Brand power can go a long way in business but as these 10 unfortunately-named shops and stores so sorrowfully illustrate, it can also go the wrong way.

To paraphrase RUSH, if a store chooses not to decide on a name, it still has made a choice… not a good choice, mind you, but a choice all the same. We can only assume the owners of the No Name II Variety Store in Philly’s Kensington district figured they’d let Pepsi do their sales-talking for them. We’d also like to know if the original “No Name Variety Store” owners are miffed their nifty name was nicked. Flickr members benjamin scott and non-euclidean photography (Molly Des Jardin) captured the semi-anonymous sign in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

Resident Dump

Does reverse psychology really work? You’d have to ask the owner of DUMP, an army-navy surplus clothing store in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Flickr member Barry Lancaster (Derpy McDerpface) snapped the military-themed (an “ammo dump” reference, perhaps?)  store signage in late 2006. One would imagine the RAF would shine the ol’ frosted monocle on this “interesting” use of their tricolor roundel.

Don’t Happy, Be Worry

This candy shop in Barcelona indelicately toes the line between Cute and Offensive. The latter would resonate more with those who have lost someone to the ongoing Opioid Crisis and/or unsuccessful dieters who “self-medicate” emotional stress with colorful sweets. Flickr member Lauren Jankowski couldn’t resist capturing this “wonderfully bizarre” store sign while tripping, er, on a trip overseas back in the summer of 2011.

Kinky Boots

Kudos to Flickr member Eric Allix Rogers (reallyboring) for being in the right place at the right time: shortly before this exotic (if not erotic) footwear shop shouted out its safe word and slammed the doors for good back in 2008. Located in Chicago’s West Side, the store may have confused customers who were looking for shoes, not kicks.

Say Yes to Distress

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride… but sometimes a Bridezilla? Give the owners of this west-end Toronto bridal studio their due for coming up with an attention-grabbing store name. That said, we can see how this sign could trigger bridesmaids who actually ARE jealous on their rival’s Big Day. Good thing that sort of stuff never happens in real life, right? RIGHT?? Flickr member Can Pac Swire snapped the snippy shop in August of 2013.

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Signs Friction 10 Unfortunately Named Businesses

These dozen closed and abandoned pawn shops refute the myth of a robust economy where tax cuts and less regulation trickle down to those in the greatest need.

Pawn shops are the canaries in an economy’s coal mine. Often acting as money-lenders of last resort, these fiercely independent businesses can only succeed when buyers and sellers have something of value to trade. Many have survived, even thrived, for decades. Take the former United Jewelers and Pawnbrokers, located on Seneca St in Buffalo and reduced to an ignominious “EWEL”… not to mention a paint job apparently conducted using beet juice. Flickr members Mike S (Mike Saternus) and Jer Johns (5YearJourney) snapped the ruddy relic in October of 2015 and January of 2014, respectively.

Hock-It Science

“Hock It To Me” is a great name for a pawn shop though if it was in New York we’d go with “You Hockin’ To Me?” Neat name or not, this abandoned pawnbroker in Uptown Butte, Montana has left the BUY – SELL – TRADE biz for good. Flickr member Henningsen3 stopped by in May of 2006 to capture the shop and its old-style sign for posterity.

Degenerated

“When even the pawn shops are closing down, you know the city centre has problems,” states Flickr member Crookes (DJN…). The above closed Cash Generator store in Sheffield, UK, was a branch of the Edinburgh-based chain whose services include “money transfer, currency exchange, vape products.” Seems that even the popularity of the latter couldn’t save this particular shop.

Selling England By The Pawned

A choice street corner location on the High Street of Rotherham, West Yorkshire didn’t help the above branch of H&T Pawnbrokers. At least they’re making some effort to retain their customer base. Flickr member leon S-D (littleweed1950) captured the weathered but clean closed shop languishing in retail limbo back in January of 2013.

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Once A Pawn A Time 12 More Abandoned Pawn Shops