Looking back at Best Products Co., Inc.

[candlstudios]

I worked at the Best Products store in Mountain View, California for 4 years.

I had a lot of fun. I was there when they filed for bankruptcy but left in 1992 so I missed the liquidation.

Great store for a long time but eventually the showroom concept became antiquated.

[freedombear79]

I loved shopping at the Best in Fort Collins, Colorado (currently Bed Bath and Beyond). I remember we could buy almost anything there. I also remember the store going by the name of Labelle's, before it became Best. Thank you for posting this video!

[gabrielthomasmusic1]

@faccac , I used to go to that store.

Whoever posted this video, thank you. I wish this company was still in business.

[maclifer]

The end shot is a Best catalog from 2006 that shows an iPod... I thought they went out of business in 1996 per the info under the video?

[supersaver87]

There used to be a Best in Fairfax, VA...I still have a 1996 receipt from it someplace.

Today, the building is home to a Office Depot and a Washington Sports Club.

[rlewis3225]

what a good memory working at Best Products ...I really miss them Thanks for posting

[faccac]

Cutler Ridge Florida showroom was on US 1 (South Dixie Highway). South of Miami, near Perrine, Fl.

[Lalo3001]

We had a Best Catalog Store in Torrance, CA at the corner of Del Amo Blvd & Hawthorne Blvd.

The store of course is long gone and there are many other new stores there. The funny thing is the community shopping center there is still called "The Best Plaza".

Gone but not forgotten I guess by the center owners.

[yetdynamic]

sad that they're gone now

[AllisonTheSNLGuru]

I shopped at the Toms River, NJ location - not a unique design by any means, but a great store nonetheless - it was located across the street from the Ocean County Mall. I loved watching the products come down the conveyer belt from above. I forget what's located there now...

[bstemm]

This was a great place to work...Best Products Westminster, CA 1980 thru 1985

[edm1820]

There was a BEST located near where I grew up. In Philadelphia, on Roosevelt Blvd. I have fond memories as a kid walking through their electronics section and drooling over everything. Also loved going through their catalogs. If I remember correctly, were nearly as thick as a phone book.

Thanks for posting!

[whattheheck1000]

This is my BEST guess on when the dates were on the pictures: 0:02 - 1987-1991 0:05 - 1981-1985 0:08 - 1988-1992 0:13 - 1987-1989 0:17 - no clue, 1980s? 0:21 - again no clue, looks 1985 or later 0:24 - 1985-1992 0:28 - 1985-1990 0:32 - no clue, 1987 or later? 0:36 - obvious. October 1992. (I was born in December 1992!) I think I'll stop guessing, I just gave my time guessing skills a whirl!!!

[goldenaxespellcaster]

1:58 mark on is amazing

[kd4adv]

I bought my Bearcat scanner from the location across from the now abandoned Cloverleaf Mall back in the very early 90s.

[usa02]

I remember Best Products,Co, Inc. I used to go shopping there when I was a kid.

[whattheheck1000]

0:14 is stunning!!!!

[faccac]

Started in 71 in Va. Beach, then Amarillo in 75, to Houston (Indeterminate facade) and opened Cutler Ridge Florida in 79. Left in 80. Retail business models changed and Best didn't. It happens.

Wes

[whattheheck1000]

@faccac Most of these pictures were taken well after 1980, like 1985-1993 on most of them. Best's golden age was in the 1980s, and it closed in early 1997.

[SwassMike]

@faccac where was the cutler ridge located? Does anyone have the street addresses of the SITE designed buildings?

[MGHSHour2a]

Best Was Also A Department Store? I Didn't Know That, I Have A Group On It

[Dandy5th]

I worked at the Golden Ring store out of Baltimore (now a storage company) in toys, baby goods and seasonal while I was going to college in the late 70s-early 80s.. It was a fun job for most of the year but Christmas, wow, I don't remember how many times we emptied the store of toys and had to have Richmond send any and everything up (which we would work til about 3-4am to restock and then do it again the next day. Remember the great medical benefits or addressing everyone as Mister or Miss.

[rasabana]

25 years there, started in Raleigh,Greensboro,Charlottesv­ille,LA,

San Antonio, Sacramento.....what a way to spend my young years

Randy Allen

[2000hpeds]

I worked at BEST #39, corner of Greenback & San Juan, Citrus Heights California, for a few years. Such great memories! Rock on "Woz"!!!!.... wherever you are! LOL

[Jukesette]

I remember the BEST store that used to be down the street from me. Now it's a Burlington Coat Factory. Those were the days. :)

[MrLapoire]

Where do these videos come from?

Who is the author?

Do you know other videos about BEST.

Do you know other architects who worked on the same theme : the big box?

Do you know other companies who experimented art and architecture for their big box or shed?

(like BASCO with Venturi)

[thedoughboy45]

We used to live about a half mile from the Best on 65th St in Sacramento. A buddy and I used to jack Star Wars action figures from there back in 1979-1980.

Ah the good ol days! We don't do that bad stuff any more... ; )

[123kinsky]

Started at Best in Lynchburg, Va. Transferred to Richmond, Va and then to White Settlement, Tx. Then to Amarrillo and then to Torrance, Ca. Met some great people and had some fun. Would love to hear from Mary P. who worked in the toy department.

[rjm0222]

Which I still have with all my performance reviews in it. Occasionally I go through it for the memories. I even met my wife there she worked in the Jewelry Dept. But like BEST it didn't work out. BEST went out in 1997 marriage went out in 2002. I loved that job and I miss it. Thanks for videos on here I really enjoy them. Thanks Bob

[rjm0222]

I worked at Best # 086 in Berwyn,PA from 1986 till closing in 1997. I started in the camera dept and went up to warehouse manager. I sure do miss that job. I had a lot of different titles during my 11 years. I was a sales counselor, lead cashier, Inventory Systems Controller (ISC), assistant customer service manager, assistant warehouse manager, customer service manager, presentation manager and finally warehouse manager.Before closing, my store manager gave me my entire personnel file.

[playdrv4me]

Service Merchandise FTW.

[JesdaG]

I love the music! Its so 1991.

[poprchagt2]

Started my career as Jewelry Dept. Mgr. Trainee at Hampton, VA in 1978; transfered to Va. Beach as Jewelry Dept. Mgr. 1979; transfered to North Dallas as Jewelry Dept Mgr. 1980; transfered to Durham, NC as Asst. Showroom Mgr. 1981; transfered back to North Dallas as Asst. Showroom Mgr, in late 1981; left company n 1982. We called the Jewelry Mgrs. the Pitt Bosses and the Toy Dept. Mgrs.; Toy Boys. What a great time and a wonderfull learning experience......

[OWN12S]

Worked at Best#134 in San Bernardino, Ca. in late 80's. It was cool for awhile. I worked under people like Al Jameson, Wayne poff and Ed Orcutt. They use to all suck up to Dave Cambell. The pay was crap, but I have lots of good memories of that stinkin place.

[goodguy2k2]

Wow I'm stunned...what a time warp! My first job was with Best. It was 1986, and Best had just purchased the LaBelle's chain in Phoenix. Those catalog covers blew me away!

[hanktherapper]

My first job was working for Best in 1992.

[dylansgirl2]

I used to go to the one in Niles all the time..i loved there scratch and dent section..you could get things in there cheap!!

[yamajammer76]

I remember Best when I was younger. It was a cool store, we got a lot of things there.

[orion1052003]

Does anyone have a .pdf scan of one of the Best catalogs?

[RETROvisions]

I have several Best catalogs, and I am working on putting together a few pdf pages from them. I will let you all know when I get it online!

[earlsays]

the one where the corner of the building is pulled out away from the building was in Sacramento, CA on ARden way in the early 90s...It is now a Best Buy...

At night when the store was closed they would push the corner section into the building so it was just a huge windowless doorless cube...in the daytime the piece of the wall sat away from the building like pictured. Best Buy didn't take advantage of this neat design, however.

[orion1052003]

I remember when they demolished the building to put up BEST buy, pun intended, and wondered why they didn't keep the original building which was better. Also, the Gemco on riverside in Sacramento was better than the Target which came after it and is there now.

[earlsays]

Wow, I didn't know they demolished it...the way the entrance is to best buy, the way the windows/doors are set up kind of follow the way the original building looked with the corner removed...I just figured the enclosed it...interesting.

I don't remember Gemco, I do, however, remember when they built/opened the Target on the corner of Riverside/Broadway, as I lived in that neighborhood at the time...ahhh memories of sacramento, ain't it grand?

[orion1052003]

This same location was Gemco before Target across from the cemetary came in next. This was in the 80's still, I believe. I believe both Gemco and Best Buy were demolished....I could be wrong about Best Buy as it does seem to occupy about the same space..but the way I remember it they did the whole thing over and only the corner left of the entrance seemed in the same spot as the moving wall...

[earlsays]

Yeah, I don't know...I wasn't living in sacto when all that took place...speaking of that though, I can't believe it, I just moved back to CA from living out of state for a couple years, everything in sacramento has changed! So many things that have gone upscale whereas they wheren't so much before...

[orion1052003]

in 2007, every single field we used to play in, and there were lots of them, every place went up for "development". Do we really need the same store on every corner? Soon they will be stacked on top of each other. Sacramento has tripled in size.

[threeby8887]

I have fond memories of the one in Houston (the decaying facade one). When I first saw it as an eight-year-old back in the winter of 1975, I was shocked that people were going in and out of a store that looked like it was a few seconds from collapse. When I learned that SITE designed and built it that way I was intrigued.

Thank you for posting this!

All together now (from the 1975 Best commercials):

"AMERICA KNOWS VALUE

AMERICA KNOWS BEST!"

[JJankow30]

I worked at the Toledo store on Secor for 5 years (the final 5 years as it turned out). This brought back some memories!

[camera05]

I worked there for 17 years. What a ride!

[Charmedone9805]

how oldare these pics if i had to gusse idd say maby early early 90's

[whattheheck1000]

@Charmedone9805 I'm guessing 1985-1990 on most of them.

[d84martin]

I remember going to the Best Products at the Sandusky Mall when i was kid and i would just spend hours in there looking around. oh the memories!

[dylansgirl2]

I remember Best..they had a big store off 422..man there scratch and dent room was the best!!

[deliveryboy2007]

Man, this brings back memories. I spent way too much money in Best Showrooms in the 80s. My first job was literally 100 yards or so from the original Best Showroom in Richmond.

[defoedude]

my Aunt Gail used to work at Best in St. Louis for I don't know how many years. I remember seeing some of their catalogs when I was little and she has a couple company logo ornaments.

[elpablo69]

I lived in Arizona and Texas and I don't recall any funny looking stores like those pics. Where were they located? Did neighbors complain about the appearance?

[Zarasuthra]

You should have seen the BEST store in Maryland. Look like it was getting blown away by a twister. That was the design.