Big Chain Stores That Have Come and Gone From Amarillo

When I take a trip down memory lane one of the best memories comes from shopping at Hastings. My daughter even mentioned on her recent visit to Amarillo that she really wished that Hasting's was still a thing.

We would spend a lot of time just walking all over the store. We would go in for a movie to rent. We would end up browsing the music section. We would end up buying a book or two.

That mention of Hastings got me thinking about some of the big chain stores that we used to have. The ones that for one reason or another are a distant memory. Places we thought would always be a part of Amarillo's story. Oh, but no they are gone.

I will probably miss several. These are the ones that used to be here while I was growing up and poof are all gone.

Kmart was one that we used to have a couple in our city. I believe we had one on Georgia and I think the other one was on Grand. Who would have ever thought that Kmart and their blue light specials would be gone? They seem to all be gone. There are only a few around anymore. Walmart has taken over.

Blockbuster was another one like Hasting's. They really only focused on the rental of movies. They didn't branch out into the other departments. There is only one left among us. It is not in Amarillo.

Sears inside Westgate Mall. Who would have thought that the place Dad would go for tools and Mom would get her Sunday best would close down? Oh, but like Kmart there are not many around either.

Service Merchandise used to be a thing in Amarillo. It is not anymore. You could get your jewelry and a baseball glove all in one location. Another one you can't really find anywhere anymore. It was inside Western Plaza and just in case you didn't know that is not a thing anymore either.

Bed Bath and Beyond is one of those that is still a little fresh. Even though we are supposed to get a Home Goods in its place it still was a bit surprising. They are all gone. Once they were the go-to for anything you needed in your home. Now they are just all gone.

Payless Shoe Source was one that I still miss. The idea you could go somewhere and purchase shoes at a reasonable price. That was our go-to whenever my young child needed a new pair of shoes. Nothing was better than watching her run up and down the aisle trying out her new shoes. You know we needed to make sure they would make her jump higher and run faster.

Which chain store do you miss having in Amarillo the most? Is it on this list?