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199:. The company was in existence for four decades before closing all of their stores by February 1997 and completely liquidating by December 1998. At the time of their second bankruptcy filing in September 1996, the company operated 169 Best stores and 11 Best Jewelry stores in 23 states, as well as a nationwide mail-order service. When in operation, Best Products was traded on the
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unboxed display models. Customers were permitted to examine and experiment with these models, and if found to be desirable, they could be purchased by submitting orders to store personnel. Saleable versions of the merchandise (usually boxed and/or in its original packaging) would then be retrieved from storage and delivered to a customer service area for subsequent purchase.
377:
227:, worked with his father managing an encyclopedia sales operation in Richmond. Lewis thought of selling additional merchandise along with the bills for encyclopedias. In 1957, the Lewises sent out their first catalog. The first showroom was at 4909 West Marshall Street in Richmond, just across the street from the new
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The company had a strong sense of promotion and artistic sensibilities; it was legend in artistic circles that it would trade store merchandise for art. As a result, the company, as well as the
Lewises, gathered a significant collection of 20th-century art. Much of the Lewis Collection can be seen at
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bankruptcy protection. The first bankruptcy period began in
January 1991 and lasted through June 16, 1994. The second and final filing was made in September 1996. At the time of the second filing, Best operated 169 Best stores and 11 Best Jewelry stores in 23 states, and a nationwide mail-order
288:). The store in Sacramento also had a unique design. In the morning, its corner entryway would slide open, and would slide back shut at night. The structure, with its breakaway entry removed, is now a Best Buy. Photographs of these storefronts appeared in several Best catalogs. One anchored the
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Best employed the "catalog showroom" concept for many of its product offerings. Although some product categories (such as sporting goods and toys) were stocked in traditional self-serve aisles, the majority of products (notably consumer electronics, housewares, and appliances) were featured as
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with a severely distressed facade. This building purportedly "appeared in more books on 20th-century architecture than photographs of any other modern structure". In
Richmond, the company built the Peeling Wall showroom that appeared to have a peeling facade (located on
296:, featuring a tilted front. As of 2007, most of these distinctive buildings have been converted into conventional buildings by removing the architectural embellishments, or in a few cases, demolished. The only building to retain its distinctive features is the
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eagles rescued from a New York building. The giant BEST letters of the headquarters could be seen along
Interstate 95 at Parham Road. Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer subsequently designed the West Wing of the Virginia Museum, which was funded by the Lewises.
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exchange as "BESTQ." It was de-listed on
November 29, 1996, and Best did not appeal the NASDAQ decision. The last Best stores closed on February 9, 1997. By May 1997, Best had liquidated most of its assets and was declared
368:, Rogers and Great Western. This was followed by the acquisition of Ashby's, a 9-store women's clothing chain, and the opening of four Best Jewelry stores in the Washington D.C. metro area.
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409:. Best vacated its corporate headquarters in Richmond in January 1998 and mailed out final checks to unsecured creditors the following December (paying 96 cents per dollar owed).
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352:, a chain with 19 catalog showrooms in the Northeast and Ohio; and Modern Merchandising, headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with 76 showrooms under the names
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in
Richmond, now home to the West End Presbyterian Church, which has stated that the forest in the entryway has been an asset to the church's environment.
275:" (SITE) architecture firm to design nine highly unorthodox retail facilities, notably a tongue-in-cheek structure called the "Indeterminate Facade" in
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597:"Best Products To Shut 81 Stores, Lay Off 4,500 The Outlets In Cherry Hill And Delco Will Be Closed. The Bankrupt Chain Will Keep 88 Stores Open"
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653:"LBO funds might be poised for a comeback Assets large again, with new players joining usual sources"
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284:) as well as a Forest showroom that appeared to have trees growing out of it (located at 9008
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retail stores founded by Sydney and
Frances Lewis in 1957 and formerly headquartered in
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As a cost-saving measure, Best jointly published its catalog with
628:"On The Record: Bankrupt Best Products closes last of its stores"
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Home furnishings, consumer electronics, jewelry, housewares, toys
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Their Parham Road headquarters, built in 1981 and designed by
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Former Best
Products store converted to KIII TV studios
485:"The Best of Times: Best Plaza awaits its next chapter"
175:, Labelle's, Miller Sales, Modern Merchandising, Rogers
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Companies that filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996
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Companies that filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991
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JCK: Houston Jewelry Breaks Catalog Showroom Shackles
428:"Bye-bye, Best Products: An Architecture Fairy Tale"
692:
512:A Guide to the Records of Best Product Co., Inc
262:
243:named after the company opened in that museum.
701:Defunct retail companies of the United States
16:Former American catalog showroom retail chain
348:In 1982, Best acquired catalog competitors:
267:In the 1970s, Best Products contracted with
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620:
588:
576:"Catalog-showroom chain closes last stores"
568:
676:Official project webpage on SITE's website
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36:
544:"News Digest - Best files for bankruptcy"
171:Ashby's, Basco, Dolgin's, Great Western,
23:. For the New York department store, see
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736:Retail companies disestablished in 1998
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595:Von Bergen, Jane M. (October 8, 1996).
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119:(last stores closed) December 1998
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458:"Best Products Arden Fair, Sacramento"
434:. Texas Chapbook Press. Archived from
716:Companies based in Richmond, Virginia
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706:Retail companies established in 1957
552:. September 27, 1996. Archived from
19:For the home electronics chain, see
731:Defunct companies based in Virginia
636:. February 11, 1997. Archived from
384:, showroom. The location is now an
215:and Frances Lewis. Sydney Lewis, a
13:
482:
14:
747:
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487:. Henrico Monthly. Archived from
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400:Best Products was traded on the
514:. Virginia Historical Society.
510:Gilmour, Laura E., ed. (2002).
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450:
426:Essen, Diebold (August 2003).
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1:
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221:Washington and Lee University
651:Hancock, Jay (May 4, 1997).
273:Sculpture in the Environment
263:Sculpture in the Environment
252:Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
237:Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
7:
549:Washington Business Journal
229:Willow Lawn Shopping Center
211:The company was founded by
182:Best Products Company, Inc.
121:; 25 years ago
80:; 67 years ago
31:Best Products Company, Inc.
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602:The Philadelphia Inquirer
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225:Harvard Business School
130:(liquidation completed)
462:Mall Hall of Fame blog
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305:Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer
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110:; 27 years ago
640:on February 22, 2015.
392:Best filed twice for
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203:exchange as "BESTQ".
139:Chapter 11 bankruptcy
108:February 9, 1997
584:. February 10, 1997.
556:on November 21, 2002
380:Terrarium facade of
339:Modern Merchandising
331:Service Merchandise
282:Midlothian Turnpike
32:
464:. January 12, 2009
438:on August 27, 2006
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256:Richmond, Virginia
197:Richmond, Virginia
152:Richmond, Virginia
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25:Best & Company
711:Catalog showrooms
658:The Baltimore Sun
491:on August 9, 2015
343:Harold Roitenberg
250:Best Café at the
188:, was a chain of
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633:Orlando Sentinel
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432:Magellan's Log
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558:. Retrieved
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386:Office Depot
366:Miller Sales
347:
341:(founded by
333:(founded by
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325:Acquisitions
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219:educated at
213:Sydney Lewis
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185:
184:, or simply
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167:Subsidiaries
148:Headquarters
97:Sydney Lewis
45:Company type
269:James Wines
142:liquidation
695:Categories
613:2020-10-31
413:References
394:Chapter 11
372:Bankruptcy
115:1997-02-09
530:248421247
495:August 8,
468:August 8,
442:August 8,
407:insolvent
397:service.
354:LaBelle's
70:showroom)
358:Dolgin's
309:Art Deco
239:, and a
190:American
158:Products
60:Industry
55:: BESTQ)
21:Best Buy
207:History
126:1998-12
124: (
113: (
105:Defunct
93:Founder
83: (
75:Founded
528:
518:
402:NASDAQ
337:) and
217:lawyer
201:NASDAQ
64:Retail
53:NASDAQ
49:Public
362:Jafco
350:Basco
173:Jafco
562:2023
526:OCLC
516:ISBN
497:2015
470:2015
444:2015
241:café
235:the
223:and
186:Best
135:Fate
85:1957
78:1957
292:in
271:' "
254:in
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630:.
599:.
578:.
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430:.
364:,
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661:.
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258:.
128:)
117:)
87:)
66:(
51:(
27:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
