Roy Rogers Rides No More In Manchester

Like a sepia sunset, The old-fashioned burger-n-fries chain Roy Rogers is done in Manchester. Over done (bad joke?). The franchise-operated quick-serve restaurant well known for its roast beef, chicken and burgers (or likeness to Arby's and/or Wendy's) has shuttered another Connecticut location all under the radar.

The 394 Tolland Turnpike location, located a few short turns off I-84 (Exit 63) in Manchester has been found closed by The Caldor Rainbow (and additional thanks to a reader tip off) and at such short notice. One could certainly pin this one on the shuttering economy round-up as it's owner seems to have packed up and run.

THE LATE MANCHESTER, CONN. LOCATION IN JULY 2008

Back in February 2007, Roy Rogers' franchise owners closed up many of its locations in the state including one we covered on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington, which closed up abruptly has since become new life as Arby's. One such on Route 5 in North Haven followed the same fate, shuttering silently. Over the past decade, Roy Rogers has trickled down, losing market share to other fast food restaurants who've prospered much in its place; namely Wendy's and recently Arby's.

THE LATE MANCHESTER, CONN. LOCATION SITE IN JULY 2008

ROY ROGERS WOULD BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE-Y: SITE MASTERS DISGRACEFULLY CAUGHT SLACKING OFF, KEEPING DEFUNCT LOCATION ON THE STORE LOCATOR

Thought their website has a 2003 stamp on it, there's no reason to perpetuate lies! Somebody tell the sleepy webmaster to remove the Manchy location off the locator.

Roy Rogers leaves one lone location in the state: all the way up in North Stonington (still under construction?) or one shortly over the Massachusetts border in Sturbridge. It's to the entrepreneurial spirit to keep Roy's dreams of serving grease-laden burgers and fixin' bars to truckers and travelers alive!

The former Manchester location will live on: reportedly soon tobecome an independently-owned Indian restaurant.

ROY ROGERS TIMEWARP AT A REST STOP ON I-90


ROY ROGERS ROCKFACED RECEPTACLE TAKEN AT FORMER NEWINGTON LOCATION

All photos taken by THE CALDOR RAINBOW.

Everything Must Go At Circuit City

Say goodbye to yet another retail electronics giant, Circuit City. As you've heard, the chain has announced everything must go, announcing chainwide liquidation this past Friday January 16, 2009.

Yes, the monochrome roulette of retail's death bringer follows one of the most crippling retail seasons in recent time of 2008 and into 2009, and no more than a few weeks after the company announced a mega-sized dose of doze, as expected, the struggling second-best electronics retailer has announced it's seizure to retail la-la land shortly after the post-Christmas season, joining the ranks of other big namers who've folded in recent years (and months, for that matter) including the a 90's boomer chain from New York Nobody Beats The Wiz (later remarketed as just "The Wiz"), CompUSA last Christmas season of '08 and most recently a Massachusetts-based hi-ender Tweeter Etc., whose success mirrored hi-fidelity electronics of the 80's.

TWEETER ETC.; MANCHESTER, CT JUST WEEKS BEFORE CHAINWIDE CLOSURE


TWEETER ETC. FORMERLY AT THE STRUGGLING WATERFORD, CONN. CRYSTAL MALL (TAKEN JAN. 2007)

The chain recently opened stores in Enfield at the Stateline Plaza; placing a years vacated Media Play and most recently a concept "The City" in Torrington in 2007 at the Torrington Fair Plaza replacing Sears Hardware.

"THE CITY" CIRCUIT CITY NEWLY BUILT IN TORRINGTON (TAKEN SHORTLY BEFORE OPENING IN DEC. 2007)

Other stores in Meriden weren't too long leased in a revamped, former Waldbaums plaza outskirts the nearby mall while others with aged looks in Manchester , Trumbull and North Haven had toughed it out through the 90's. Orange had been the one store to close just before the Christmas shopping season at the cusp of 2009.

A NOW YEAR VACANT COMPUSA IN MANCHESTER WILL LIKELY STAY THIS WAY FOR A WHILE LONGER (TAKEN DEC. 2008)

While my own thoughts reflect that of many of Circuit City's harshest critics, and not just for a move that damaged the chain's corporate image, my views are shared on a consumer angle as well as many of its stores struggled to capture the unique flair and competitive model that many prefer in the flashier competitor Best Buy. Heck, that's not too far from a bitter Consumerist's editorial perspective...

It hasn't always been that bad, has it? We never cheer any chains' demise (unless they are truly dreadful organizations, to which Circuit City brushed with years back) so we'll miss them. In a troubling retail economy, it's a time unlike recent years when the slacker chains will have to pay up or pack up as we've seen. With even prominent names like Circuit City going, how far long before some of the suspect chains start shuttering underperforming stores (Kmart and/or anything under the Sears umbrella comes to mind...)

So whose left to take on Best Buy? With all the cleansing that took place in just the last year, premiere electronic giant Best Buy lives on to dominate the market with very little competition on the same level. It seems their closest game is now on par with the department retail market a la Walmart and Target.

The Caldor Rainbow will soon collect an array of vacant storefront shots to better remember the chain's impact on the retail sphere in coming months.

Share your thoughts...

Title image by The Caldor Rainbow; Orange, CT.

Retro Toys "R" Us; Bowling Green, Kentucky

Reader Jessica Nielsen threw us an e-mail and accompanied gallery of photos of yet another left-behind Toys "R" Us located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It would appear apart from the stripped-away rainbow bars along the front and a white-washed road sign, this store would be a spitting image of it's original look from twenty years ago. According to the town's assessor database, the store was built in 1989 as a Toys "R" Us-Kids "R" Us hybrid.

Road sign of BOWLING GREEN store

Classic Jeoffrey sign of BOWLING GREEN store

Orange Entrance sign of BOWLING GREEN store

THE BOWLING GREEN store from space; Courtesy: Live Maps.


THE BOWLING GREEN store pictures; Courtesy: the Warren County town assessor.

Jessica, who shot the series of superb shots, tells in her e-mail "The building is white brick and appears that the rainbow boarding might have been removed at one point." At that, she's correct. Like some other older stores, like one in Durham, N.C., the once rainbow-pallette along the store's front has been removed. But when?

If anyone else remembers the Bowling Green store, tell us more about it. If we missed a store, notify us. You can refer to our list of known old-school stores.

Retro Toys "R" Us In Tallahassee

The Caldor Rainbow reader and fellow retail enthusiast who traverses the circuit of mall-related blogs, Jack Thomas, has provided wonderful on-site pictures of a known, old-school Toys "R" Us in Tallahassee, Florida. This update comes off the heel of a recent retro round-up.

The retro store, likely built in the late 80's (our guess is 1986), located along Appallache Parkway seems to contain all the elements from the store's conception: the signature brown "mansard" roof, rainbow-stripes (not repainted!) and even a pastel-colored road sign these oldies typically contained. Thomas ensures us the photos are recent, taken in December 2008. The Caldor Rainbow discovered the store back in March 2008 via our eye in the sky.

To get some perspective, here's the store shot from the sky, courtesy of Live Maps.

Oddly enough, there's no Jeoffrey sign anywhere on the building nearby but we assume with Florida's frequent, rampant weather patterns, it's likely the mascot's plexiglas iteration had been destroyed or mangled over the course of the store's 20 plus year run.

The Caldor Rainbow suspects other stores with left-behind looks in Bradenton, Orange Park and Gainesville. Check out The Ames Fan Club Forums for satellite imagery.