Sorry, We're Closed (w/ Stevenson Gerald III LongBotom)

In this episode, Stevenson and I trace the rise and fall of the stores that once defined American life. What starts as a conversation about how we got into podcasting turns into a nostalgic (and occasionally half-assed) business breakdown of defunct retailers like Blockbuster, Big Lots, and Toys R Us. We revisit golden ages, personal memories, and the moments when everything started to go wrong.From mall culture and bookstore vibes at Borders to corporate missteps involving Kmart, the dot-com bubble, and uneasy partnerships with Amazon, we break down how shifting consumer habits and leadership decisions reshaped retail forever. Along the way, we touch on physical media, a brief Star Wars tangent, why buffets fell out of favor post-COVID, and how companies like Party City flirted with both success and collapse.It’s a mix of nostalgia, cultural history, questionable analysis, and genuine curiosity about what happens when the places we grew up with quietly flip the sign to closed.Note: Some of the research I did was in part due to the videos I watched of Bright Sun Films. If you liked this episode's topic, you should definitely check out more of his work. Please also check out Stevenson's podcast That's Effin Weird on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Timestamps0:00 - Intro, What Got Us Into Podcasting 4:16 - Defunct Stores, Blockbuster Discussion 9:13 - Big Lots, Personal Connection 11:03 - Why Big Lots Went Out of Business 15:41 - Filing of Bankruptcy, Potential Revival16:56 - Toys R Us Origins and Golden Age18:13 - Toys R Us Memories21:06 - Competition from Big Box and Online Retailers 21:24 - Half-Assed Business Analysis22:45 - Toys R Us files for Bankruptcy, Shutdown24:01 - John Stamos, Disneyland Sign24:37 - E-Commerce, Ever-Changing World26:41 - Mall Culture 27:22 - Why Malls Are Closing30:17 - Repurposing Malls31:30 - Borders, Origins 32:39 - Bookstore Culture 33:17 - Kmart Acquisition and Separation, Global Expansion 34:06 - Missteps34:31 - Dot Com Bubble, Stock Market Crash35:17 - Amazon Partnership and Later Years41:01 - Physical Media, Star Wars Tangent 44:09 - Why Buffets are Falling in Popularity 46:47 - Covid and Buffets 50:34 - Best Products Company, Origins51:30 - SITE, Best Architecture 53:05 - Management Style, Peak53:44 - Fall, Bankruptcy, and Best Stores Closure55:58 - Party City, Why They Were Successful, Brush With Failure 57:11 - Leveraged Buyout57:39 - How Party City Fell Apart1:00:44 - Staples Story1:01:42 - Outro