Limited Too/Getty Images
Remember before internet shopping was a thing and you had to buy your JNCO jeans and Steve Madden sandals at the mall? Tragically, most of the ’90s best stores are out of business now, so we’re rounding them up in one list in the name of nostalgia.
1 of 40
Blockbuster
Can you believe we once lived through a time when you had to go to a physical store in order to watch a movie?
2 of 40
Blockbuster
FYI, there is actually one remaining Blockbuster still in existence. It’s in Bend, Oregon, and it’s a big tourist attraction.
3 of 40
Borders
Borders was a major hangout spot for teens of the era. Sadly, now the favorite spot is gone forever because of bankruptcy.
4 of 40
Borders
This image is just so sad to look at. Why must the “EVERYTHING ON SALE!” signs be in those terrible colors?
5 of 40
Circuit City
Otherwise known as one of the only places you could go to buy extension cords.
6 of 40
Toys “R” Us
This beloved childhood store declared bankruptcy in 2018, but is thankfully making a little bit of a comeback…
7 of 40
Toys “R” Us
Like a phoenix rising from the ’90s mall ashes, Toys “R” Us opened a flagship store at the American Dream mall in 2021.
8 of 40
KB Toys
What was a trip to the mall without forcing your mom into KB Toys to buy something for you?
9 of 40
Limited Too
Aka the cool-kids-only store where you bought all your clothes until you were deemed old enough to shop at The Limited. So many sporty tees even before athleisure was a thing.
10 of 40
Limited Too
My brain can’t even process all the things happening in this photo. But I’m pretty confident I owned and proudly rocked that purple fluffy scarf.
11 of 40
The Limited
Nineties tweens and teens know what a huge deal it was to graduate from Limited Too to The Limited.
12 of 40
Linens-N-Things
One of the great joys of life was going to Linens-n-Things to buy linens…and maybe an expensive trapper keeper binder while you were there (which I guess is what they meant by “n-things”).
13 of 40
Mervyn’s
It’s not exactly a shock that Mervyn’s—once a mall staple—closed down. I mean, it really was just the place you’d go shopping with your grandma.
14 of 40
Miller’s Outpost
Poor Miller’s Outpost was big in the ’70s and ’80s, but it just could never be as cool as The Limited in the ’90s no matter how hard it tried.
16 of 40
5-7-9
Okay, so technically, there might be one or two 5-7-9 stores still around. But not in the way it was when we were kids, when you couldn’t enter a mall without seeing it.
17 of 40
RadioShack
RadioShack used to be in every neighborhood in America and it was the place to get those clear plastic landline phones. Then it filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and things have never been the same.
19 of 40
Sharper Image
The best part about a trip to the mall was heading to Sharper Image with your friends and trying out every single one of its massage chairs.
21 of 40
Sports Authority
Aka the place where you bought your very expensive soccer cleats.
23 of 40
Tower Records
Remember when people bought CDs? Me neither.
24 of 40
Tower Records
But in all honesty, Tower Records was a cool place.
25 of 40
Virgin Megastore
Here’s another iconic spot to buy music that simply couldn’t stay in business once everything moved over to the internet.
26 of 40
Woolworths
This was basically the original Five and Dime. Meaning that everything there was incredibly cheap, making it a great place to spend your allowance.
27 of 40
Delia*s
No other store was more important to ’90s girls. Exhibit A: ITs INcredIBlE uSE oF FoNT.
28 of 40
Delia*s
Exhibit B: The store’s very specific taste in jewelry, including this necklace of a Yoo-hoo bottle cap.
29 of 40
Software Etc.
This might not come as a surprise to you, but Software Etc.—the original home of GameStop—leaned in super hard to gadgets and gaming.
30 of 40
Kinney Shoes
Before Foot Locker was in every mall in America, we had Kinney Shoes. And I mean that literally: The company actually rebranded into Foot Locker. I would fully wear these as an adult woman in 2022. They’re cute!
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io