Even more pictures courtesy of Josh Brasseale,
taken Friday, July 14, 2006.
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One of the original outdoor light fixtures on the building. |
Service Merchandise began as a five-and-dime in Nashville, Tenn. in the 1930s, and the "catalog showroom" format we all remember was inaugurated in Nashville in 1960 (GOLBRO and STANDARD DISTRIBUTORS were Birmingham's answer to Service Merchandise). They thrived in the '70s and '80s ... and their electronics department was the Best Buy of its day. One was hard-pressed to find lower prices on blank tapes. Back in the day, Service Merchandise was where I bought the majority of my Maxell VHS and audio cassettes. Companies like (surprise, surprise!) Wal-Mart tore into its jewelry share at one end, and their electronics business was all but decimated by the likes of Best Buy and Circuit City. But, in the Webmaster's opinion, it was also the company's declining customer service aspect in the '90s which drove many people away (ironic, given their name). It was as bad as most big-box retailers today, but a decade ago you had many more options, and evidently the public voted with their feet. Service Merchandise ceased all operations in 2002, but was recently reborn as an online retailer. |
Parisian and Parnell's as they looked on July 14, 2006.......
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The '06 earthmovers have to go in order to make way for the 2007 models! 0% financing and employee pricing this weekend only! |
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And last, but not least,
a sad peek around and inside what
used to be one of the
best movie venues in Birmingham:
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I'd love to know what else remained in there for all those years.
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Page updated 07/17/2006 -- 502 PM EDT