Description: Kona Lanes was created at the height of the Tiki architecture craze of the late '50s / early '60s. It was a popular place for families to bowl and play billiards while the barflies got sloshed at the cocktail lounge. Re-live the retro cool memories!
Kona Lanes Bowl T-Shirt - Defunct Bowling Alley Southern California - Costa Mesa, California T-Shirt
$18 $24
Description: Air California, later renamed AirCal, was founded by William E. Myers and Bill Perrera, a partnership of Orange County businessmen. It began as an intrastate airline operating solely within California. Air California was headquartered in Newport Beach, California. The airline's "home" airport was Orange County Airport, now known as John Wayne Airport.
Description: The Red Goose Shoe Company of St. Louis, Missouri, began selling shoes to pioneer families headed west in 1869. The company's name was originally Gieseke-D'Oench-Hayes, after its founders, but when the company became advertising conscious in the early 1900s, they changed the name. Gieseke is German slang for "goose" so the goose image came naturally. The red color came later when, during the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, some stock boys painted the goose on the cartons red. The head of the company liked the idea, and so Red Goose Shoes was trademarked in 1906.
Description: Sam Goody was a music and entertainment retailer in the United States and United Kingdom, operated by The Musicland Group inc. Sam "Goody" Gutowitz (1904-1991) of New York City opened a small record store on New York's 9th Avenue shortly after the advent of vinyl long-playing records in the late 1940s. Although he did some retail business, most of his volume was in mail-order sales at discount prices. He became something of a folk hero among penniless college students as the first successful large-scale LP discounter.
Description: ZZZZ Best is a bankrupt company that was owned by Barry Minkow in the 1980s. Using forgery and theft, Minkow and his associates appeared to be building a multi-million dollar corporation. ZZZZ Best’s initial public offering (IPO) was in December 1986, and the firm reached a market capitalization of over $200 million before collapsing.
ZZZZ BEST CARPET CLEANING T-SHIRT - Barry Minkow Ponzi Scheme Shirt T-Shirt
$18 $24
Description: Grooveshark was a web-based music streaming service owned and operated by Escape Media Group in the United States. Users could upload digital audio files, which could then be streamed and organized in playlists. The Grooveshark website had a search engine, music streaming features, and a music recommendation system. The legality of Grooveshark's business model, which permitted users to upload copyrighted music, remains undetermined. The company won a major lawsuit filed by Universal Music Group concerning use of Universal's pre-1972 recordings. Grooveshark was also sued for copyright violations by EMI Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group.
Description: Most famous as a vinyl sticker on the back windows of big trucks, the Bad Boy Club defined Bro Culture in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was a streetwear brand that had more of a strong following for its logo than its actual products, and suffered a slow, painful death. Investors tried to revive the brand in the 2010s, but the effort was short-lived and unsuccessful.
Description: Most famous as a vinyl sticker on the back windows of big trucks, the Bad Boy Club defined Bro Culture in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was a streetwear brand that had more of a strong following for its logo than its actual products, and suffered a slow, painful death. Investors tried to revive the brand in the 2010s, but the effort was short-lived and unsuccessful.
Description: Bullock's was a chain of full-line department stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered in Los Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscale Bullocks Wilshire specialty department stores stores across Southern California. Bullock's was founded in 1907 at Seventh & Broadway in downtown Los Angeles by John G. Bullock, with the support of The Broadway Department Store owner Arthur Letts. In 1923, Bullock and business partner P.G. Winnett bought out Letts' interest after his death and the companies became completely separated.
Bullock's Department Store Logo - Defunct Department Store - 1950s/1960s Logo T-Shirt
$18 $24
Description: business machine, computer, typewriter, adding machine, calculator, printer, bookkeeping machine, office, programmer, analog, central processing unit, microprocessor, vacuum tube, memory, integrated circuit, slide rule, computation, keyboard, data, visual display unit, automation, boolean logic, software, hardware, von neumann
Description: The Burroughs Corporation was a major American manufacturer of business equipment. The company was founded in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company. In 1986, it merged with Sperry UNIVAC to form Unisys. The company's history paralleled many of the major developments in computing. At its start, it produced mechanical adding machines, and later moved into programmable ledgers and then computers. It was one of the largest producers of mainframe computers in the world, also producing related equipment including typewriters and printers.
Burroughs Corporation 70s Logo T-Shirt - "Worn" Version - Defunct Computer Company T-Shirt
$18 $24
Description: Contempo Casuals was launched in the ’60s by a resourceful couple that spun a liquidated variety store called Bargain Town into a women’s clothing shop that specialized in fresh, hip styles. The brand grew from one store in Granada Hills, Calif. with pink walls and red carpet to a thriving chain. The brand was marked with hand-drawn, avant-garde advertisements depicting high-fashion women. From the mid-60s to the mid-80s, women of all ages showed up at Contempo Casuals looking for the latest styles.
Description: The Builder's Emporium chain was started in 1946 in the San Fernando Valley community of Van Nuys by Si L. Bercutt. The store's motto was "Everything to build anything." Victor M. Carter bought the ailing Van Nuys hardware store in 1949. He introduced the concept of a self-service hardware store with a "do it yourself" training component that became the model for The Home Depot. Carter built Builder’s Emporium into a leading self-serve retail operation and the largest hardware store in the United States, selling it in 1956, to acquire controlling interest in Republic Pictures just a few years later.
Builders Emporium T-Shirt - "NEW" Version - Defunct Building Supply Chain T-Shirt
$18 $24
Description: The Builder's Emporium chain was started in 1946 in the San Fernando Valley community of Van Nuys by Si L. Bercutt. The store's motto was "Everything to build anything." Victor M. Carter bought the ailing Van Nuys hardware store in 1949. He introduced the concept of a self-service hardware store with a "do it yourself" training component that became the model for The Home Depot. Carter built Builder’s Emporium into a leading self-serve retail operation and the largest hardware store in the United States, selling it in 1956, to acquire controlling interest in Republic Pictures just a few years later.
Builders Emporium T-Shirt - "WORN" Version - Defunct Building Supply Chain T-Shirt
$18 $24
Description: New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 1970 by Roger Corman as New World Pictures, Ltd.: a producer and distributor of motion pictures, eventually expanding into television production in 1984. New World eventually expanded into broadcasting with the acquisition of seven television stations in 1993, with the broadcasting unit expanding through additional purchases made during 1994.
Description: HANCOCK Oil Company was headquartered in Los Angeles. In the 1850’s, lawyer Henry Hancock helped the Rocha family establish their legal claim to Rancho La Brea, but they ended up owing him so much in fees that they gave him part of the rancho in payment. In 1860 Hancock and his brother bought the rest of the rancho. Hancock began to sell asphalt produced from the famous tar pits that gave the rancho its name. This was the beginning of the Hancock Oil Company. In 1885 Hancock’s widow leased part of the rancho to eastern oil men who went bust by 1888. But in 1902, Mrs. Hancock leased part of the rancho to the Salt Lake Oil Company, which proved a great success.
Description: HANCOCK Oil Company was headquartered in Los Angeles. In the 1850’s, lawyer Henry Hancock helped the Rocha family establish their legal claim to Rancho La Brea, but they ended up owing him so much in fees that they gave him part of the rancho in payment. In 1860 Hancock and his brother bought the rest of the rancho. Hancock began to sell asphalt produced from the famous tar pits that gave the rancho its name. This was the beginning of the Hancock Oil Company. In 1885 Hancock’s widow leased part of the rancho to eastern oil men who went bust by 1888. But in 1902, Mrs. Hancock leased part of the rancho to the Salt Lake Oil Company, which proved a great success. Henry Hancock’s son, George A. Hancock, who had learned the oil business working f
Description: Parker Guitars was an American manufacturer of electric and acoustic guitars and basses, founded by luthier Ken Parker in 1993. Parker guitars were distinguished for their characteristic light weight and the use of composite materials. The Parker company was acquired by the U.S. Music Corporation in 2003, which was itself sold to Jam Industries in August 2009. As of November 2016, the brand was inactive after the factory in Illinois was closed.
Description: Enigma was founded and run by brothers William and Wesley Hein. Jim Martone joined the company in 1984. Enigma focused on punk rock, alternative, and heavy metal music. The label's first release was Mötley Crüe's Too Fast for Love. The label lasted until it was sold, then shuttered in 1991.
Description: KMET was a Los Angeles FM radio station owned by Metromedia (hence the "MET" in its call sign) that broadcast at 94.7 MHz, beginning in June 1968. It signed off on February 14, 1987. The station, nicknamed "The Mighty Met" (among other nicknames), was a pioneering station of the "underground" progressive rock format.
Description: Fisher Body was an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. Fisher & Company (originally Alloy Metal Products) continues to use the name. The name and its iconic "Body by Fisher" logo were well known to the public, as American vehicles displayed a "Body by Fisher" emblem on their door sill plates until the mid-1990s.
Description: Nullsoft, Inc. was an American software house founded in Sedona, Arizona, in 1997 by Justin Frankel. Its products included the Winamp media player and the SHOUTcast MP3 streaming media server. In later years, their open source installer system, the Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) became an alternative to commercial products like InstallShield. Mike the Llama is the company's mascot; this is frequently referred to in promotional material (especially for Winamp) citing llamas. Frankel introduced the llama in Winamp's startup sound clip, inspired by the lyrics of Wesley Willis: "Winamp, it really whips the llama's ass!"
Description: Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour was started at NW 21st Avenue in Portland, Oregon, by Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy in 1963. Farrell's became known for their offer of a free ice cream sundae to children on their birthday. The parlors had an early 1900s theme, with employees wearing period dress and straw boater hats, and each location featured a player piano. In 1972, the Farrell's chain was purchased by the Marriott Corporation. By 1975, there were 120 Farrell's nationwide. Thereafter, sales dropped and most of the parlors were sold off in the 1980s. In 1982, Marriott sold the chain to a group of private investors. By 1990, almost all Farrell's locations had closed.
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour - Defunct Restaurant - Family Restaurant T-Shirt
$18 $24
