Jim Warner, The Oregonian/OregonLive

In the retail world, stores come and go. A new business might be a hot commodity one day, only to find itself failing a few years down the line. Other stores plug along for decades, becoming an integral part of the city, and leaving a gaping hole in the city's history and psyche when they shutter.

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The Associated Press

The recent demise of the national chain Toys R Us got us thinking about other long-gone local and national retailers that we remember fondly, and wish were still around. How many of these closed Portland stores and chains do you remember?

Related: 14 more long-gone Portland stores we wish were still around.

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Meier & Frank

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Oregonian file photo

Perhaps the most-missed Oregon store is the department store Meier & Frank, which was founded in the 1850s and continued until 2006, when its stores were acquired by Macy's.

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Oregonian file photo

The downtown Portland flagship store had a number of notable features, including an elaborate clock that became a meeting place for lunchtime shoppers. The store also featured a 10th-floor restaurant called The Georgian Room, which was a popular luncheon spot for well-to-do Portland women.

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Oregonian file photo

Perhaps the most-loved feature of the downtown store was its seasonal Santaland, where generations of children would line up to ride a miniature monorail and tell St. Nick what they would like for Christmas.

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Photo by Hugh Ackroyd

Meier & Frank operated stores throughout the state, including the lavish store that anchored Lloyd Center. When that store opened in 1960, it was visited by Japanese Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko, who toured it with Portland mayor Terry Shrunk (seen here behind the Princess), along with governor Mark Hatfield.

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Oregonian file photo

Over the years, Meier & Frank was popular with shoppers for its Friday Surprise and after-Christmas sales. But much of the magic was lost when Macy's took over. Stores were remodeled, including an extensive remodel of the flagship store downtown that robbed it of much of its character and converted upper floors into a luxury hotel. While many former Meier & Frank stores still operate as Macy's, the downtown store closed in 2017 and is being redeveloped.

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J.J. Newberry Co.

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Oregonian file photo

This chain of five-and-dime stores got its start in Pennsylvania, but operated more than 400 stores across the country, including four Portland locations, including a large store downtown that featured a popular lunch counter as well as the store's signature array of bric-a-brac and oddities.

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Oregonian file photo

Other Portland locations included Lloyd Center, Eastport Plaza and a store at Southeast 80th and Powell. Bankruptcy hit Newberry's in the 1990s. The downtown store closed in early 1996, and the other locations closed not long after that.

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Lipman, Wolfe & Co.

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Oregonian file photo

Another landmark downtown department store was Lipman, Wolfe & Co. The business originated in the 1850s California Gold Rush, then moved to Portland in the 1880s. The chain's flagship was a 1912 store that featured several restaurants and departments of luxury goods, like the homewares department, where Portland brides could register for their china and silver settings.

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Oregonian file photo

Other stores in the chain, which later became known just as Lipman's, included a store at Eastport Plaza that featured lavish chandeliers. But Lipman's was bought up by Marshall Field's in 1979, and all six Oregon stores were redone as Frederick & Nelson.

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Frederick & Nelson

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Steve Nehl, The Oregonian/OregonLive

After the demise of the Lipman's name, Frederick & Nelson became a part of the Portland retail landscape in 1979. But not for long. Frederick & Nelson began closing its Oregon locations in the mid-'80s, including the 1986 closure of the downtown store.

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Bill Murphy, The Oregonian/OregonLive

The Frederick & Nelson at Washington Square would continue until 1990. The last of the chain's Seattle locations would be gone by 1992. The downtown Portland store sat empty for a while before being redeveloped into a hotel, currently the Hotel Monaco.

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G.I. Joe's

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Donald Wilson, The Oregonian/OregonLive

This Wilsonville-based sporting goods chain was founded in 1952, and at one point had more than 30 locations throughout the Pacific Northwest. The store sold fishing gear, hunting equipment, camping supplies and automotive products. It also was a ticket outlet for large sporting events and concerts.

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Oregonian file photo

In 2006, the chain dropped "G.I." from the name, becoming just "Joe's." But growing competition from the national chain Dick's Sporting Goods proved too much for the home-grown sporting goods store. All stores closed and were liquidated in 2009.

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F.W. Woolworth Company

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Leonard Bacon, The Oregonian

Another national chain that left a big footprint in Oregon was Woolworth's, a discount department store that originated in New York, but had stores throughout the country. The Lloyd Center location, which opened in 1960, was the largest Woolworth's in the state, and the second-largest on the West Coast, with more than 63,000 square feet. But the five-and-dime stores would eventually close, with the last Oregon locations closing in 1993.

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Charles F. Berg

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Courtesy of the Oregon Historical Society

This downtown Portland retailer was a chic women's wear shop that was also known for its art deco façade and lavish interior details. In its heyday, stores like this would sew their own labels into their clothing, and clothing bearing the Charles F. Berg label can be found in the Oregon Historical Society collection as well as Portland vintage shops. Charles Berg died in 1932, but the business remained in the family until 1972, when it was sold to a Washington retailer. It closed for good in 1982, but the ornate building remains an eye-catcher on Southwest Broadway.

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I. Magnin

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Oregonian file photo

This luxury store opened in downtown Portland in 1962, and featured gleaming counters, mirrored pillars, and acres and acres of jewelry and luxury women's wear. It was part of a chain that originated in San Francisco, with stores up and down the West Coast. The Portland location would continue until its closure in 1988, with other locations closing after being acquired by Macy's in the 1990s.

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Olds, Wortman & King

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Courtesy of the Oregon Historical Society

This department store dated back to the 1850s, and was in a number of different locations before settling into what's now the Galleria Building in 1910. Among its standout features was this ornate dining room, which was a popular lunch spot with shoppers and patrons of the nearby library. Olds & King, as it was known in shorthand, became Rhodes in 1960.

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Rhodes

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Oregonian file photo

After taking over Olds, Wortman & King in 1960, Rhodes became a shopping destination until it closed in 1974. The building at Southwest 10th Avenue and Morrison Street would later be redeveloped by the Naito family into the Galleria Shopping Center, and now is home to downtown's Target.

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Carl Greve Jewelers

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Oregonian file photo

Downtown Portland has been the home of a number of elaborate jewelry stores, with none more lavish than Carl Greve, which operated for decades at Southwest Park Avenue and Morrison Street. The two-level store featured much more than baubles. On its second floor, they sold fine china, unique housewares and some of the nicest Christmas ornaments. In the early 2000s, the store moved to a smaller location by Pioneer Courthouse Square, but closed in 2011.

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NikeTown

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Ross William Hamilton, The Oregonian/OregonLive

Yes, downtown Portland still has a lavish Nike store, and the Oregon-based shoe maker is very much still in business. But there was nothing quite like the original NikeTown, which was located on Southwest Sixth Avenue and opened in 1990. The three-level, 20,000-square-foot store featured distinct departments for its running, basketball and All Condition Gear lines, and even had a department selling "aqua socks," which were popular at the time. Statues of sports legends Andre Agassi and Bo Jackson greeted customers at the entrance, while a statue of Michael Jordan soared overhead. NikeTown closed in 2011, and was replaced by a more-traditional Nike store across from Pioneer Place shopping center.

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Mervyn's

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Bob Ellis, The Oregonian

This California-based department store made a big splash when it opened its first stores in Oregon in the late-1980s, the family-friendly stores were known for modest prices and big seasonal sales.

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The Associated Press

But all Mervyn's stores were closed by 2008 when the chain declared bankruptcy. Many of the Oregon locations became Kohl's stores.

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The Gay Blade

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OK, stop snickering! Yes, there once was an Oregon menswear shop called The Gay Blade. From the 1960s to the '80s, this store had several locations throughout the state, though the Southwest Broadway location, where there were "Ladies Night" shopping events in the 1960s, was the flagship. In the 1980s, when "gay" started to mean something other than "happy and carefree," the stores became known as just "The Blade." By the 1990s, they were all gone, and the building that housed the downtown store was later razed to make way for the Fox Tower.

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Montgomery Ward's

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Wes Guderian, The Oregonian

This national department store chain had numerous stores throughout Oregon, including at Jantzen Beach, Washington Square, and Mall 205 (seen here right before its opening in 1970). The chain declared bankruptcy in 2000, and all stores were liquidated the following year.

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KB Toys

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The Associated Press

This toy store chain began in the 1920s as a candy retailer. But by the 1970s and '80s, they were in shopping malls across the country, selling board games, dolls and action figures. The chain declared bankruptcy in 2009, and all locations closed. But we may not have seen the last of KB Toys. A company that purchases defunct brands has bought the name, and intends to open new stores as early as this year.

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Borders Books & Music

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Brian Feulner, The Oregonian/OregonLive

In the 1990s, this Michigan-based books and music store came to Oregon, with various locations including downtown Portland, and this massive store in Tigard's Bridgeport Village. But the chain struggled against online competition and changes in consumer habits, particularly the way people purchase and listen to music. The stores closed in 2011. The downtown store is now a Ross Dress for Less, and the Bridgeport location is now a Barnes & Noble.

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Ernst Home Centers

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This Seattle-based home improvement center expanded into Oregon in the 1990s, and was a customer service-focused alternative to no-frills Home Depot stores. But the chain racked up massive debt from rapid expansion, and closed in 1996. Their creative TV ads live on, thanks to YouTube.

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Hollywood Video

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Jim Vincent, The Oregonian/OregonLive

During the peak of the home video business in the 1990s, this Oregon-based chain was the biggest competitor to the national chain Blockbuster Video. It was purchased by Movie Gallery in 2005, and all of its locations closed in 2010 when that company declared bankruptcy.

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Kathleen's of Dublin

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Michael Wilhelm, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

This shop specialized in Irish-made clothing and jewelry, and featured some of the most-beautiful wool sweaters and scarves in town. At the time of the 2004 photo, it was located in the Southwest Broadway space that now is home to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, though it briefly moved a block west to Southwest Park in 2007 before closing in 2011. In 2014, the space became Barlow Artisanal Bar, a popular pre-theater cocktail spot.

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Saks Fifth Avenue

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Doug Beghtel, The Oregonian/OregonLive

This offshoot of the famous New York department store opened in 1990 as an anchor of the Pioneer Place shopping center, and a sky bridge connected Saks with the mall. The store featured large murals by Oregon artist Rick Bartow next to its escalators, and featured high-end brands that other Portland stores didn't carry. When Pioneer Place expanded in 2000, so did Saks, opening a men's store in the space that now is home to H&M. But business dropped off significantly when the economy collapsed in 2008, and Saks closed for good in 2010. Despite being a lavish and relatively new building, it was demolished to make way for the glass-box Apple store that's there now.

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Tradewell Grocery

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Oregonian file photo

Portland has always had a soft spot for specialty grocers. But before there was Trader Joe's, Zupan's and New Seasons, there was Tradewell, which had numerous locations throughout the metro area, and specialized in seafood and delicatessen items that couldn't be found elsewhere. When this store at Northeast 15th Avenue and Fremont Street opened in 1964, it was the 12th in the Portland area. When the chain closed its Oregon operations in the mid-'80s, it employed more than 250 people at 28 locations.

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Tom Peterson's

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Jamie Francis, The Oregonian/OregonLive

No look back on beloved long-gone Portland retailers could be complete without mention of Tom Peterson's, the appliance and electronics seller that was known for its late-night TV ads and marketing gimmicks like alarm clocks and watches featuring owner Tom Peterson's face and distinctively 1950s-style haircut. The store faced shaky financial times in the 1990s, and scaled back operations after filing for bankruptcy protection. But the stores would continue until 2009. Peterson passed away in 2016.

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More Portland history

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If you're hungry for more of Portland's past, you're in luck:

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-- Grant Butler

gbutler@oregonian.com

503-221-8566; @grantbutler

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