{"id":1966,"date":"2016-06-10T09:26:09","date_gmt":"2016-06-10T16:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/?p=1966"},"modified":"2016-06-10T09:26:09","modified_gmt":"2016-06-10T16:26:09","slug":"the-original-locations-of-15-famous-chain-stores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/?p=1966","title":{"rendered":"The Original Locations of 15 Famous Chain Stores"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0 Earlier this year I shared The Original Locations of 30 Fast Food Chains,<\/a>\u00a0and now here’s a companion list from Mental Floss\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0of some major retailers. \u00a0 \u00a0 The GNC original building is certainly interesting, and the only comment I’ll make about #8 is that considering their reluctance to remodel and update their stores, the one built in 1963 probably looks pretty much the same as every other one…<\/p>\n

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1. GAP \/\/ OCEAN AVE., SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA<\/h4>\n

The first Gap\u00a0opened<\/a>\u00a0in 1969 after Donald and Doris Fisher were so fed up with their previous jeans-buying experiences, they decided to get in the game themselves. The merchandise of the original Gap store was comprised of Levi\u2019s and records. While the original is no longer an active clothing store, there are currently 3727 Gap locations worldwide. Not bad for a couple of people who couldn\u2019t find dungarees that fit.<\/p>\n

2. BARNES & NOBLE \/\/ 3 WEST 3RD ST., NEW YORK, NEW YORK<\/h4>\n
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Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/div>\n

What is now Barnes & Noble was opened 130 years ago on West Third Street by Arthur Hinds, but just one year later it moved to the Cooper Union Building, now a New York City landmark, and established itself as Arthur Hinds & Company, becoming a well-respected textbook seller. Shortly thereafter, Hinds hired a Harvard grad by the name of Gilbert Clifford-Noble to be a clerk. Eight years later, Noble was made partner and the store was renamed Hinds & Noble. Twenty-three years after that, Noble and William Barnes bought out ol\u2019 Hindsy and ordered themselves some new business cards with “Barnes & Noble” on them.<\/p>\n

3. SUPERCUTS \/\/ 1475 SOLANO AVE., ALBANY, CALIFORNIA<\/h4>\n
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jaycross<\/a>, Flickr \/\/\u00a0CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Supercuts was founded in 1975 by Geoffrey M. Rappaport and Frank E. Emmett in Albany, California, where the original location<\/a> remains in operation. With affordable prices and a \u201cno appointment required\u201d policy, buzz quickly started to grow, and today there are over 2400 Supercuts salons across the United States.<\/p>\n

4. GNC \/\/ 418 WOOD ST., PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA<\/h4>\n
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Google Street View<\/a><\/div>\n

The largest health and nutrition chain in the world began with one store in downtown Pittsburgh in 1935 named Lackzoom (after the founder\u2019s parents’ defunct yogurt business). In its early days, founder David Shakarian provided health-conscious consumers with such fitness-friendly foods as honey, whole grains, and yogurt. Shakarian\u2019s first and second Lackzoom locations were destroyed by a flood just a year after he opened them, but he was able to quickly rebuild both\u2014presumably thanks to the strength and stamina of his honey-sculpted bod. Fueled by the health craze that swept the 1960s, they changed their name to General Nutrition Centers, expanded outside of Pittsburgh<\/a>, and were well on their way to becoming an industry leader.<\/p>\n

5. FOOT LOCKER \/\/ 1600 S AZUSA AVE., CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIFORNIA<\/h4>\n
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Google Street View<\/a><\/div>\n

The first Foot Locker is located in the Puente Hills Mall of City of Industry, California. When itopened in 1974<\/a>, the store specialized in performance sneakers but today they carry a variety of styles and boast over 3450 locations worldwide.<\/p>\n

6. 7-ELEVEN \/\/ EDGEFIELD AND 12TH ST., DALLAS, TEXAS<\/h4>\n