32 Brands That Were a Big Deal in the 80s But Faded Into Obscurity

Younger generations probably aren’t familiar with this one. Zayre, a discount department store, was founded in 1956. Its odd name comes from “Zehr gut,” a Yiddish phrase meaning “Very good.” And good it was. For decades, it dominated the market, but competition eventually drove it out of business. It was bought by Ames in 1988, and by 1990, all Zayre locations were gone. And all Ames stores are gone, too! Talk about a downer.