9 Stores That Anyone Who Grew Up In New Hampshire Will Undoubtedly Remember

If you grew up in New Hampshire, a lot has undoubtedly changed since you were a kid – right down to where and how we shop. Some of the best stores in the Granite State – and country – have sadly shut down in the intervening years, but these 9 stores will always live on in our memories. Share your long lost favorite stores in the comments!

1. LaVerdiere’s Drug Store

This chain of drug stores started in Maine in 1922 and quickly spread to New Hampshire. A number of the locations held arcades in the ’80s, and the store became famous for its seasonal Halloween decoration aisle. In fact, a description of LaVerdiere’s Halloween aisle found its way into the Stephen King novella The Sun Dog! Sadly, the chain was purchased by Rite Aid in 1994.

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This massive department store chain was once found all across the country, including in the malls of New Hampshire. It shuttered its last store in 2001, but lives on as an online retailer.

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Based in New Hampshire and founded in 1972, this small chain of music stores grew to stretch across the region. Sadly for music fans, it closed in 2011.

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Woolco, the F.W. Woolworth company's effort to expand into full-scale discount stores, was once an anchor of the Nashua Mall. The store was a bit ahead of its time, though – their massive stores were much bigger than the market of the '70s could support. In 1983, all US stores closed, though the Canada operation kept going a while longer.

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Jordan Marsh is most famous for its massive Boston flagship location (and its blueberry muffins!) but it was also a major player in suburban malls, including the Pheasant Lane Mall, which it anchored. The chain folded in the 90s, however, and the stores were converted to Macy's.

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In the 70s and 80s, Zayre was the place to go for discount fashion, as well as all manner of other products. Ultimately, the company sold most of its stores to Ames and the corporation itself merged with TJX Companies (owner of Marshall's, TJMaxx, and Homegoods).

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This Boston-based electronics chain used to be the place to go in New England for TVs and home entertainment systems. It closed down very abruptly in 2007 in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings.

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Caldor, founded in 1951, was one of the original big-box discount stores (like Walmart). Unfortunately, it was killed off by its competitors, and shut its last store in 1999.

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Founded in Massachusetts in 1970, Child World grew to be the second-largest children's toy retailer in the world, after Toys "R" Us. Sadly, competition from the latter store plus management troubles led it to shut down in 1992.

Looking for places to shop that haven’t shut their doors? Check out these great grocery stores you might never have heard of.