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eppur_se_muova

(41,822 posts)

2. Lafayette Electronics closed its doors even earlier -- corp. mismanagement.

Thu Mar 19, 2026, 10:23 AM

Yesterday

All the places I used to buy parts are gone now.

There used to be a Mallory Capacitor Company factory here in town, in a wonderful old Art Deco building. It's gone too.

What happened to RS is sort of what happened to Bausch & Lomb -- once a major player in all manner of optics, they sold all their glass factories and formulas and specialized in (high profit margin) contact lenses. Now they only make contact lens solutions, because that's where the profit margins are. B&L helped the US Army in WWI by developing quality optical glass for binoculars when it became impossible to get from European makers. A lot of history forgotten now.

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Great Memories: What Happened to RadioShack? The Store That Taught America How to Build Things [View all] LiberalArkie Yesterday OP

It certainly was a big help to me over the years... hlthe2b Yesterday #1

Lafayette Electronics closed its doors even earlier -- corp. mismanagement. eppur_se_muova Yesterday #2

I miss Lafayette, Mock Electronics, and W&W here in Huntsville. House of Roberts Yesterday #4

I Liked Lafayette Better! BBbats 23 hrs ago #28

Back in those days, you could go in there with a thing you needed to replace, House of Roberts Yesterday #3

take a pic, and mopinko Yesterday #6

My husband still misses that store. He could get components for his various projects. Ritabert Yesterday #5

the ceo in the late 60's mopinko Yesterday #7

Tried to buy a replacement cable to a radio Orrex Yesterday #8

Corporatism proved once again... GiqueCee Yesterday #10

Remember Heathkits? James48 Yesterday #9

Built two Heath Kits in 1969, a radio receiver and an amplifier. PufPuf23 Yesterday #16

Heh. I remember that particular Pacific Stereo well.... 68er 23 hrs ago #27

Amazon needed to have been busted up decades ago Blue Full Moon Yesterday #11

Bozos bagimin Yesterday #13

Remember RadioShack wayback when it had government surplus. Sneederbunk Yesterday #12

I miss it very much. Nobody fixes anything, anymore. Buddyzbuddy Yesterday #14

Find your nearest Repair Cafe, a non-profit which can work on anything from broken zippers Wonder Why Yesterday #18

Thank you Wonder Why, for the information. Buddyzbuddy 21 hrs ago #33

I know because I am one of the volunteers. However, I'm on indefinite hiatus until I have my leg back. Wonder Why 17 hrs ago #36

I'm sorry to hear that. I wish you a faster painless recovery. Buddyzbuddy 14 hrs ago #42

A good friend of mine built a computer from Heathkit Norbert Yesterday #15

Laz used to manage a Radio Shack in a little rural strip mall near a military base. haele Yesterday #17

We purchased our first computer, the TRS 80 from Radio Shackwhen our son was 7 or 8 yrs old. scarletlib Yesterday #19

There are still... 2naSalit Yesterday #20

Change or die SocialDemocrat61 Yesterday #21

Thanks for posting. LudwigPastorius Yesterday #22

The video is AI-generated and narrated, on a channel that's almost completely AI, adding about one AI video highplainsdem 14 hrs ago #41

I worked at a Radio Shack for years hurple Yesterday #23

I take it that the manager did not get to go on the cruise. LiberalArkie 23 hrs ago #26

My son worked at a RadioShack for years. StarryNite Yesterday #24

I had a 'Trash-80' which I liked GenThePerservering 23 hrs ago #25

If I had a time machine I would go back to the 70's and buy up all the vari-loop coils I could get my hands on yaesu 22 hrs ago #29

I miss stores like RadioShack, and this makes me feel a certain way. Mostly nostalgia. Oneironaut 22 hrs ago #30

Their electronic components were expensive. hunter 22 hrs ago #31

A very happy memory is buying a breadboard, some LEDs and other components for my son when he was in elementary school. NNadir 22 hrs ago #32

The same thing that happened to Wolf Brand Texas-Style Chili...capitalism. pecosbob 20 hrs ago #34

Another AI-generated channel. highplainsdem 19 hrs ago #35

I didn't watch the video. I rarely do. hunter 15 hrs ago #39

There are a lot of videos on YouTube about RadioShack. highplainsdem 14 hrs ago #43

It's the tech bro capitalist philosophy -- if people are buying that crap, they will sell it. hunter 11 hrs ago #44

Anyone remember when they gave a 10% discount to shareholders and lots of people, including yours truly, Wonder Why 17 hrs ago #37

The closest fucking thing now to those kits is a little motherfucking robot you can make with a Raspberry Pi at the core SoFlaBro 16 hrs ago #38

I saw a Radio Shack this week, but not in the USA IzzaNuDay 15 hrs ago #40