Posted by walterbell 5 days ago
Painting and 3-D scan of Burbank Frys, https://savefrys.com/tributes/ and https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/rip-frys-162eeef6095343ec8b3...
Roman remnants in Phoenix store, https://nickdiak.com/2021/02/an-empire-crumbles-retrospectiv...
Oil-themed store in Houston, https://houstonhistoricretail.com/electronics/frys-electroni...
Fry's really made me feel like a kid in a candy store -- all the PC software and hardware along with electronics parts too. I was less interested in the household appliances, but I think the small Sony Trinitron TV that was in my bedroom was from Fry's.
Oh yes, they also had candy as well, strategically placed in the isle where we'd wait before reaching the cashier. Must have picked up dozens of Reese's peanut butter cups and Skittles over the years.
Definitely miss it. Even the low quality of the items and the rude or useless sales staff lol.
Got my first WRT54G there, my first managed switch, power supplies, misc parts for RC building (heat shrink, soldering accessories). Was always fun to visit “the pit” with all the motherboards and processors unboxed and on full display. Felt like the NYSE with people lined up to look at the board and grab a processor. It was always so active like a bee hive. Visiting more recently it was just a shell of its former self.
It’s still my favorite store with the alien attack vibes and all the army jeeps.
Personally, visiting friends in California and them taking me to Fry's fir the first time was an experience I'll not forget. We had CompUSA back home. But, Fry's was a whole other level.
Going from being a computer geek in 90s rural midwest to being a computer geek in a Fry's in Silicon Valley in the Tech Bubble was like stepping into a magically wonderful mirror world.
> The Fry's Foods grocery chain began at this location in 1954 when Donald Fry acquired Ray's Market, owned by Ray Dickenson. Joined by his brother, Charles, in 1955, they grew that initial store into a 41-store chain which they sold in 1972. Charles gifted a portion of the proceeds to his three sons, enabling them to launch the first store of what would one day become the highly successful Fry's Electronics retail chain.