Are you sorry to see Brookstone leave malls or have you ever shopped at a Brookstone airport store? I'd love to you hear your thoughts and memories 😀 Also, don't forget Retail Archaeology and Rotting Acres Mall merchandise is available at the Retail Archaeology Shop: teespring.com/stores/retail-archaeology
Honestly, I have mixed feelings because as we all know... some of the earlier Brookstone wares were different from their recent offerings, so I've missed the older Brookstone items but have greatly lost interest over time. Also, some of those items offered there, at "The Sharper Image", and a few other similar novelty retailers were mostly good for novelty purposes, but as some of us would feel... the novelty wears quickly after the purchase. One major thing I felt was lost as Brookstone evolved was somehow their early stores had a kind of "New England" styling to it, which isn't surprising since it was founded and continually headquartered in New Hampshire. That faded as time went on. EDIT: Btw, as I watched the video, the store styling appears similar to several of the troubled major mall anchor stores (a few JCP's, some Macy's, and a lot like the failing Sears stores).
I will miss them as I did Sharper Image closing. And Natural Wonders, Garden Botanika, The Body Shop(unique places). Looks like evertwhere I shopped is gone and keeps closing. Last Sears in 3 county area shutting down in November announced today. Big empty buildings with big empty parking lots. Never shop at airport stores since I even hate hauling what I have to so I don't shop on trips. I have noticed in my area that jewelry chain shops are shutting down too.
Retail Archaeology I think what their problem was and still is that their prices were just way too overpriced and could be the reason why their closing up shops
John Torrez pretty true. I’d stop by there but never get anything because it seemed like I had no use for it, especially as someone who is slow to be buying things. I don’t like clutter.
That's the problem with most brick and mortar retail, they overprice just about everything, which I can understand to a point due to having more overhead to worry about. At the same time, overpricing hurts more than helps because it drives more business into Amazon's, Walmart's, and Target's loving embrace.
HerpyDerpyDoo11 the problem with people is they all want things as cheap as it can be, but then complain abt quality or lack thereof. You have to pay for quality. Now stores that overprice bad items with low quality is not ok either. However you all are shopping at Walmart and expect quality? It’s not realistic. What we need are places that sell sturdy, quality items that are not made to break, at prices that reflect that quality. But people would STILL complain abt cost. And I’m saying this as a person who has lived in poverty most of my adult life. If you only have $20 and need shoes Payless works temporarily. But if someone has hundreds to spend they should be buying quality pay more, all at once and get shoes that last YEARS. The issue is some $200-300 boots still break and tear within 6 months. So if it ALL sucks, people may as well spend $15 and do it 4 times a year. They need lasting good products for the price point. And places do not any longer. People might pay more for better items. Some will always complain even if it lasted a lifetime. I would not
I was disappointed when Sky Mall shut down (not that I ever bought or could afford anything from there), now what will I read on the flight to pass the time? Now I have to read the same crap I read on the internet at home like a sucker.
I was a store manager for this company for about a year and I am surprised that they even lasted this long. Everything would break. The amount of returns was insane. The massage chairs would actually sell and were actually pretty good quality.
This is the reason why stores like Brookstone and Toys R Us can't survive - their prices are too expensive. Today, it was announced the sales of toys and electronics are up at Target.
About 12 years ago I had a boyfriend who worked at Brookstone. He used to get a decent discount and would buy me pillows and stuffed animals under the n.a.p. line they sold there. I had totally forgotten about that until you showed that overpriced blanket. It had the n.a.p. emblem on it.
I’m from New Hampshire! There’s one in like every mall. Or was. Everytime I tried to go in there when I was a teenager they always yelled at me for touching stuff or trying the chairs. If you don’t let people try the shit you’re selling, you’re gonna probably go out of business lmao
I work in a mall and just saw that Brookstone was closing. I never bought anything from them because it always seemed to be way too overpriced things I never needed
I just want to say, your channel deserves 100k subs. You have then laid back and chill vibe of Clint from LGR, and the exploration style of Dan Bell. It's a masterpiece and is highly underrated.
If you ever find yourself in central Missouri, we have quite a few zombie malls. Capital Mall in Jefferson City is an excellent example of a Mall that doesn't know it's dead.
Another great video. I’ve only been in Brookstone once and we were the only people in the store. It’s hard to describe what Brookstone sells. It’s all just crap that no one really wants. On top of that they charge three times the amount you would pay at Target for the same junk. It’s really not a surprise that there are closing their doors
We (as in my family, I’m a youngin so I didn’t buy any of this) own so many things from brookstone for some reason. A footbath, alarm clock, pretty large iPod party speaker thing, another smaller iPod speaker, tranquil sound scene speaker that also doubles as an alarm clock I think, a considerably more conventional looking massage chair, multiple iDogs, a CD player speaker that also unsurprisingly has an iPod dock, a universal remote pillow, and probably a couple more things I can’t think of at the moment. It’s a wonder we don’t have the little sånd display too. I have no idea how or why we bought and could afford all of this. It’s honestly really funny.
Brookstone was one of those places I always overlooked. Maybe I would go in to look at the massage chairs, but I don't think I ever went to a Brookstone and bought something. Maybe my jetlagged self bought something at an airport location but with those prices I can see how they wouldn't be in the best financial situation.
The only memories I have of brookstone is walking past them and seeing people play with those Star Wars drone demos lol Other than that, barely ever knew what it was. Thought it was some sort of book store for the longest time
Hey there Mister, did you get your $29.99 drone from the opening scene at Brookstone? And oh yeah, I'll miss popping in there to see all the cheap tacky crap they sell. Brookstone is really the real live SkyMall catalog that also died years ago. Ooooh! if you went into a Sharper Image real store back in the day, it was a real treat! In downtown L.A. they had one in the middle of the financial district where greed was good. 1986 and holy smokes! I still remember the stuff there. A supposedly real Soviet submarine watch for 1500 bucks! 80's money too! the yuppies had loads to spare. That same Sharper Image watch that sold for 1,500 in 1986 is worth 3,400 bucks today! Inflation is a female dog! Man, I remember lusting over a 1.8" color LCD TV from Citizen back in 87' really bad picture too it cost 299.99 or 657 bucks. I never got it.
Brookstone is a fun store to look through, but everything is just too overpriced to actually buy anything. If they lowered their prices to try to compete with stores like Amazon or Target, they would of had a fighting chance.
I remember when they used to have clipboards where you would write down what you wanted and it would come to the register on a track system from the back or downstairs eventually they put the boxes on the sales floor to pick up
I used to work there at headquarters in the early 90’s. Tried to get them to develop a website when at that time there were less than 3,000 in the world. They weren’t interested; thought it was a cute gimmick with no practical value. They thought that about s lot of new ideas. Wasn’t surprised at sll when I heard they filed bankruptcy.
Dang my brookestone was really popular, I have the cat headphones and im gonna have to get a replacement wire for it before they close lmao. Also my friends and I always go in there and use the massage chairs fot like an hour.
So the former Wine Bar just outside this Brookstone store in the food court area of Scottsdale Fashion Square mall is now a Starbucks?! There's a Starbucks less than a thousand feet away on the street level! I've been to this Brookstone location many times and never bought one thing because they were just too expensive. Must be really bad if they're closing before the holidays. Xmas is the one time they were busy. I know Dillard's had a section near the men's department for similar toys/gadgets.
Grew up going to this store, they always have some of the nicest and unique things, even if they are priced high, also really nice comforters and pillows. Very sad times we are living in
During the holidays they were always super busy at the malls near me, but I think people were just playing with stuff and using the massage chairs, not buying much.
In the UK there was a electronical retailer called Maplin that stock the exact same things as Brookstone but in February Maplin went in Administration and shut all there stores in June (Oddly enough Toys R Us uk went bankrupt the same day as Maplin)
They closed mine in the mall with little fanfair, and they became a native crafts place that fit the themes. The Mohegan Sun location is also closing with an f.y.e. owned spin street closing as well. So sad. :(
Brookstone is where you go to get gifts for people who you don't know well enough to know what they really want, but then walk out without buying anything because it was all too expensive.
I was always super fascinated with the "enclosed ecosphere" things as a kid. Now that I'm an adult I know they're really overpriced ornaments with live fish food in them, but maybe I wouldn't be into aquaria if not for Brookstone. I think videos about specific stores are my favorite from you! Especially with the help of the wayback machine!
I have to say, I’ll miss Brookstone, as their presence in shopping malls is kinda nostalgic to me. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always loved to just pop my head into the shops. I’d rarely buy anything, often just browsing and saying things along the lines of “Oh, that’s neat,” but on the rare occasions that I made a purchase, I recall them being very easy to deal with. Again, I’ll miss popping in and browsing all the oddities on their shelves. Oh, well.
When i first saw the opening shot i was amazed by the great slider and the camera angle, and i kept wandering what an amazing equipment you had to take such a wonderful scene... Then i saw the escalator reflection in the window
My husband work at the Bookstore in Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas it kinda sad that they are closing all mall location. I am glad he found a way better job now
I worked at Brookstone when I graduated college and did not land a job. I worked at the mall for about 3 months and then the hours ran dry after the holiday, but the airport store offered me a job and and I ended up working there for almost 2 years. I enjoyed the airport store and helping people find what they needed and help them pack it in their new bags before their plane left without them.
I had forgotten about Brookstone. 20 years ago, it was a really popular store in our local mall. It generated lots of foot traffic, but I never saw anyone buy anything there.
Back in the distant past of 2001, an ex of mine had to try and sell those chairs and other things. Even then they commented on how overpriced the entire store was.
I haven't thought about Brookstone for years. I used to love stores like this back when I still had access to a mall where I live. It's the kind of store I would have loved to shop in as a kid if I'd had money years/decades ago.
I have those cat earphones and they have really nice sound quality. They were designed by berklee students and was the reason I was originally interested in them. But yes they were really expensive. I ended up finding them at a Ross for 40% less. I don’t think I would have ever paid full price for them
Christina Cope they are super cute I love them. The lights change color and pulsation, they’re headphones or speakers. And their batter life is much better than the claims so long as you don’t light them up. I don’t regret my purchase but like I said, I don’t think I would have paid the full $90 or whatever for them
Jenn Teal Don't even bother with ROSS, I've found them on eBay for less than $10 with free shipping, but I can't vouch for the sound quality. www.ebay.com/itm/Wired-Bluetooth-Cat-Ear-Headphones-Headband-LED-Lights-Earphone-Headset-Phone/232877749927?hash=item36389876a7%3Ag%3AO5gAAOSwVuFbaWvG&LH_BIN=1
I love how they mark up stuff so they can "mark it down" when this happens. I only rarely see actual deals when this occurs or you have to find someone that can make an actual cash deal lower than their retail "mark down" prices.
Okay 2018, can we just STOP taking retailers I shop at? This at least it something I could say goodbye to easily, as only my mom's iPad keyboard and massage wand came from. But how many times do people actually stop at Brookestone's in airports. I can't even say I've ever seen one in an airport.
I was bummed when I heard these stores were closing. They had interesting toys and gadgets. My local brownstone store was in Brea Mall and South Coast Plaza
My location at Westfield Countryside has already closed. Sears has also left the mall, but it’s still pretty busy and doing well despite of losing stores the past few months
I live near Fashion Square. At least a few times a month I'd go in there and poke around. The products are great, just over the top price wise. I've bought a few things in the past that were on sale. I will miss poking around in this store though.
Yep, Service Merchandise is where my parents bought my Sega Genesis. I remember when it was going out if business and you would enter the store but half of it was barricaded off by artificial walls and metal shelves.
I live way way out in the country so going to a real mall is a pretty rare experience. The Carl Sandburg mall was kinda local to me but it was always pretty trashy and has recently closed. But being in Chicago every now, I stopped in the one by O'hare once. Lots of people coming and going but no one really buying, and once I noticed their prices I understood why. Way too high.
I worked for Brookstone in 2017, needless to say those prices weren’t the reason why customers stayed away, but also the way the travel massagers were built. They’re not built to last and we had a minimum of 10-15 costumers coming in to return! Nuts.
What! We still have a brookstone in the alderwood mall in lynnwood , wa it's in a really high end mall so I'm surprised. I've never bought anything in there. But loved to look at all the cool stuff. And sit in the massage chairs .
Did anyone else notice that marble-looking thing roll under the shelf at 8:21? lol I just went to a brookstone a few months ago though, and holy crap were the prices ridiculous. You can find similar products much cheaper elsewhere
I got hired by them as an assistant manager back in late 2014 right around the first bankruptcy. One of their high points was being a store for unique gifts and Xmas was always a good time for us. But eventually the higher end malls would just make it that much harder to make money back for the stores. I worked at the one at Stanford Shopping Center. I always found it pretty fun to demo items with customers but it still feels pretty bad when you have a feeling they just wanna hang around and waste your time and never buy anything.. especially with those prices lol
Stores like this pop up in Canada from time to time and never catch on. I see the stuff they sell all the time in the non-profit shop i work at and most of the time the items still work and are only lightly used if used at all.
As someone who worked for Bstone from 2012-2017...always felt like corporate was trying to bandaid and stave off the inevitable the entire time I worked there. They just kept throwing money at advisory firms, and never listened to feedback from us at the store level. They would always latch onto one super high margin product, and make it front and center for years. Sand, God I loathed it so much. We had a kinetic sand that the company pushed for almost 5 years...
I worked for Brookstone for about 2 years. One of the best jobs I had. They sell everything you want but nothing you’d ever actually need. Some stuff was great quality while other stuff was horrible. Sad to see they went bankrupt (that’s how I stopped working there)
I moved to USA in 2001 from England, and Brookstone was the coolest thing ever coming from another country. But its one of those places that you spend hours exploring but never buying because the prices for novelty items is ridiculous.
I remember working here for a year and half, management was kind eh, real chill. I had fun working but sales were hard when it came to selling our “weekly” products to reach daily goals, like those Big Blue Speakers, which were great, The Cat Ear headphones sucked they always broke and always got returned, and honestly I’m glad I quit this place by the time I got another job. I’m actually glad I got their Renew Zero Gravity massage chair 3 years ago though, works well still no issues at all.
I worked here from 2015-2016 when I was 19 years old; I had pretty good manager and staff to work with, goals were mainly sales everyday. Because of pressure from district manager we got told to sell high price items like the Shiatsu Foot Massager $249.99. the Big Blue Party Speaker $199.99 USD, the Pocket Projectors ($50-$449.99 USD) every week. I remember the BB-8 Star Wars toy was also a hot product in 2015 then dropped sales quick due to its price. Some products were really expensive and usually broke easily and got returned, we were selling those Cat Ear headphones and was a hot product during Christmas 2015 but the problem was we got returns on those alot and exchanges for new ones because it was even our product we were required to sell at the time even with extended warranties (1-3 years). Drones were rarely purchased due to high price and if they were purchased they came back defective. I have some of their products that still work but even then, kinda glad I quit because I closed right before the store in San Antonio closed in 2017 too. I had some fun working there, Christmas holidays were okay. Had some good memories.
The major issue with buying such a message chair is knowing that the thing will eventually fail or break down with constant use and that you will most likely have no clue how to fix it.
Hi I just found this channel and I didn’t see any video on barnes & noble. I would love to see something if there’s an older one you can find. The one I used to go to, located in AZ, has had a lot of modernization recently, like the original cafe flooring and chairs being replaced and the big cactus in the middle of the store was removed.The company seems to be going downhill due to competition with Amazon and the recent remodels makes me feel like the window of time to capture an older B&N might be closing.
@@pyrobison2002 the homeless are for harassment around here. Shuffled from one place to another. Local news said animal shelter is full so they are going to build in a higher cost per acreage spot. With all these empty buildings! I turned to husband and asked why can't they move into the empty Toys R Us, plenty of room for the cats there.
It was almost a holiday tradition to go into this store hoping that I'd find that perfect gift for Dad or Mom and use the massage chairs to take a break from a hard day of shopping. Usually I'd never find anything I actually wanted to buy, but it was fun playing with all the gadgets. I don't know what they're thinking focusing on their airport stores and catalog. Who even shops from catalogs anymore???
I never bought anything from there but I always wanted that $500 foot massager. I use to go to Brookstone on my breaks when I worked at Ruby Tuesday because my feet hurt SO bad from standing all day and after I used it... I felt like I was walking on clouds.
Those massage chairs are also strangely at Costco as well for insanely high prices, though they only seem to have them out at certain times of years given they have to make way for garage doors. ...Costco carries a lot of unique stuff I'd have to say. Also, someone lost a ball from one of those toys under the shelves at around the 8:20 mark in the video as you were discussing the 'marble labyrinth'. Guess they'll find that when they take out all the shelving later on.
There was a Brookstone in the Stanford mall where I bought a few things over the years, but mostly I'd look around for interesting items, and then buy them somewhere else for half the price. They're kind of like SkyMall - identify some interesting stuff, and then charge way too much for it.
I always loved going into Brookstone. It was always packed. You had to get your mid-shopping massage and play with the gadgets. I’m guessing the problem is that’s all anyone did.
Like everyone else all we ever did was go in and mess with the stuff, try it out then leave. Everything is like 40% more expensive then it should be. I did buy one thing once and that was the kinetic sand they sell that me and my sister would play with in the stores and I bought it for her on Christmas. Speaking of which it's weird they didn't wait until Christmas to close these stores.
This is sad. I worked at Brookstone for over a year 20+ years ago. They had a lot of cool and unique stuff at the time that you couldn't find anywhere else (this was pre Amazon). I haven't stepped into a Brookstone in 15 years, and I imagine that is the case with most other people when e-commerce really took off.
Brookstone was always a place to go to buy gifts for people that they would never buy for themselves. I still buy the same type of stuff from Sharper Image racks at various other stores. I wonder if Brookstone can compete with that
The Donkey Kong cabinet was indeed a reproduction, but it was actually an official release. Namco licensed it from Nintendo and released it in a 3-in-1 machine that also had DK Jr. and Mario Bros.
0:38 the creators of FLCL: we need to add something for our female character Hidomi? But what? Enters Brookstone Sees the Cat Ear Headphones This. This is what she needs to wear. That's how Hidomi wears cat ear headphones on FLCL Progressive.
Woah, really? Brookstone is one of those stores I remember seeing at my childhood mall for, well, as long as I can remember. I think I only actually went there 2-3 times overall (my mom always said it was too expensive) but I always remember walking past it.
I use to work at Brookstone. Pretty much nailed the reason why they closed. Over-priced and online buying destroyed them. The straps for the massager are to attach it to a chair.
Are you sorry to see Brookstone leave malls or have you ever shopped at a Brookstone airport store? I'd love to you hear your thoughts and memories 😀 Also, don't forget Retail Archaeology and Rotting Acres Mall merchandise is available at the Retail Archaeology Shop: teespring.com/stores/retail-archaeology
Honestly, I have mixed feelings because as we all know... some of the earlier Brookstone wares were different from their recent offerings, so I've missed the older Brookstone items but have greatly lost interest over time. Also, some of those items offered there, at "The Sharper Image", and a few other similar novelty retailers were mostly good for novelty purposes, but as some of us would feel... the novelty wears quickly after the purchase.
One major thing I felt was lost as Brookstone evolved was somehow their early stores had a kind of "New England" styling to it, which isn't surprising since it was founded and continually headquartered in New Hampshire. That faded as time went on.
EDIT: Btw, as I watched the video, the store styling appears similar to several of the troubled major mall anchor stores (a few JCP's, some Macy's, and a lot like the failing Sears stores).
I sooo needed a new video from you. I knew you would do brookstone. Thank you very much, you made my day sooo much better
I'll always remember singing with the karaoke a few years back... Good times.
I will miss them as I did Sharper Image closing. And Natural Wonders, Garden Botanika, The Body Shop(unique places).
Looks like evertwhere I shopped is gone and keeps closing. Last Sears in 3 county area shutting down in November announced today.
Big empty buildings with big empty parking lots.
Never shop at airport stores since I even hate hauling what I have to so I don't shop on trips.
I have noticed in my area that jewelry chain shops are shutting down too.
Retail Archaeology I think what their problem was and still is that their prices were just way too overpriced and could be the reason why their closing up shops
The "EVERYTHING MUST GO" sign manufacturer must be doing well these days.
LOL
Amazon makes them.
I would burn them while doing a bonfire while camping
I thought you had invested in a fancy drone at the beginning, then I realise your just on an escalator.
I think it's like you said, they have overpriced crap. People only went in there to try the stuff, and then they found it cheaper elsewhere.
John Torrez pretty true. I’d stop by there but never get anything because it seemed like I had no use for it, especially as someone who is slow to be buying things. I don’t like clutter.
That's the problem with most brick and mortar retail, they overprice just about everything, which I can understand to a point due to having more overhead to worry about. At the same time, overpricing hurts more than helps because it drives more business into Amazon's, Walmart's, and Target's loving embrace.
Hate all 3 of those shopping experiences
Target is by no means inexpensive...I feel like it is just "expensive Wal Mart". I avoid both like the plague!
@@strtofdrms you and I have realized this. Sadly most haven't. While some have no choice that was not the experience in my area.
HerpyDerpyDoo11 the problem with people is they all want things as cheap as it can be, but then complain abt quality or lack thereof. You have to pay for quality. Now stores that overprice bad items with low quality is not ok either. However you all are shopping at Walmart and expect quality? It’s not realistic. What we need are places that sell sturdy, quality items that are not made to break, at prices that reflect that quality. But people would STILL complain abt cost. And I’m saying this as a person who has lived in poverty most of my adult life. If you only have $20 and need shoes Payless works temporarily. But if someone has hundreds to spend they should be buying quality pay more, all at once and get shoes that last YEARS. The issue is some $200-300 boots still break and tear within 6 months. So if it ALL sucks, people may as well spend $15 and do it 4 times a year. They need lasting good products for the price point. And places do not any longer. People might pay more for better items. Some will always complain even if it lasted a lifetime. I would not
They're basically
SKY MALL: The Store
I was disappointed when Sky Mall shut down (not that I ever bought or could afford anything from there), now what will I read on the flight to pass the time? Now I have to read the same crap I read on the internet at home like a sucker.
* they’re
@@dekalb time to read the safety instructions for the 40th time.....
It's a eBay store of gadgets but with a premium price!
Alex P. Or Walmart....
I was a store manager for this company for about a year and I am surprised that they even lasted this long. Everything would break. The amount of returns was insane. The massage chairs would actually sell and were actually pretty good quality.
I also was a manager. I agree with everything you said. The returns were a nightmare.
That Evangelion clip made me literally laugh out loud. Now every time I see those massage chairs in the malls, I'll think of that.
This is the reason why stores like Brookstone and Toys R Us can't survive - their prices are too expensive. Today, it was announced the sales of toys and electronics are up at Target.
At least you have targets..... it’s Walmart only here (we do still have toysrus though)
gmcnewlook oh yeah didn’t target go bankrupt in Canada or something like that??
Marco Morel I don't think they went bankrupt from it, their attempt to enter the Canadian market was a laughable failure though.
Marco Morel just the Canadian division tanked..... and yes it was a joke, and yes I still miss them, it was nice having a alternative to Walmart......
Toy R Us was taken over by Bain Capitol in a leverage buyout. They were raided for their assets and left to die. Bain did the same thing to KB Toys.
About 12 years ago I had a boyfriend who worked at Brookstone. He used to get a decent discount and would buy me pillows and stuffed animals under the n.a.p. line they sold there. I had totally forgotten about that until you showed that overpriced blanket. It had the n.a.p. emblem on it.
I’m from New Hampshire! There’s one in like every mall. Or was. Everytime I tried to go in there when I was a teenager they always yelled at me for touching stuff or trying the chairs.
If you don’t let people try the shit you’re selling, you’re gonna probably go out of business lmao
I work in a mall and just saw that Brookstone was closing. I never bought anything from them because it always seemed to be way too overpriced things I never needed
Joi Robb I grew up going to this story, many memories
I've never seen or met anyone who bought one of those massage chairs.
when you can just use them at the mall.
Lol i actually bought one. & untill now still works great. But yeah over expensive.
@Tavon Fenwick Dang now I wish I would have worked there.
Every asian i know own one... my mom has one lololol
I always wanted one...
I just want to say, your channel deserves 100k subs. You have then laid back and chill vibe of Clint from LGR, and the exploration style of Dan Bell. It's a masterpiece and is highly underrated.
Get in the massage chair, Shinji.
If you ever find yourself in central Missouri, we have quite a few zombie malls. Capital Mall in Jefferson City is an excellent example of a Mall that doesn't know it's dead.
Another great video. I’ve only been in Brookstone once and we were the only people in the store. It’s hard to describe what Brookstone sells. It’s all just crap that no one really wants. On top of that they charge three times the amount you would pay at Target for the same junk. It’s really not a surprise that there are closing their doors
The Simpsons episode 'Brother, can you spare two dimes?' (S03E24) is also a nice reference for those very expensive massage chairs.
We (as in my family, I’m a youngin so I didn’t buy any of this) own so many things from brookstone for some reason. A footbath, alarm clock, pretty large iPod party speaker thing, another smaller iPod speaker, tranquil sound scene speaker that also doubles as an alarm clock I think, a considerably more conventional looking massage chair, multiple iDogs, a CD player speaker that also unsurprisingly has an iPod dock, a universal remote pillow, and probably a couple more things I can’t think of at the moment. It’s a wonder we don’t have the little sånd display too. I have no idea how or why we bought and could afford all of this. It’s honestly really funny.
In many areas of the country their catalog(mail) was available but their stores weren't--especially in the 80's &90's.
Brookstone was one of those places I always overlooked. Maybe I would go in to look at the massage chairs, but I don't think I ever went to a Brookstone and bought something. Maybe my jetlagged self bought something at an airport location but with those prices I can see how they wouldn't be in the best financial situation.
The only memories I have of brookstone is walking past them and seeing people play with those Star Wars drone demos lol
Other than that, barely ever knew what it was. Thought it was some sort of book store for the longest time
Hey there Mister, did you get your $29.99 drone from the opening scene at Brookstone? And oh yeah, I'll miss popping in there to see all the cheap tacky crap they sell. Brookstone is really the real live SkyMall catalog that also died years ago.
Ooooh! if you went into a Sharper Image real store back in the day, it was a real treat! In downtown L.A. they had one in the middle of the financial district where greed was good. 1986 and holy smokes! I still remember the stuff there. A supposedly real Soviet submarine watch for 1500 bucks! 80's money too! the yuppies had loads to spare. That same Sharper Image watch that sold for 1,500 in 1986 is worth 3,400 bucks today! Inflation is a female dog!
Man, I remember lusting over a 1.8" color LCD TV from Citizen back in 87' really bad picture too it cost 299.99 or 657 bucks. I never got it.
I remember how many people were so filthy rich. Economy was great and everybody spent tons of money. Yes Greed was good.
Before Brookstone's first bankruptcy, they were the classy competitor to Sharper Image's flashiness.
Wow, it's been years since I've even thought about Sharper Image.
Brookstone is a fun store to look through, but everything is just too overpriced to actually buy anything. If they lowered their prices to try to compete with stores like Amazon or Target, they would of had a fighting chance.
Haha I seen what you did there with the Five guys cup on the shelf. Always a random cup during going out of business sales. Nice vid 🤘🏽
I remember when they used to have clipboards where you would write down what you wanted and it would come to the register on a track system from the back or downstairs eventually they put the boxes on the sales floor to pick up
I used to work there at headquarters in the early 90’s. Tried to get them to develop a website when at that time there were less than 3,000 in the world. They weren’t interested; thought it was a cute gimmick with no practical value. They thought that about s lot of new ideas. Wasn’t surprised at sll when I heard they filed bankruptcy.
Dang my brookestone was really popular, I have the cat headphones and im gonna have to get a replacement wire for it before they close lmao. Also my friends and I always go in there and use the massage chairs fot like an hour.
Next you should consider making a video on Orchard Supply Hardware. That chain also announced they are closing all their stores.
So the former Wine Bar just outside this Brookstone store in the food court area of Scottsdale Fashion Square mall is now a Starbucks?! There's a Starbucks less than a thousand feet away on the street level! I've been to this Brookstone location many times and never bought one thing because they were just too expensive. Must be really bad if they're closing before the holidays. Xmas is the one time they were busy. I know Dillard's had a section near the men's department for similar toys/gadgets.
Grew up going to this store, they always have some of the nicest and unique things, even if they are priced high, also really nice comforters and pillows. Very sad times we are living in
Back in the day these stores were super exciting!
i have never seen these stores busy
During the holidays they were always super busy at the malls near me, but I think people were just playing with stuff and using the massage chairs, not buying much.
7:41 the standard element of any going out of business sale a half emply drink cup left on a shelf
In the UK there was a electronical retailer called Maplin that stock the exact same things as Brookstone but in February Maplin went in Administration and shut all there stores in June (Oddly enough Toys R Us uk went bankrupt the same day as Maplin)
Brookstobe? That's the perfect name to describe brookstone. Brookstobe!
I dig it!
Aw man, Now were am I gonna get my Kinetic Sand? D;
They closed mine in the mall with little fanfair, and they became a native crafts place that fit the themes. The Mohegan Sun location is also closing with an f.y.e. owned spin street closing as well. So sad. :(
Brookstone is where you go to get gifts for people who you don't know well enough to know what they really want, but then walk out without buying anything because it was all too expensive.
I was always super fascinated with the "enclosed ecosphere" things as a kid. Now that I'm an adult I know they're really overpriced ornaments with live fish food in them, but maybe I wouldn't be into aquaria if not for Brookstone.
I think videos about specific stores are my favorite from you! Especially with the help of the wayback machine!
I have to say, I’ll miss Brookstone, as their presence in shopping malls is kinda nostalgic to me. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always loved to just pop my head into the shops. I’d rarely buy anything, often just browsing and saying things along the lines of “Oh, that’s neat,” but on the rare occasions that I made a purchase, I recall them being very easy to deal with. Again, I’ll miss popping in and browsing all the oddities on their shelves. Oh, well.
I thought brookstone would of sold Google glass. I also thought brookstone was called bookstore the first time I've seen it
When i first saw the opening shot i was amazed by the great slider and the camera angle, and i kept wandering what an amazing equipment you had to take such a wonderful scene... Then i saw the escalator reflection in the window
Massive respect for using Dan Mason!
So many Brookstone and Sharper Image memories of wasting time looking at gadgets that could never afford or want!
My husband work at the Bookstore in Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas it kinda sad that they are closing all mall location. I am glad he found a way better job now
I worked at Brookstone when I graduated college and did not land a job. I worked at the mall for about 3 months and then the hours ran dry after the holiday, but the airport store offered me a job and and I ended up working there for almost 2 years. I enjoyed the airport store and helping people find what they needed and help them pack it in their new bags before their plane left without them.
Yes I am sad, I alway's liked looking at stuff in them when at the mall :)
1:39 Get in the EVA, Erik 🤣
I loved Brookstone. They already closed their stores where I live. Hope the one in Cali I went to is still around
I had forgotten about Brookstone. 20 years ago, it was a really popular store in our local mall. It generated lots of foot traffic, but I never saw anyone buy anything there.
Back in the distant past of 2001, an ex of mine had to try and sell those chairs and other things. Even then they commented on how overpriced the entire store was.
Oh no! I always liked browsing there. There is one near me, I’ll have to go
I haven't thought about Brookstone for years. I used to love stores like this back when I still had access to a mall where I live. It's the kind of store I would have loved to shop in as a kid if I'd had money years/decades ago.
I have those cat earphones and they have really nice sound quality. They were designed by berklee students and was the reason I was originally interested in them. But yes they were really expensive. I ended up finding them at a Ross for 40% less. I don’t think I would have ever paid full price for them
Now I need to go to Ross XD
They look cute.
Christina Cope they are super cute I love them. The lights change color and pulsation, they’re headphones or speakers. And their batter life is much better than the claims so long as you don’t light them up. I don’t regret my purchase but like I said, I don’t think I would have paid the full $90 or whatever for them
Jenn Teal Don't even bother with ROSS, I've found them on eBay for less than $10 with free shipping, but I can't vouch for the sound quality.
www.ebay.com/itm/Wired-Bluetooth-Cat-Ear-Headphones-Headband-LED-Lights-Earphone-Headset-Phone/232877749927?hash=item36389876a7%3Ag%3AO5gAAOSwVuFbaWvG&LH_BIN=1
I love how they mark up stuff so they can "mark it down" when this happens. I only rarely see actual deals when this occurs or you have to find someone that can make an actual cash deal lower than their retail "mark down" prices.
Okay 2018, can we just STOP taking retailers I shop at? This at least it something I could say goodbye to easily, as only my mom's iPad keyboard and massage wand came from. But how many times do people actually stop at Brookestone's in airports. I can't even say I've ever seen one in an airport.
"Massage wand" ;)
Sorry, sorry I know it's a lame joke.
I was bummed when I heard these stores were closing. They had interesting toys and gadgets. My local brownstone store was in Brea Mall and South Coast Plaza
My location at Westfield Countryside has already closed. Sears has also left the mall, but it’s still pretty busy and doing well despite of losing stores the past few months
I live near Fashion Square. At least a few times a month I'd go in there and poke around. The products are great, just over the top price wise. I've bought a few things in the past that were on sale. I will miss poking around in this store though.
I havent seen one in 10 years, but i remember everything being overpriced
Great video, thanks for posting. I like the music in this one.
Does anyone remember Service Merchandise? It was a catalog store. Amazon is now the biggest catalog store in the world.
James Willett they used to have one at the mall near me but that was before I was born. My parents have talked about shopping there before though.
Yep, Service Merchandise is where my parents bought my Sega Genesis. I remember when it was going out if business and you would enter the store but half of it was barricaded off by artificial walls and metal shelves.
I was a manager for Brookstone. Enjoyed this video!
I live way way out in the country so going to a real mall is a pretty rare experience. The Carl Sandburg mall was kinda local to me but it was always pretty trashy and has recently closed. But being in Chicago every now, I stopped in the one by O'hare once. Lots of people coming and going but no one really buying, and once I noticed their prices I understood why. Way too high.
I worked for Brookstone in 2017, needless to say those prices weren’t the reason why customers stayed away, but also the way the travel massagers were built. They’re not built to last and we had a minimum of 10-15 costumers coming in to return! Nuts.
Thanks for the video I worked in the D. I. A airport have been in there just a few times but it's been years since I have seen one
What! We still have a brookstone in the alderwood mall in lynnwood , wa it's in a really high end mall so I'm surprised. I've never bought anything in there. But loved to look at all the cool stuff. And sit in the massage chairs .
Did anyone else notice that marble-looking thing roll under the shelf at 8:21? lol I just went to a brookstone a few months ago though, and holy crap were the prices ridiculous. You can find similar products much cheaper elsewhere
I got hired by them as an assistant manager back in late 2014 right around the first bankruptcy. One of their high points was being a store for unique gifts and Xmas was always a good time for us. But eventually the higher end malls would just make it that much harder to make money back for the stores. I worked at the one at Stanford Shopping Center. I always found it pretty fun to demo items with customers but it still feels pretty bad when you have a feeling they just wanna hang around and waste your time and never buy anything.. especially with those prices lol
I don’t live in the US anymore but Brookstone was always a “cornerstone” to almost every mall. Yeah it’s kind of sad to see them leave
Stores like this pop up in Canada from time to time and never catch on. I see the stuff they sell all the time in the non-profit shop i work at and most of the time the items still work and are only lightly used if used at all.
When the Brookstone in my mall was closing, my dad bought open box Fitbits for me and himself for half price. He also bought a motorized scooter.
As someone who worked for Bstone from 2012-2017...always felt like corporate was trying to bandaid and stave off the inevitable the entire time I worked there. They just kept throwing money at advisory firms, and never listened to feedback from us at the store level. They would always latch onto one super high margin product, and make it front and center for years.
Sand, God I loathed it so much. We had a kinetic sand that the company pushed for almost 5 years...
I worked for Brookstone for about 2 years. One of the best jobs I had. They sell everything you want but nothing you’d ever actually need. Some stuff was great quality while other stuff was horrible. Sad to see they went bankrupt (that’s how I stopped working there)
7:45 Random drink on shelf again.....lol
I moved to USA in 2001 from England, and Brookstone was the coolest thing ever coming from another country. But its one of those places that you spend hours exploring but never buying because the prices for novelty items is ridiculous.
I remember working here for a year and half, management was kind eh, real chill. I had fun working but sales were hard when it came to selling our “weekly” products to reach daily goals, like those Big Blue Speakers, which were great, The Cat Ear headphones sucked they always broke and always got returned, and honestly I’m glad I quit this place by the time I got another job. I’m actually glad I got their Renew Zero Gravity massage chair 3 years ago though, works well still no issues at all.
I worked here from 2015-2016 when I was 19 years old; I had pretty good manager and staff to work with, goals were mainly sales everyday. Because of pressure from district manager we got told to sell high price items like the Shiatsu Foot Massager $249.99. the Big Blue Party Speaker $199.99 USD, the Pocket Projectors ($50-$449.99 USD) every week. I remember the BB-8 Star Wars toy was also a hot product in 2015 then dropped sales quick due to its price. Some products were really expensive and usually broke easily and got returned, we were selling those Cat Ear headphones and was a hot product during Christmas 2015 but the problem was we got returns on those alot and exchanges for new ones because it was even our product we were required to sell at the time even with extended warranties (1-3 years). Drones were rarely purchased due to high price and if they were purchased they came back defective. I have some of their products that still work but even then, kinda glad I quit because I closed right before the store in San Antonio closed in 2017 too. I had some fun working there, Christmas holidays were okay. Had some good memories.
The major issue with buying such a message chair is knowing that the thing will eventually fail or break down with constant use and that you will most likely have no clue how to fix it.
Hi I just found this channel and I didn’t see any video on barnes & noble. I would love to see something if there’s an older one you can find. The one I used to go to, located in AZ, has had a lot of modernization recently, like the original cafe flooring and chairs being replaced and the big cactus in the middle of the store was removed.The company seems to be going downhill due to competition with Amazon and the recent remodels makes me feel like the window of time to capture an older B&N might be closing.
We never had those here in the Midwest, but sad to hear. What are we gunna do with all these empty malls.
Had them or is Ohio no longer in the Midwest(I always thought there should be a Great Lakes region though, better description)
Skavossis not house the homeless that’s for sure
@@pyrobison2002 the homeless are for harassment around here. Shuffled from one place to another.
Local news said animal shelter is full so they are going to build in a higher cost per acreage spot. With all these empty buildings! I turned to husband and asked why can't they move into the empty Toys R Us, plenty of room for the cats there.
It was almost a holiday tradition to go into this store hoping that I'd find that perfect gift for Dad or Mom and use the massage chairs to take a break from a hard day of shopping. Usually I'd never find anything I actually wanted to buy, but it was fun playing with all the gadgets.
I don't know what they're thinking focusing on their airport stores and catalog. Who even shops from catalogs anymore???
I never bought anything from there but I always wanted that $500 foot massager. I use to go to Brookstone on my breaks when I worked at Ruby Tuesday because my feet hurt SO bad from standing all day and after I used it... I felt like I was walking on clouds.
That Eva Reference lol
I bought the uAstro2 massage chair about 4 years ago and I still use that thing all the time.
There was a pop-up Brookstone at one of my local malls last Christmas. It does remind you of the crap Sharper Image sells.
Those massage chairs are also strangely at Costco as well for insanely high prices, though they only seem to have them out at certain times of years given they have to make way for garage doors. ...Costco carries a lot of unique stuff I'd have to say.
Also, someone lost a ball from one of those toys under the shelves at around the 8:20 mark in the video as you were discussing the 'marble labyrinth'. Guess they'll find that when they take out all the shelving later on.
There was a Brookstone in the Stanford mall where I bought a few things over the years, but mostly I'd look around for interesting items, and then buy them somewhere else for half the price. They're kind of like SkyMall - identify some interesting stuff, and then charge way too much for it.
I always loved going into Brookstone. It was always packed. You had to get your mid-shopping massage and play with the gadgets. I’m guessing the problem is that’s all anyone did.
I remember playing with the kinetic sand and massagers
Like everyone else all we ever did was go in and mess with the stuff, try it out then leave. Everything is like 40% more expensive then it should be. I did buy one thing once and that was the kinetic sand they sell that me and my sister would play with in the stores and I bought it for her on Christmas. Speaking of which it's weird they didn't wait until Christmas to close these stores.
This is sad. I worked at Brookstone for over a year 20+ years ago. They had a lot of cool and unique stuff at the time that you couldn't find anywhere else (this was pre Amazon). I haven't stepped into a Brookstone in 15 years, and I imagine that is the case with most other people when e-commerce really took off.
Brookstone was always a place to go to buy gifts for people that they would never buy for themselves. I still buy the same type of stuff from Sharper Image racks at various other stores. I wonder if Brookstone can compete with that
The Donkey Kong cabinet was indeed a reproduction, but it was actually an official release. Namco licensed it from Nintendo and released it in a 3-in-1 machine that also had DK Jr. and Mario Bros.
0:38 the creators of FLCL: we need to add something for our female character Hidomi? But what?
Enters Brookstone
Sees the Cat Ear Headphones
This. This is what she needs to wear.
That's how Hidomi wears cat ear headphones on FLCL Progressive.
Woah, really? Brookstone is one of those stores I remember seeing at my childhood mall for, well, as long as I can remember. I think I only actually went there 2-3 times overall (my mom always said it was too expensive) but I always remember walking past it.
I use to work at Brookstone. Pretty much nailed the reason why they closed. Over-priced and online buying destroyed them. The straps for the massager are to attach it to a chair.
I was coming out of the Sherman Oaks Brookstone store in the 90s and did a double-take. Walking in was Helen Mirren. She smiled.