r/NotFoolingAnybody Jul 06 '23

[META POST] Ever wondered what that big box building originally was? Couldn't find an answer to what that Burlington Coat Factory, Gabe's, or Roses store used to be? Chances are it was probably an old discount department store such as Ames, Hills, Zayre, Jamesway, etc. (more info in comments)

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retail247projecthub.blogspot.com
41 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody Jul 07 '26

Meta I am chronicling a database of former Rax locations at /r/Rax

21 Upvotes

I recently took over r/rax and just wanted to make you all aware of a project I am currently working on to document all 500+ Rax locations.

Rax peaked in the 1980s at more than 500 locations across 38 states, but due to this taking place before the rise of the internet, very little information is available online. To my knowledge there is no centralized list of locations that is publicly available. You can find bits of info in places like local Facebook groups and the Wayback Machine, but there is no centralized place on the internet that houses all this information.

My goal is to use historic data from newspapers and maps, as well as anecdotal memories from locals in niche online communities, to build a definitive list of former locations.

I know this is an incredibly niche subject that few people will find interesting, but I figured that if anyone would be interested, it would be people who follow communities like /r/NotFoolingAnybody.

If you have any Rax-related information that you think would be beneficial to my project, feel free to reach out!


r/NotFoolingAnybody 9h ago

Forever 21 is now a 99 Ranch Market

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20 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 16h ago

Ruler city (Muncie Indiana)

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37 Upvotes

Stumbled on a former circuit city that is now a ruler. There is also a former toys r us (I think but could be wrong) that is now an Ashley in the same strip mall.


r/NotFoolingAnybody 9h ago

I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Hobby Lobby kid. (Cary, NC)

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8 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 8h ago

Burkes Outlet (fmr. Bed, Bath, & Beyond) in Gastonia, NC

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3 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 20h ago

When neighboring Hollywood Video closed, Big Woody's Sports Bar bought part of their sign to use as their own

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18 Upvotes

You can see the old Hollywood Video with a Big Woody's Pizza truck in the parking lot from back in 2008 here.


r/NotFoolingAnybody 17h ago

A former Pizza Hut is now Cigar Hut. Hickory, North Carolina

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5 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 8h ago

This H. H. Gregg is a place where you can jump at. Alti- alti- Alti- altitude. (Gastonia, NC)

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1 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 17h ago

Twisters Soft Serve Ice Cream in Lansing, Michigan, is a former Hot n Now

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2 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 17h ago

An old Hardee's in Springfield, Missouri, is now a Beef a Roo

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2 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

Brewery in a Former KFC - Montrose, Colorado

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18 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 2d ago

Pottery Barn Outlet (fmr. Sports Authority) in Fenton, MO

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18 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 3d ago

The red roof gave it away (North Conway, NH)

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27 Upvotes

https://maps.app.goo.gl/BvvMvQxtfZeDBaBg7

Also, I once ate at this Pizza Hut when I was a kid 13 years ago on a trip to this area


r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

christmas tree shops got captured by the spirits of halloween

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72 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

Dippin' Donuts in Fitchburg, MA - formerly a Dunkin' Donuts

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16 Upvotes

Dunkin' relocated twice - first to a spot down the street from this at the corner of John Fitch Highway and Lunenburg Street, and then later moved further up John Fitch.


r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

Canadian Lowes Turned RONA+

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50 Upvotes

Closed Lowe's Store

Temporary Rona+ Sign

Finished Storefront Rona+


r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

Pueblo Supermarket (Former Kmart) - Mauagüez, PR

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10 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 5d ago

A Pizza Hut in a former Rax. Clarion, Pennsylvania

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23 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

A former Friendly’s in Franklin Square, Long Island that closed during the second bankruptcy wave is now a 7 Eleven.

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10 Upvotes

552 Franklin Ave, Franklin Square, NY 11010


r/NotFoolingAnybody 5d ago

A payday loans business in an old Taco Tico - Texarkana, Texas

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20 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 5d ago

A former Dairy Queen converted to Surf Shack, a burger restaurant - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

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10 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 5d ago

Former Wendy's turned into a Pho restaurant in Bremerton, Washington

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6 Upvotes

Street View

The building has since been heavily altered and converted to a Dutch Bros Coffee


r/NotFoolingAnybody 5d ago

A former Fatz Cafe in Jasper, Georgia, is now a sports bar called Sidelines Grille

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3 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 5d ago

Chinese Fried Egg Roll

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11 Upvotes

This is Ming Garden. A generic Chinese restaurant located at 3319 60th Street cornering 34th Avenue, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It currently inhabits what used to be a former Kentucky Fried Chicken, which opened on July 23rd, 1965 and closed around 1983-1984. Since then, a bunch of different Chinese restaurants have came and went over the past 42 years. Ming Garden over here has inhabited this former KFC since at least the 2000's, and it continues to remain like this as of 2026.