Remember Them? 17 Household Brands That Fell Victim To The Recession (PHOTOS)

Here lies a leading big box electronics retailer, an iconic photography mainstay and a host of once ubiquitous consumer brands.

In the interest of recalling the dearly departed -- or just plain bankrupt -- consumer hallmarks that once populated our lives, we've compiled a graveyard of brands crippled by our most recent recession.

With consumers loaded with debt, the downturn has been particularly bad for big-box retailers, like Circuit City (which left 34,000 Americans jobless); Fortunoff, Linens N' Things; and Levitz Furniture. But the recession didn't discriminate by industry. Though a considerable amount of job losses were concentrated in industries like construction and real estate, stalwart brands in diverse areas of consumer world were also effected. The bedraggled U.S. consumer could no longer support standouts like Pontiac, Washington Mutual and even Gourmet magazine.

Below, we've compiled some of the top brands to have fallen victim to the recession. Some have emerged from bankruptcy, others may be gone forever. Which brand is most deserving of making a full comeback? Check them out below -- or suggest a brand we may have missed by clicking "Add A Slide."

 

Which brand done in by the recession is most deserving of being resurrected? Let us know!

Brands That Should Survive The Recession

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Kodachrome's Last Roll

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As the popularity of digital photography has exploded, demand for traditional film like Kodak's Kodachrome has essentially disappeared. When Kodak retired the 74-year old product in June, 2009, sales of Kodachrome were less than 1 percent of Kodak's still-picture film revenue. "Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away," begged Paul Simon in Simon and Garfunkel's 1973 hit. Sorry, Paul.

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As the popularity of digital photography has exploded, demand for traditional film like Kodak's Kodachrome has essentially disappeared. When Kodak retired the 74-year old product in June, 2009, sales of Kodachrome were less than 1 percent of Kodak's still-picture film revenue. "Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away," begged Paul Simon in Simon and Garfunkel's 1973 hit. Sorry, Paul.

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Brands That Died During The Recession

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Brands That Died During The Recession

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Comments

[PaulaEmKay]

11:24 PM on 10/07/2010

I miss Mervyn's!

[HatakeSC]

12:30 PM on 09/30/2010

Some quality control is needed on these slides. The headline I clicked on to get here and what's still posted in my brower's top bar is: "Remember Them? 17 Household Brands That Fell Victim To The Recession"

Yes at the top of the slideshow is this interesting little line:

"Brands That Should Survive The Recession"

Come on now.

[Kathi Wright]

10:52 PM on 09/17/2010

in car years, my saturn is 140. it is a 1996 with 281,000 miles on it and still passes smog. what a sweet car it has been!

[cgeorgan]

01:17 PM on 09/15/2010

Newsflash:

Several of these companies (Sharper Image, Ritz, KB Toys, Circuit City) were dead long before the recession came along - the recession merely put the nail in the coffin.

[getsgarth]

12:50 PM on 09/15/2010

Poor article.

Two of them (Kodak's Kodachrome & Ritz Camera) did not die because of the recession, but rather an improvement in technology. Consumers don't want be limited to 36 pictures, mess with loading a camera, getting pictures developed, etc. Digital cameras are now so common & cheap that we take them for granted and expect them.

Who would have thought 15 years ago that your home phone would be replaced by a small device to take anywhere with you and would likely take pictures of better quality that your expensive camera?

[CalGrad2000]

01:22 AM on 09/15/2010

Kodachrome was killed by enviromental laws (VERY toxix development process, so only a few labs worldwide would touch the stuff by the end of Kodachome's life). The emergence of digital was just the last straw.

Sharper image died before the recession - some overpriced products and bad management I suspect. The poor ratings by consumer reports over the ionic breeze (which I love and still use 3 of them - consumer reports should stick it where the sun doesn't shine) was also a major blow.

[LonosCurse]

02:47 PM on 09/14/2010

The Republican Party.

[getsgarth]

12:50 PM on 09/15/2010

how?

[LonosCurse]

01:10 PM on 09/15/2010

Tongue in cheek.

[Kiri sute gomen]

08:13 PM on 09/13/2010

Was this list assembled by someone who had no idea what the list was about?

[getsgarth]

12:50 PM on 09/15/2010

it was

[Notoriety]

01:51 PM on 09/19/2010

These always are.

[Priori Decoherence]

03:48 PM on 09/12/2010

GM's problem was mismanagement not the recession. Both Ford and GM have a sad history of foulling up viable European marques. Saab's decline happened when GM bought the company, moved it to Germany, and then forgot about it.

[HowietheScreamer]

01:44 PM on 09/23/2010

Word. GM was one of the most monumentally mismanaged, and arrogantly so, companies in the country.

Don't put Ford into the same category though. Since Alan Mulally came on board Ford has been run very well. Mr. Ford brought Mulally on board to shake up the stogy old Ford management team and he's done a great job of it. And if you had bought Ford stock at or near it's bottom, you have quite a pile of money right now to show for it.

[John Horner]

11:54 AM on 09/12/2010

As others have said, the decline of silver based film has exactly nothing to do with the broader economy, and Kodachrome was an ancient micro-niche product even within the film world. Kodachrome died thanks to the advance of imaging technology, not because of the recession.

[CalGrad2000]

01:24 AM on 09/15/2010

Digital was a very small part of it. Developing Kodachrome is a very toxic process and the stuff was on its way out well before dgitial had a foothold. Ectachrome and Fuji's Sensia Velvia had most of the pro and consumer market for slide film when digital arrived.

[John Horner]

11:52 AM on 09/12/2010

Many of these brands fell victim to over leveraging thanks to the leveraged buyout private capital shell game. Perhaps the recession exposed them for the absurdities that they were, but the problems were really balance sheets full of debts that were taken on just so they could pay their owners special dividends.

[HowietheScreamer]

01:46 PM on 09/23/2010

Interestingly, Microsoft just yesterday borrowed 6 billion to pay out a dividend... imagine that, eh?

[Vonnie Gross]

02:46 AM on 09/12/2010

Its so much cheaper ot download them into the computer.I do not do prints or use film since digital and have saved so much money.

[noygdb]

01:55 AM on 09/12/2010

ok Huff Post- you're misleading headlines are really tiresome. Kodak did not bow to the recession as you pointed out in the article, it was the increase in digital cameras. Saturan, did not bow to the recession. It was the fact that GM did not invest in the brand and support it. Hummer, increase in gas prices. Could you people please make an effort to be more honest in your headlines?

[Vonnie Gross]

02:47 AM on 09/12/2010

Exactly right !

[barkingcat]

09:01 AM on 09/12/2010

Exactly. And while Kodachrome certainly had its day, it requires special processing that other still-picture films do not -- further helping its decline within the remaining demand for still-picture films.

[MsMarchHare]

09:11 PM on 09/11/2010

Steve & Barry's

I was sad to see them go...they kept my kids clothed

[vinnieboiblue]

02:42 PM on 09/11/2010

Sorry, but the Pontiac an Saturn brands were not done in by the recession. They were done by poor management, GM, can blame the recession all it wants! The fact remains, Saturn, should have never been a nameplate. Chevrolet, does the fighting of imports, Buick, the next step up to near luxury, Cadillac,is the luxury brand. Pontiac, could have survived as the Sport brand. Of course GM trucks , would be the Industrial vehicle brand. If GM,had put its focus on them core values as separate, instead of making the same cars n trucks differentiated by grills,they would have been in better shape. They lacked the imagination an creativity, to separate the core brands. The recession, just made their demise all the more quicker.