Art Van is out of money and is liquidating and closing all stores

[tivoking]

Highland I didn’t mind. Fretter on the other hand was a ripoff operation.

Fretter was the Midwest's Crazy Eddie's. Stack em high, watch em fly. Stack em deep, sell em cheap.

[Deleted User 15475]

I don't believe I visited a Fretter but I remember there Television Advertisements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X72MAr3WRs8

The ABC Warehouse Commercials with Jim Varney, playing The Ernest P Worrell character are ingrained in my mind.

[MWmetalhead]

The Fretter store on 28th St SE in Grand Rapids always had a leaky roof. Water stains all over the place, and I think one time I even saw a pail collecting water droplets. So fucking ghetto. Was the upkeep of the Fretter stores in SE Michigan as equally piss poor?

I cannot help but notice how every regional or national retail chain once HQ'd in Metro Detroit has failed!

[Deleted User 15475]

From what I've read, the chain sounded to be on shaky ground for sometime. Tried to grow much too fast, in doing so, they likely let the upkeep on there stores lapse. I recall, going into a K-Mart location, as they were having a store closing sale and saw a very similar picture.

Deeetroit, isn't exactly known for successful ventures I'm afraid.

[MasterB]

I went into a Fretter a couple of times the Fretter store is now a Guitar Center which has been there for years, Highland was at Southland Mall half-mall & half strip mall which finally went strip mall, ABC Wearhouse was down the corner from both of them has moved a few times and is now at Old Navy at Southland where CC use to be. Kinda surprised that ABC Wearhouse is still around I thought Best Buy would kill them.

[Willie108]

30 years ago, ABC Warehouse was good. Went in there about 20 years ago looking for a dryer. The salesperson wouldn't give me free delivery. Mind you...I live half a mile from the store. I walked out and the salesperson chased me out the door, offering me a free dryer kit. Never been in there since. I've heard they sell nothing but junk now.

[radiofan1974]

Had some bad feelings about loves furniture As they were opening up. While it was nice to see some of the empty art van buildings back open as a business and not empty, it is a crazy time to open up a furniture store, plus I think many customers had some beware beware with loves since they took over those stores

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

My parents spent many hours at the Fretter in Center Line.

[Robert Faygo]

My parents spent many hours at the Fretter in Center Line.

Did they ever score the 5lbs of coffee because Ollie Fretter couldn't beat their best deal?

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

Not to my knowledge, but I remember we got our entertainment center(the one with the roll down TV cover) from there as well as a washer.

After they went out of business, my parents went to ABC Warehouse for most everything.

[Deleted User 15475]

I've purchased a couple of Televisions from ABC Warehouse, but never anything else. My current Dishwasher came from Sears, my what a bad experience I had with them! All my other house hold appliances I've gotten from a regional chain of stores, where I reside.

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

I've purchased a couple of Televisions from ABC Warehouse, but never anything else. My current Dishwasher came from Sears, my what a bad experience I had with them! All my other house hold appliances I've gotten from a regional chain of stores, where I reside.

I had an awful experience with Sears hooking up my washer. They claimed they needed access to the water meter and refused to hook it up. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, but our condo building's water meters are in the unit that was being sold at the time. They also failed to perform the appliance haul away on the appointment date THEY set after I had to have my handyman hook up the washer(he had no issues and ironically worked for Sears in the 90s).

After my awful experience, I hoped they went out of business and here we are. This was back in 2016.

[Deleted User 15475]

Yes I reside in a Condominium myself, my water meter is in my unit luckily. The whole experience with Sears and Roebuck was, they kept delaying the day and I had to fight tooth and nail to get my rebate visa card, which they had promised me as I bought The Dishwasher during a sale. They did haul the old unit away luckily, a very dated 1987 Signature 2000(Montgomery Wards brand) in a shade of Almond, that sounded like a Boeing Aircraft, when in use.

[Willie108]

My dad bought a Sears Craftsman lawn tractor back in the 70's. Used it until the late 80's. Went to Sears Service to get a part, and they had no idea what I was talking about. I said...to heck with you...went and bought a John Deere. It was the most dependable machine I've ever had.

[radiofan1974]

When you think about it ABC warehouse is one of the few older stores that are still around. With other stores coming around and online stores.

I can remember walking into one with my patents to buy there first VCR that I think cost around 600.00 back then