Best Products At 10765 Kingspoint Rd.

[musicman]

I drove by the old Best Products at Almeda Mall the other day. Always disappointed to see a unique structure just disappear.

Best Products (before and after)

[new major on the block]

I remember when I was maybe 7 years of age there was a store in San Antonio called BEST.

I think it went out of business some years back, Maybe 10 years ago. Could it be the same chain?

[skwatra]

i remember that building well. my parents used to tell me a hurricane did that before we moved here and they just kept it that way. i almost believed them.

[musicman]

I remember when I was maybe 7 years of age there was a store in San Antonio called BEST.

I think it went out of business some years back, Maybe 10 years ago.  Could it be the same chain?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes they are the same store.

[Trophy Property]

Yes they are the same store.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There used to be a best on Frondren betweem Westhiemer and Rihmond. I think there used to be another on hillcroft where Hart Gallery is now.

[TexasHome]

As a kid, the first time I saw the Best building at Almeda, I thought a tornado had hit it.

They sure had some cool buildings. I remember seeing one somewhere out of state that looked as though it was upside down. I think that one was in Virginia.

They were a good place to get a deal.

[Ashikaga]

I remember when I was maybe 7 years of age there was a store in San Antonio called BEST.

I think it went out of business some years back, Maybe 10 years ago.  Could it be the same chain?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Back in 1982, the Woolco Department Store in Beaumont closed down. It was temporarily replaced by a BEST. Then BEST was replaced by KMART. Then that KMART store closed down and now it's a Best Buy store.

Chet Cuccia

[MidtownCoog]

W. Bell & Company was also at Almeda, right near Best.

I think it's a $1 store now.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

When I was a kid I thought the Almeda Best was an old fort -- that a historic battle had been fought there, kinda like the Alamo.

When I saw what had been done to the building I nearly drove my car off the road. It's amazing that someone could be so architecturally and aesthetically insensitive to "fix" that building to an "undamaged" condition.

It's sickening.

[Ashikaga]

i remember that building well. my parents used to tell me a hurricane did that before we moved here and they just kept it that way. i almost believed them.

Best turned out like those other two chain stores that folded: Wilson's and Service Merchandise.

[gonzo1976]

There used to be another Best store across Greens Road from Greenspoint Mall. It was next door to the Fingers Furniture store.

It didn't have an odd entrance, though.

[MidtownCoog]

Remember the show "That's Incredible"?

They once showed a Best that was a cube in Cali. It took 15 minutes to close and open.

That's was incredible.

[Bubba]

Yup, my wife worked at the Best Products on Greens Rd. in the late 70's.

I remember their catalog had all the one of a kind buildings pictured along with what city & state they were located in.

[plumber2]

Hart Galleries is in the old United store. It was like Best. Hillcroft becomes Voss North of Westheimer. 2301 Voss Road. Just discovered Hart was at 6612 Main Street, then on Westheimer east of Kirby, and now on Voss. Hart also purchased the former Best on Fondren for an antique mall.

Then we had Houston Jewelery and Distributing...(and a whole lot more- remember the song?) that was a bit nicer. Service Merchandise was about the same too. They were called Wilson's before Service took over.

W. Bell & Company was another of the catalog jewelery and appliance stores. There was one located on Richmond Avenue, west of Chimney Rock in the big box where the fitness club is now located. There were really a lot of these type of stores and they are all gone now. I suppose Best Buy, Walmart and Target type stores have taken their business.

Only the Almeda Mall Best was unique here. Sad to loose another Houston landmark. People do not realize what they have. Everything is becoming generic. Nobody will take a chance today.

At the site of the W. Bell & Co. were several 1950 era houses. The one directly on the corner of Richmond and Bering was a unique cinder block mod type home. It was "L" shaped and had a flat roof with crank out windows. Richmond was an unpaved shell road originally named Portsmouth. The extension of Richmond Ave. took out most of homes on the south side of the street, but this house remained for several years into the mid 70's.

[Jermaine]

BEST sold the best toys in town....I could always fins all the Star Wars figures that I couldnt find anywhere else at BEST. They had the most extensive selection of Shogun Warrior large figures that I ever found. I remember BEST being the only place I ever saw a RODAN figure for sale. Id beg my dad to take Saturday afternoon trips to BEST. I miss the past. Id do anything to just go back.

[Guest Marty]

I remember Best catalogs i used to droll on the 1984 one with all the silver stereo equipment and the big 15- 18 Jensen speakers insert Tim the Tool Man Taylor sound effect here___________it was thicker than most community phone books. LOL

Edited March 22, 2007 by Marty

[FreakyDude]

Wasn't Best sold to Wilson's or something? I was under the impression that Best was bought by another company.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m309..._v27/ai_6749652

Edited March 23, 2007 by FreakyDude

[cowboybud]

Wasn't Best sold to Wilson's or something? I was under the impression that Best was bought by another company.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m309..._v27/ai_6749652

Maybe it was now-defunct Service Merchandise? I know the Best Products by Greenspoint became a Fingers' furniture center, not sure what it is now.

Interesting how the article referred to the "catalog industry", a niche that was quickly rendered obsolete by "big box" stores and the internet.

[Guest Marty]

From what I can remember the Best in Greenspoint area was west of I-45 on Greens Road. The Fingers East of the I-45 Freeway has always been there since the late 70's early 1980's at Greens Road and I-45 I think they copied the Greenspoint Mall design in the mid 1980's when they added the glass triangle peak.

Edit; The corner of Northborough and Greens road that was the first Men's Wherehouse built in Houston 1984 i remember because my parent's where getting a good deal on some Wrangler blue jeans on the Grand Opening.

Edited March 24, 2007 by Marty

[Bubba]

From what I can remember the Best in Greenspoint area was west of I-45 on Greens Road. The Fingers East of the I-45 Freeway has always been there since the late 70's early 1980's at Greens Road and I-45 I think they copied the Greenspoint Mall design in the mid 1980's when they added the glass triangle peak.

The old Best location on Greens Rd is/was last known to be an Aaron Rents furniture outlet. The Fingers furniture store is beside it and was built specifically for Fingers. They are both located on the east side of I-45, just across Greens Rd from the mall. Best just closed their stores. No purchase was made for them. W. Bell & United Jewlers are others that closed too. Wilson's did become Service Merchandise which later closed.

[Subdude]

[Subdude]

The Dodge Challenger three cars in was one of my favorite designs from that era.

 

 

[mollusk]

I'll take the Opel Manta (this side of the Challenger).  A very fun car to drive, and pretty quick for its time (when even Corvettes were powered by gerbils).

[Earlydays]

An even more interesting Opel was the two-seater GT coupe...I friend of mine in Clear Lake raced one with the SCCA in the early 70's.......

[Subdude]

I'll take the Opel Manta (this side of the Challenger).  A very fun car to drive, and pretty quick for its time (when even Corvettes were powered by gerbils).

 

Yeah, a college friend had a Manta "Luxus" and it was head and shoulders above the junk the rest of us drove.

[NenaE]

My current love is the Mach I - Mustang. The teenager down the street had a Mustard Yellow one, when I was young. I just saw a Boss 302, is it? New one, looked good.

[Subdude]

My current love is the Mach I - Mustang. The teenager down the street had a Mustard Yellow one, when I was young. I just saw a Boss 302, is it? New one, looked good.

 

When I was in high school I bought a used Mustang from that era, indicating perhaps that my brain was not yet fully formed.  It was an incredible piece of junk.  If a part could break, it did break, down to the buttons on the radio and the door locks.  I actually thought the latter was a positive in that it might have increased the likelihood of it being stolen.  No such luck though.  

[Wildcat51]

On March 23, 2007 at 3:46 PM, FreakyDude said:

Wasn't Best sold to Wilson's or something? I was under the impression that Best was bought by another company.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m309..._v27/ai_6749652

Best Products was taken private by the private equity firm of Adler and Shaykin in 1989 or 1990. The catalog merchandise business was in a severe decline and the two largest companies - Best Products and Service Merchandise - each ceased operations within the next 10 years or so.