Fare thee well Radio Shack

 RadioShack files for Chapter 11

Say it ain’t so………….a sign of the times, I suppose.  The last sole survivor in the retail, consumer electronic parts store is folding up shop downtown.  Who is going to miss the iconic R within a circle?…………….Anyone that has ever enjoyed the satisfaction of building his or her own audio/video project or the professional or hobbyist looking for parts and pieces to build or repair the current  task at hand.  As a young kid, I could spend an afternoon wandering around the displays of audio and video equipment.

I remember looking through the countless blister packs of every conceivable wiring adapter,  jack,  switch, lamp, as well as headphones, microphones, speakers.  You name it.  It was there someplace!  They had drawers full resistors, capacitors, volume pots, and everything else you needed to build your own electronic widget.

The internet has provided many on-line electronic parts retailers, but The Shack was the last vestige in the local, downtown, walk in, electronics shop.  What does it all mean?  Not sure, but it can’t be good.   Our world now revolves around planned obsolescence for most audio/video equipment, convenience of size, portability over quality of sound reproduction, and an ignorance of how things work.

Early Stamford CT.  Radio Shack

Well…………..it’s with a heavy heart that I bid a farewell and say goodbye to one of the few stores that still had me walking into a shopping mall…..