Once upon a time there was a mail order company called Allied Radio. It was the largest electronics supplier. They sold many name brand components, as well as their own Knight-Kits. They sold anything and everything electronic. Hi-fi, parts, accessories, ham gear, test equipment, CB radio, tools, records & tapes. And they had lots of stores that sold all these things. In recent years, Fry's is the closest thing I've seen. The store and warehouse in Chicago was my first exposure to a hi-fi store. I was hooked. On every visit to Brookfield Square mall near Milwaukee, I would make a B-line to Allied and Brookfield Music, a killer independent record store. Once in a while, I would shop for clothes, too. loll!
In 1970, Allied was sold to Radio Shack. This was just as Quad was being introduced. Fisher, Altec, Pioneer, Sansui, Allied, Kenwood, Dynaco, Knight, AR & all the name brands were replaced with Realspastic equipment. Eventually, Allied Electronics, their industrial parts division was divested and survives to this day. In 1974, Radio Shack was ordered by the FTC to sell Allied. Schaak Electronic from St. Paul, MN bought Allied and retained most of the stores in Chicago and Milwaukee. Within a year or two, Schaak closed all the former Allied locations in Chicago, but kept the two in Milwaukee. Schaak was a hi-fi retailer, with locations mostly in mega malls in the Midwest.
Allied's Chicago Store & Warehouse at 100 N. Western Ave.:
1969 Catalog:
1971 Catalog, featuring the 498 w/auto-tuning, one of the last Allied receivers:
May 4, 1961 Milwaukee Journal ad announcing Allied's first Milwaukee store. Although I never shopped this location, when I was a rep, I called on them as a Allied (Schaak) location and later when the location was taken over by an independent.:
2 speaker pages from 1970 catalog:
A receiver page from 1968 catalog:
Allied TD-1099:
Allied 285 Tuner:
In 1970, Allied was sold to Radio Shack. This was just as Quad was being introduced. Fisher, Altec, Pioneer, Sansui, Allied, Kenwood, Dynaco, Knight, AR & all the name brands were replaced with Realspastic equipment. Eventually, Allied Electronics, their industrial parts division was divested and survives to this day. In 1974, Radio Shack was ordered by the FTC to sell Allied. Schaak Electronic from St. Paul, MN bought Allied and retained most of the stores in Chicago and Milwaukee. Within a year or two, Schaak closed all the former Allied locations in Chicago, but kept the two in Milwaukee. Schaak was a hi-fi retailer, with locations mostly in mega malls in the Midwest.
Allied's Chicago Store & Warehouse at 100 N. Western Ave.:
1969 Catalog:
1971 Catalog, featuring the 498 w/auto-tuning, one of the last Allied receivers:
May 4, 1961 Milwaukee Journal ad announcing Allied's first Milwaukee store. Although I never shopped this location, when I was a rep, I called on them as a Allied (Schaak) location and later when the location was taken over by an independent.:
2 speaker pages from 1970 catalog:
A receiver page from 1968 catalog:
Allied TD-1099:
Allied 285 Tuner: