At the risk of TMI, I'd like to set the record straight on Lafayette (store list below), Radio Shack, Allied Radio, Allied Electronics and Schaak Electronics (
@: how'd Dick Schaak get in here?):
Allied Radio was a separate company from Radio Shack until 1970. Allied was primarily a mail-order full-line electronics company, but had several stores, as well. In 1970, Radio Shack acquired Allied. Allied sold name brand hi-fi, along with Allied (mfg by Pioneer) and Knight kit proprietary brands. Allied Radio Shack was a competitor of Lafayette and never sold Lafayette equipment, except perhaps a trade-in piece.
By 1973, due directly to federal court action, Radio Shack was ordered to divest itself of Allied Radio, but by that time with the purging of duplicate stock and closing of low volume stores, there was very little left to sell off, and the stores would once again bear the Radio Shack name. Radio Shack sold the remaning Allied stores to Schaak Electronics of Minnesota. With the opportunity to buy not only 8 Allied stores in Chicago, but 19 in other locations, he made the acquisition and Schaak Electronics was now double its original size.
But the expansion proved to be too much, especially in the context of economic recession in the US. Schaak Electronics lost money in 1974, in spite of significant sales increases. The pattern continued in 1975 with even more sales and even more money lost. In spite of efforts to control costs by closing several Schaak locations and all Allied locations, except the two in Milwaukee, Schaak Electronics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the spring of 1975. A two year battle with creditors ensued, including American National Bank and Manufacturers Hanover. In 1985, Schaak again declared bankruptcy, and liquidated, closing all locations.
Radio Shack retained Allied Electronics, the industrial parts division, which was acquired in 1999 by Electrocomponents of the United Kingdom.
www.alliedelec.com
Until I went to work for their competitors (Stereo City and Pacific Stereo), I was a regular Lafayette shopper. I still have an Akai CR80-DSS quad 8-track deck that I purchased from Lafayette in 1973 in Arlington Heights, IL. The ONLY 8-track deck that records in quad. They had a great selection of quad hardware and software, including Lafayette and name brand hi-fi. And Lafayette LR 4000 had a great SQ decoder. It won several awards. Several Lafayette stores were purchased by Circuit City of Richmond, VA. In order to keep the Lafayette name, which was popular in New York, Circuit City changed the store names to "Lafayette-Circuit City". All Lafayette stores were closed by the end of 1981.
Lafayette retail store locations according to catalog listing:
CT: W. Hartford, Stamford (later, Trim Fashions, now CVS), Hamden, Bridgeport, Enfield, Manchester, Torrington, Waterbury
CA: Hawthorne, Canoga Park, Carson, Cerritos, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Inglewood, Long Beach, North Hollywood, Northridge, Orange, Panorama City, Santa Monica, Studio City, Torrance, West Covina, Whittier
DE: Wilmington
FL: Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Hollywood, Jacksonville
GA: Atlanta/Buckhead, Decatur, Dunwoody, Forest Park
IN: Indianapolis (4 Locations)
IL: Rockford (associate store), Chicago metro area (Downtown Chicago, Ford City, New Town), Arlington Heights, Evergreen Park, Morton Grove, Norridge, Schaumburg, Villa Park
MA: Boston metro area (584 Commonwealth Ave., Prudential Center, Brookline), Worcester, Burlington, Danvers, Saugus, Natick (1400 Worcester St.), West Roxbury/Dedham, Springfield
MD: Baltimore metro area, Prince Georges County-Mt. Rainier/Hyattsville (3191 Queens Chapel Rd.), Dundalk, Glen Burnie, Marlow Heights, Rockville, Towson
MI: Store #1 on Broadway Ave in Detroit (aka Barton Electronics), Store #2 on Maple in downtown Birmingham (store was lost due to fire), Store #3 on Plymouth Road in Livonia (aka Robbie), Store #4 on Van Dyke in Sterling Heights, Store #5 Ann Arbor, Store #6 Kalamazoo (aka Kaltronics), <<10721 West 10 Mile Oak Park - Main Office, Warehouse and Store #7 (aka Eric)>>, Store #8 Trenton, Store #9 Farmington (aka Nancy), Store #10 Grand Rapids, Store #11 on Gratiot in Roseville, Store #12 on M59 in Waterford, Store #14 in Lansing. Two other nicknames for stores are Neutronics and Pentronics just not sure which ones. All of these were part of Eric Electroncis dba Lafayette Radio
MN: Brooklyn Center, Edina, Roseville
MO: St. Louis (Bridgeton, Crestwood, Jenkins)
NJ: East Brunswick, Newark (24 Central Ave.), Paramus (182 Route 17), Parsippany, Pennsauken, Plainfield (139 West 2 St.) Totowa, Union, Watchung
NY: New York City - Manhattan (71 West 45th St., 17 Union Square West, 100 Sixth Ave.), Brooklyn (2265 Bedford Ave.), Bronx (542 E. Fordham Rd.) Jamaica Queens (165-08 Liberty Ave.); Buffalo (Main Street near Tupper St, Amherst, West Seneca, Eastern Hills), Rochester (Irondequoit, Greece, Pittsford), Scarsdale (691 Central Park Avenue), Schenectady, Syracuse (E.Syracuse) Hempstead, L.I. (Franklin Ave.), Syosset, L.I. (111 Jericho Tpke.), Flushing
OH: Cleveland (Parma Heights, North Olmstead, Mentor, Warrensville Heights), Toledo, Columbus, Cincinnati
PA: Pittsburgh (Bridgeville/Collier (Great Southern Shopping Center), Monroeville, North Hills, Pleasant Hills), Allentown, Lancaster, Philadelphia, King of Prussia, Oxford Valley/Langhorne, York, West Chester.
RI: Providence, Warwick
TN: Nashville
TX: Tyler (closed 1980)
UT: Salt Lake City (Store still exists as an electronic supply and surplus outlet, now known as Ra-Elco)
VA: Richmond (in 6600 block of Midlothian Turnpike), Falls Church, Harrisonburg (Rolling Hills Shopping Center, East Market St.). Hampton and Virginia Beach
WI: Milwaukee (Bay Shore, Greenfield, Wauwatosa)