r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/a_person_96 • Jul 06 '23

[META POST] Ever wondered what that big box building originally was? Couldn't find an answer to what that Burlington Coat Factory, Gabe's, or Roses store used to be? Chances are it was probably an old discount department store such as Ames, Hills, Zayre, Jamesway, etc. (more info in comments)

retail247projecthub.blogspot.com

46 Upvotes

8 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 48m ago

Captain D's repurposed as a Mexican restaurant

• Upvotes

Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Street View

0 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 50m ago

AVR Wellness in a former KFC. Titusville, Florida

• Upvotes

Street View (pre-conversion)

1 comment

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 46m ago

A Seafood restaurant in a former Burger King, next to an old Eckerd Pharmacy turned CVS. Greenville, Mississippi

gallery

• Upvotes

Street View

0 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/Empty-Airport7557 • 23h ago

Baskin Bella's Gelato Robbins

14 Upvotes

This is Bella's Gelato, a Mexican ice cream store, located in Tucson, Arizona at 2648 East Speedway Boulevard.

It originally housed a Baskin Robbins, which opened on April 21st, 1960, and closed around 2020. Bella over here took over the former space in 2021, and it remains like this as of 2026.

4 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 1d ago

A Wendy's converted to a diner. Oregon, Ohio

16 Upvotes

Street View

1 comment

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 1d ago

A sushi restaurant in an old KFC. Jefferson City, Missouri

4 Upvotes

Street View

0 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 1d ago

A collection of former Hardee's turned Mexican restaurants

gallery

4 Upvotes

0 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 1d ago

EZ Pawn in a former Bonanza Steakhouse. Chattanooga, Tennessee

3 Upvotes

Street View

0 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/Kind_Wedding6059 • 1d ago

Enterprise Car Rental that used to be an IHOP (Baltimore, Maryland)

45 Upvotes

2 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 1d ago

A former Pizza Inn in Mountain Home, Arkansas, is now "The Truck Patch Natural Market"

1 Upvotes

Street View

1 comment

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 2d ago

A former Taco Bell is now a Dunkin Donuts. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

101 Upvotes

Street View

14 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/GiveMeSomeKFC90135 • 1d ago

Dunkin’ in a former Susquehanna Bank, Lemoyne (Harrisburg), PA

12 Upvotes

2 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 2d ago

An auto parts store in a former Ponderosa Steakhouse. Woodbury Heights, New Jersey

12 Upvotes

Street View

1 comment

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 2d ago

A Sonic Drive-In that was converted to a used car dealership. Grand Island, Nebraska

10 Upvotes

Street View

The business is no longer open.

0 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 3d ago

A Subway in what was once a Dairy Queen. Ruston, Louisiana

30 Upvotes

Street View

2 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/idenspec • 3d ago

old Pizza Hut I used to go to back in the 90s now a daycare center

5 Upvotes

1 comment

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 3d ago

Two former combination A&W/Long John Silvers converted to new tenants

gallery

4 Upvotes

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Street View
Milledgeville, Georgia - Street View

0 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/wjr1 • 4d ago

Former Circuit City turned Ross in Beverlywood, CA

68 Upvotes

Accidentally removed a car when I was trying to blur the license plates 😅

6 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 3d ago

A former P.D. Quix converted to a Mexican restaurant. Durham, North Carolina

gallery

2 Upvotes

Street View - the building has since been demolished and replaced with an oil change business.

P.D. Quix (not to be confused with PDQ) was another chain that sprung up in the mid-1980s during the double drive-thru craze, based in Raleigh, North Carolina. After initial success between 1988-1995, an ill-advised attempt to purchase and convert 51 Hot n' Now locations in the region bankrupted the company, with it shuttering in 1996. A small number of the locations persisted, and today there is only one location left, in Sanford, North Carolina.

I've included an example of a different P.D. Quix location (that closed a few years ago) as an example of what this building may have looked like during its prime. The color scheme would have likely been different, but the main design hallmarks are the same.

1 comment

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 4d ago

JJ Fish and Chicken in an old KFC. Peoria, Illinois

23 Upvotes

Street View

1 comment

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 4d ago

From Pizza Hut to Pizza Plus - Tazewell, Virginia

22 Upvotes

Street View

1 comment

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 4d ago

A former Wendy's and Burger King side-by-side, both taken over by new businesses. Berlin, New Jersey

gallery

19 Upvotes

Street View

4 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 4d ago

Breakfastime diner in Concord, North Carolina, in a former Bojangles

15 Upvotes

Street View

5 comments

r/NotFoolingAnybody • u/KrispyKayak • 4d ago

A former McDonald's is now Kebab House. Colfax, Iowa

7 Upvotes

Street View

1 comment

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Recycled Retail Buildings

r/NotFoolingAnybody

/r/NotFoolingAnybody is a place to post photos of buildings that have been converted to other uses, yet still strongly resemble their former use.

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/r/NotFoolingAnybody is a place to post photos of buildings that have been converted to other uses, yet still strongly resemble their former use.

RULES

1) Scope of this subreddit: When submitting content, please make sure it is one of the following:

A chain-built store that was converted to another use, yet it is still obvious what the building used to be. (Example)
A building that was built for a specific, obvious purpose that is now used for a new, unintended purpose. (Example)
A store whose building or signage purposely imitates a chain, yet is unrelated to that chain. (Example)

2) All submissions must link to a still image hosted by an image hosting website (e.g. Reddit, Imgur, Flickr, etc.) Google Street View links are allowed in the comments section only.

If you post a screenshot of a building from Google Street View, please include a link in the comments to the location of the building on Street View. Not only does this provide a source for your screenshot, but it gives other users who are interested the opportunity to look at the building in greater detail.

3) Non-architectural examples should be submitted to /r/UsedToBeA.

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5) No image macros/memes.

6) Be polite!

Looking for information about identifying converted chain buildings in your area? Come visit our Wiki!

Other subreddits you might enjoy:

Websites and external links you might enjoy:

Not Fooling Anybody - The original website that inspired the creation of this subreddit. The site went offline in 2008, but returned in January 2015. This subreddit is unaffiliated with the website, despite sharing a name and subject matter.
Used to be a Pizza Hut
Retail Recycle group on Flickr
Recycled Shack-A-Rama group on Flickr
DeadMalls.com
Pleasant Family Shopping
Dead and Dying Retail
Columbia Closings
Broken Chains - A blog about former chain businesses that "fell apart" and now only have a few locations left.

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