JCD666

Record and Tape Traders was founded in 1977, initially operating out of a house in Towson, Maryland, the store sold new and used music, and as the name alludes to, bought, sold, and traded music as well. The store eventually outgrew their residential digs, moving into their Towson retail location, and further expanding over the years to have eight other locations, including Charles Village, Frederick, Bel Air, Catonsville, Westminster, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Like all too many traditional record stores, internet sales and streaming services began taking their toll, and one by one the stores were closed or sold until one remained.

Sigfried Frankenthal founded Packerland Packing in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1960 and proceeded to built one of the largest meat packing operations in the Midwest. Wanting to ensure total control over his product, Frankenthal created his own trucking company called Packerland Transport, which built up a sizable refrigerated fleet to move boxed beef products nationwide. Packerland Packing Company was purchased by an investor group in 1994, which drastically expanded the reach of Packerland's products, with market expansions both domestically and worldwide.

Sponsored by Pan Am and hosted in Ft. Lauderdale, and Tampa, Florida, the Sunshine International Series was the first international soccer competition to use the NASL's point system to determine the standings in matches between U.S. and international teams. As such, teams were awarded six points for wins in regulation or overtime, four points for a shoot–out win, and up to three bonus points for each goal scored in regulation. The series ran for several years in the early to mid '80s.

USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was a Belmont-class technical research ship (i.e. electronic spy ship) for the U.S. Navy. On the afternoon of June 8, 1967, while in international waters off the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, Liberty was attacked by the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Navy; 34 American crewmen were killed and 174 wounded. Though Liberty was severely damaged, with a 39-by-24-foot hole amidship and a twisted keel, her crew kept her afloat, and she was able to leave the area under her own power. As a result of the crew's heroic response to the attack, Liberty is the US Navy's most highly decorated ship for a single action, being awarded the Combat Action Ribbon and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Located in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Dick’s Auto Wrecking was one of the earliest commercial wrecking yards in America. They not only took in discarded and wrecked automobiles, but dismantled and sold useable parts as one of the first true pick a part yards. As the longevity of cars in the 20s and 30s simply wasn't that long, many of the vehicles in wrecking yards really weren't that old, so while the well-to-do would simply junk their old car, those with fewer means would keep them running through scrap parts... not unlike today.

Simplex Manufacturing Corporation was an American manufacturer that made motorcycles and other small engine vehicles from 1935 to 1975. Simplex's minimalist philosophy was maintained throughout the company's history, whose designs changed little after 1935. By the 1950s, Simplex's designs were considered primitive, leading to the end of their motorcycle models. However, they continued to make minibikes and karts, including their highly competitive Challenger series, using their proprietary engines until 1975, when they went out of business.

Elephant Memory Systems (EMS) was a popular brand of floppy disk media produced by Leading Edge in the '80s. The name for the product was derived because of the common folk wisdom that an elephant never forgets. Elephant was founded in 1980. The brand was originally devised as an inexpensive, mass-market product, and its imposing pachyderm logo paired with bright yellow packaging, which was in stark contrast of the more conservative silvers and blues used by competitors. Investors feared this would undermine the credibility of the product, however, Elephant would become viewed as a premium product, eventually becoming one of the highest-margin floppies on the market and one of the best-selling media brands in history.

Central Storage and Transfer Company got their start as a moving outfit in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, some time in the late 1800s or early 1900s. While the early days are a bit foggy, what we do know is that in 1925, they applied for and received license to operate as a common carrier, and began hauling more than just households and offices relocating from one place to another. Central began providing top-notch freight service throughout Pennsylvania, connecting businesses to the east coast. Eventually, their freight business overtook their moving and storage business, so they continued to focus on the growth area. This was apparently a good decision, as it took them well into the 1980s, but deregulation ultimately did them in.

Bikers have long been opinionated about their ride of choice, and while there aren't nearly as many stateside manufacturers as there used to be, most American riders can agree on one thing, regardless of the make – ride American.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located within Symphony Woods, a 40-acre lot of preserved land in the heart of the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. The venue opened in 1967 on the former grounds of the Oakland Manor Plantation, with the majority of the wooded and open field land around it serving as a park, festival site, event parking, and site of Christmas light displays. In the decades since it's inception, Merriweather has hosted some of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll and is consistently named among the top amphitheaters in the United States. This design is styled after the venue's minimalist logo that was in play in the '70s.

Cyclops Records was founded in 1978 in Sevierville, Tennessee, just north of Gatlinburg. The traditional style record store was a local favorite for several decades, offering a wide range of vinyl records, cassette tapes, and the usual rock posters and t-shirts.

If you're a '90s kid, you're probably familiar with this golden dinosaur as he graced countless mac n' cheese boxes and the ads promoting them. C.Rex made his debut in 1991 and this one has him catching waves and ruling it up like no other dino could!

Re-Animator is a 1985 comedy horror film loosely based on the 1922 H. P. Lovecraft serial novelette "Herbert West–Reanimator." Herbert West is a medical student who has invented a reagent which can re-animate deceased bodies. He and his classmate Dan Cain begin to test the serum on dead human bodies, and conflict with Dr. Carl Hill, who is infatuated with Cain's fiancée and wants to claim the invention as his own. Re-Animator was followed by two sequels: Bride of Re-Animator in 1990, and Beyond Re-Animator in 2003.

While the effects of the '80s 'war on drugs' are debatable, I think everyone will agree that the campaign messages and materials were pretty corny. That is certainly the case with this mid '80s 'Rule Out Drugs' example that shows a boy playing pirates and swinging a ruler. Say nope to dope, kids!

Bop Street Records first opened on Seattle's Aurora Avenue in 1979, later moved to Ballard Ave in 1984, and moved again in 2010, though just a few blocks away to Market Street. The store was a favorite with collectors who loved finding rare gems among Bop Street's extensive 500,000 recordings, but was also just a great place to stop in to buy records. Bop Street's prestige extended well beyond Seattle’s borders, being named as one of the best five record stores in the country, though sadly, global events of 2020 forced the store to close several years ahead of the owner's intended retirement.

The first pre-recorded music cassettes hit the market in 1966, with an initial offering of just 49 titles. This was the first step in the portable music revolution, but it wasn't until the late '70s when portable cassette players explode, and retail music cassettes went right along with them. From massive dual deck boom boxes to belt clipped personal players, cassettes were the new way to listen to music. While existing record stores were already carrying cassettes, Tape World launched with an all cassette retail format in their mall stores from coast to coast. Sure, they sold select vinyl titles, but they were wall-to-wall cassette tapes, which gave their relatively small footprint stores the ability to carry a ton of stock.

While the wine world has its Sommeliers, the liquor world had a biker named Feral Daryl. This uniquely nicknamed gent was a well known friend of many San Bernardino MC's, and was a veritable human encyclopedia when it came to hard alcohol. Daryl worked off and on as a bartender for years, but in the early '80s, he rolled the dice and opened Feral Daryl’s Liquor World just outside of Victorville in Adelanto, California. He was more than thrilled to no longer be slinging drinks, and instead spending his time helping customers find the perfect liquors, mixers, and even advise on food pairings. For 25 years, Feral Daryl’s Liquor World was the place to go, even if it was a little out of your way, so consider yourself lucky if you made the trip.

The first true Grand National model, clad in the model's iconic gloss black with pretty much zero chrome trim, debuted in 1984 and was instantly hailed as a triumph of performance by the automotive press. Pumping out a then-stout 200 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, the rear-wheel drive, 3.8-liter turbo coupe blew the doors off just about everything on the road. The Grand National was a subtle sleeper, giving even the Italian supercars a run for their money... and winning almost every time. Despite high demand for these road rockets, the production number remained low before the plug was pulled, so they are still a hot commodity among car enthusiasts and collectors alike today.

For those living in Los Angeles in the '70s and '80s, there was only one place to see a rock concert or a sporting event: The Fabulous Forum. In 1967, The Forum rose from a former golf course in Inglewood like a modern-day Roman Coliseum. Its financier, Jack Kent Cooke, was a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman turned multi-millionaire owner of both pro basketball and hockey teams. He dreamed of building sports' answer to the Taj Mahal in Los Angeles, and The Fabulous Forum was his dream come true, as a 75' high Roman-style building adorned by 80 exterior columns. The facility was a shining star of the greater L.A. area for decades, hosting countless events from sports championships and rock concerts, to circuses and home shows.

From the 1978 to 1983 model years, the Mercury Zephyr served as the Mercury counterpart of the Fairmont. Sharing the same model range as the Fairmont, the Zephyr was offered as two-door and four-door sedans, a five-door station wagon, and a two-door Zephyr Z-7 coupe. At its launch, the Zephyr was externally distinguished by the use of four headlights (initially only used by the Fairmont Futura). The exterior was styled with design elements that were adopted by multiple Mercury product lines during the early 1980s, including a waterfall-style grille, horizontally-ribbed tail lamps, and (non-functional) front fender vents.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is a science fiction adventure television series that ran for two seasons between September 1979 and April 1981. The feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film before the series aired. The story centers around a 20th-century astronaut that emerges from 500 years of suspended animation into a future time to become Earth's greatest hero. The film and series were based on the comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan that first ran in daily U.S. newspapers in 1929, and subsequently appeared in Sunday editions, international newspapers, books and multiple media with adaptations including radio in 1932.

Bradlees Department Store, more commonly known as Bradlees, was a discount department store chain based in Braintree, Massachusetts, which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. Bradlees sold various retail items in its stores, including clothing, jewelry, health care, beauty products, footwear, furniture, electronics, housewares, and bedding. At its peak in 2000, Bradlees operated over 105 stores in seven states across the Northeast, with close to 10,000 employees. The chain went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000, with all of its stores eventually closed by March 15, 2001.

Wherever there is a great triumph, there is usually even greater tragedy. Such is the case with the Los Angeles hardcore-punk outfit known as the Germs, who, in four short years, lived dangerously, playing fast, brash rock 'n' roll with a much dirtier and nastier edge than their contemporaries; an edge that would prove to be sharp and deadly for the bands' confused and drug addicted lead singer. They only released a single studio album in 1979, but it was a banger stuffed with 17 songs dripping with aggression, despair, and pure rage. Titled (GI), the all-black cover with an enigmatic blue circle design echoed the Germs' stripped-down aesthetic perfectly and would be synonymous with the band until their untimely undoing in 1980.

Long before online colleges and distance learning were a thing, correspondence courses were the way people could get a degree or certification without having to ever set foot on a college campus. One such institution was Auto Upholstery Institute of Orange, California. In an attempt to ride the car and van customizing wave of the early '70s, A.U.I. set up several correspondence courses to teach auto upholstery and customization. Advertisements in automotive magazines and comic books advised readers to send in the included form for a free course catalog. Once registered, schools sent training materials, lesson worksheets, and the tools and supplies for the selected course. A.U.I. was even accredited by the California Department of Education.

Galaxian is a fixed shooter video game that began showing up in arcades in 1979. The player assumes control of the star fighter Galaxip in its mission to protect Earth from waves of Galaxian aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them. The aliens appear in formation towards the top of the screen, with two escort ships, labeled the "Galaxian Flagship" or "Galboss." Enemies divebomb towards the bottom of the screen while shooting projectiles in an attempt to hit the player. The Galaxip can only fire one shot at a time, and the player must wait for it to either hit an enemy or clear the screen before being able to fire another, due to limitations of the hardware.

The Yorkshire Terrier (often shortened as Yorkie) was developed during the 19th century in Yorkshire, England, and is one of the smallest dogs of any breed, with an ideal maximum size of 7 pounds. A popular companion dog, the Yorkshire Terrier has also been part of the development of other breeds, such as the Silky Terrier. Most have a black and tan coat, but they are also known to have a silver-grey or a blonde coat. Yorkshire Terriers are playful and energetic dogs. They often exhibit separation anxiety when left alone, which is a reason that some owners keep two dogs.

Founded in 1969, California Cycle Works was a manufacturer of custom motorcycle parts and a premier builder of NorCal style choppers and wild customs. Based in Sacramento, California, CCW was on the front end of the chopper craze, and produced a full catalog of custom parts ranging from custom frames to raked chopper forks and continued doing their thing well into the mid '80s.

The New England Tea Men were an American professional soccer team based in Greater Boston. They played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Their home venues for outdoor play were Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Nickerson Field. They also played one season of indoor soccer in the NASL, using the Providence Civic Center for home games. The Tea Men were originally owned by a tea company, and their unusual name was a nod to both the company's product line and the Boston Tea Party. The Tea Men won their division in 1978 and made a second playoff run in 1980. However, the team struggled financially in Massachusetts. Right at the start of the 1980–81 indoor season, they relocated to Jacksonville.

Un Gatto Nel Cervello (A Cat in the Brain) is a 1990 Italian horror film written and directed by Lucio Fulci. Fulci stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a tortured horror filmmaker who is driven by the violent visions that he experiences both behind the camera and off the set. Juxtaposing gory clips from his own past films, Fulci shot a wrap-around segment to create Un Gatto Nel Cervello through editing. The storyline is a personal insight into the effects of horror filmmaking on the psyche. With Fulci feeling like he's losing his grip on reality and disturbed by murderous fantasies, he consults a psychotherapist, who is secretly a serial killer and exploits the director's vulnerabilities to engage in his own murderous ends.

Founded as the Dodge Brothers Company by brothers Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge in the early 1900s, the brother's machine shop was originally a supplier of parts and assemblies to Detroit automakers. They began building complete automobiles as Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicles in 1914. Their factory in Hamtramck, Michigan, a small city surrounded by Detroit, was the main factory from 1910 until it closed in January 1980. The brothers both died in 1920 and their families eventually sold the company to Dillon, Read & Co. in 1925. The original logo was a circle, with two Greek deltas intertwined, forming a six-pointed star with an interlocked "DB" at the center, and the words "Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicles" encircled the outside edge.

Founded in 1956, the first issue of 16 hit the newsstands in May 1957 and was well received from day one. However, longtime editor-in-chief and former model, Gloria Stavers, transformed 16 from a standard general-interest celebrity magazine into a major fan magazine focused on the preteen female as its primary reader base. Despite the lack of serious journalistic content and fierce competition from similar publications, 16 remained the top-selling teen celebrity magazine for many years. Amazingly, for the first 30+ years, 16 Magazine was entirely self-supporting and contained no advertisements.

Mausoleum is a 1983 American supernatural horror film about a young woman who becomes possessed by the same demon that killed her mother. The film follows ten-year-old Susan as she attends her mother's funeral with her aunt Cora, who is appointed as her guardian. After the funeral, Susan flees into the family's mausoleum tomb and witnesses a demonic supernatural force killing a vagrant in the cemetery. The encounter results in Susan falling under the influence of an ancestral demon connected to her family lineage. While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 during the "video nasty" panic.

Rollin’ Rooms Van and Custom of San Bernardino was a preeminent custom van builder that was on the front end of the custom street van craze of the '70s. From mild to wild, Rollin’ Rooms turned out some of the era’s most amazing vans, while also applying their trade to a few custom cars and motorcycles. This design celebrates a time when tricked out vans ruled the streets and includes a tricked out van and vanner girl on roller skates along with bitchin’ retro typography and simulated metal flake paintwork.

The Cannonball Run is a 1981 comedy movie that follows a wacky cast of characters as they compete in an illegal cross-country road race. The race at the center of the movie is based on an actual event, the Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, organized by Brock Yates to protest the 55 mph speed limit then in effect in the U.S. The Cannonball was named for Erwin G. 'Cannonball' Baker, who in the roaring '20s rode his motorcycle across the country. Many of the characters are based on ruses developed by real Cannonball racers over the several years that the event was run. Largely panned by critics, the movie was a hit with audiences and did well at the box office, which lead to the 1984 sequel, The Cannonball Run II.

Back in 1938 Max Silverman opened a record store at 1836 7th Street in Washington, D.C. under the name Waxie Maxie Quality Music Co. Silverman's store was an instant hit as he stocked it with all the latest recordings as well as those from up-and-coming musicians, including many black artists, something that was still not very common at the time. Silverman began holding jam sessions and live radio broadcasts in the storefront's window, a spot that attracted teens and young adults to the store and became known as the Maxie's goldfish bowl. Silverman would eventually change the store's name to Waxie Maxie's and open over 30 locations throughout the Washington Metropolitan area.

Built in 1914, the 4000-seat Church of the Open Door was conceived by R. A. Torrey who had come to Los Angeles to start a Bible institute similar to Moody Bible Institute. The church was to be strictly non-denominational, though Evangelical. Its mission was to reach the lost of Los Angeles, which was reflected in the name based on two passages of Scripture: John 10:9 and Revelation 3:8. For 70 years, the church was located in downtown Los Angeles on Hope Street and 6th St. (536 South Hope St.), where two iconic 'Jesus Saves' neon signs acted as a landmark. The church relocated to Glendora, California in 1985, and the original downtown church building was demolished in the late '80s.