RadioShack Closes 1 of Its Last Locations But Plots a Comeback
An iconic store chain that reached its peak in the 1990s has closed one of its last-ever locations in the U.S., but it's plotting a comeback there.
The chain is RadioShack, and its last location in Maryland has just closed for good.
According to NBC Washington, the RadioShack was located in Prince Frederick and decided to close its doors in late April 2025 after its owner Michael King died.
Although it may feel like a relic from the 1980s and 1990s, the RadioShack chain still has a website and sells products online and at some locations. Its website also says it remains successful in other countries.
The Maryland store was "being liquidated" with all products half off, the television station reported, adding that some customers were distraught by the end of an era.
'I'm very sad; I'll start crying,' customer Joann Faber Tyrell said to the television station. The store lasted for more than 50 years, NBC Washington reported..
According to Maryland Matters, when King died in January, his son Edward King took over the store. The site noted that Radio Shack declared bankruptcy in 2015 and the Kings kept using the name but bought their products "from other wholesalers."
'It was fun while it lasted, but it's not the same anymore,' King said to Maryland Matters. 'I know my dad realized that.' He added: "It's the end of an era."
RadioShack has only six "brick-and-mortar" stores left in the U.S., according to Taste of Country, although its website lists several dozen authorized dealers that can sell the company's products but don't operate under its name.
The company's website lists seven stores still carrying the RadioShack name in the U.S.; they are in Woodstock, VA; Bozeman, MT; Brodheadsville, PA; Lenoir, NC; Newland, NC; Sevierville, TN; and Layton, UT.
According to Fox40, RadioShack stores started to close stores in 2010, the "victim of changing tech trends and disruptive competitors like Amazon." In 2015, when the company filed for bankruptcy, it had 1,500 stores in the United States, Fox40 reported. In 2014, according to CNN, RadioShack had a whopping 5,200 stores. According to Venture Beat, RadioShack had more than 8,000 stores in 1999, its heyday.
However, after a sale, the company is now plotting a comeback, Venture Beat reported in January 2025. The company says as much on its website.
Its "new owner is pledging a comeback and is showcasing 380 products at CES, the big tech trade show in Las Vegas," the Venture Beat site reported.
"RadioShack is an iconic American chain of consumer electronics stores since 1921. For over a century, RadioShack has been the go-to destination for tech, offering a wide range of products from innovative gadgets to essential electronic components," the company's' website says.
"Unicomer Group acquired the RadioShack franchise in El Salvador in January 1998 with the vision of expanding it throughout Central America, the Caribbean with a presence in over 20 countries. This successful partnership allowed RadioShack to become the go-to destination for any tech needs in every country it operates, continuing its legacy of offering technology products and accessories to a wider audience," it adds.
"Unicomer Group, through its affiliate Global Franchising Corporation (GFC), acquired RadioShack's intellectual property assets and domains in about 70 countries around the world, including the United States and Canada, Europe, and China," the website continued.
RadioShack is trying to make a comeback, the company confirmed.
"RadioShack is coming back in the US with an extensive product selection that ensures our customers they will find exactly what they need to carry on with day-to-day lives or transform their home and office. Our electronics range including: music and audio equipment, gaming equipment, business traveling products, dependable computer accessories and more," the website says.
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