Turning Off the Power Makes Us Yearn for Our Past and Future

The pandemic has done it again, forced yet another closure of yet another once popular and successful business.

And you might say the unplugging of this latest one generated sparks of emotion among its hundreds of thousands of once loyal customers.

Fry’s Electronics, with its mega stores filled with all kinds of gadgets, gizmos and gyrating games, has powered down for good.

Fry’s is a brand that’s part of California’s business culture, founded 36 years ago here on the West Coast with 14 of its 31 stores in our state.

One analyst told the San Diego Union Tribune, "It’s the end of an era, a sad day.”

And yet Fry’s is just the latest long-standing major retailer, many already financially flickering before the pandemic due to the challenges of the growth in on-line shopping, to then be hit by the stay-at-home shutdowns that have led to the decision to close down.

In recent months, we’ve seen Sears and Macy’s and other well-known stores shut their doors. And of course, we’ve seen the hundreds of restaurants, many very popular, that have served their last meals and gone dark.

While change is part of business and part of life, sometimes our love for what is and what has been can make us nostalgic for times gone by. But when the pandemic is finally behind us, at some point in the months ahead, we will remember how it changed almost everything.

(Photo Getty Images)