Businesses come and businesses go. Sometimes they even come back (we're looking at you, Goody's). Here are ten former businesses that I wouldn't mind seeing return to the area. What former Quincy/Hannibal area businesses would you like to see make a comeback?

Merkels Kroger
Kurt Parsons
loading...

Ben Franklin Crafts

Ben Franklin Crafts was "a fun place to shop" for decades. It wasn't always a fun place to park, but it was a cool store. Kind of like a cross between Hobby Lobby and ... I'm not sure. Maybe K-Mart? There are still some Ben Franklin stores around, but most of them in our area, including the Quincy store, are gone. The Ben Franklin in Monroe City is still open.

Blockbuster Video

Remember how much fun it was to go to the video store, wonder around for an hour, and finally settle on a movie you never heard of because the new release you went after was out of stock? Usually the movie you settled on wasn't very good, but every once in a while you'd be surprised. Quincy still has a Family Video, but it is just about the last of the local video stores still in operation.

Jack's

Jack's was in both Quincy and Hannibal. The chain was acquired by Shopko in the late 90s. If it were still around, Jack's would probably be exactly like Shopko, so in a way it's never left. We're adding it to the list, anyway. It's always nice to have another alternative when you want to avoid going to Walmart.

K's Merchandise

K's Merchandise operated for years in Quincy. The store was at 48th and Broadway, where County Market opened their newest Quincy location a few years back. When I was a kid, a lot of my toys came from K's Merchandise. I also remember they had a great electronics department where we would get Nintendo games back when Nintendo was first coming out.

K·B Toys

Not only is K·B Toys gone from Quincy Mall, they're gone everywhere. This was the place we had to visit every time we went to the mall when we were kids. To be honest, I don't think Christmastime is quite the same without it. Toys R Us acquired what was left of the company after it went out of business in 2009.

Kroger

You can really never have enough places to get groceries. There used to be a Kroger store in Quincy. That went away, but the store in Hannibal remained open. Then in 2012 Kroger closed its Hannibal store and its store in Louisiana. Schnucks and National were a couple of other grocery chains I can remember shopping at. Come to think of it, there might still be a couple of National brand spices way in the back of the cabinet. (Just kidding. That would be way gross.)

Merkel's

Someone asked me just the other day if Merkel's was still open. Sadly, it is not. The sign is still up on the store, but it closed in 2008.

Midwest Comics

I was a kid during the comic book boom of the late 80s and early 90s. Quincy and Hannibal had several good comic book stores during those years. Midwest Comics was one of them. They were at a couple of locations on State Street, then moved to a storefront on Broadway before closing several years ago.

Steve & Barry's

Steve & Barry's wasn't in Hannibal for very long, but it was cool place. I think I still have some hockey jerseys I bought at Steve & Barry's hanging in the closet, and probably a couple of t-shirts.

That discount bakery place on Mark Twain Avenue in Hannibal (I don't remember the name)

Anyone else remember this place? Anyone remember what it was called? I can remember my mom buying a whole lot of bread, hot dog and hamburger buns there every time we had a family get together at our house. They also had a lot of Hostess pies, cupcakes, Zingers, Ding-Dongs, and other treats that are amazing when you're a kid, but are not nearly as impressive when you're an adult.

More From KHMO-AM 1070, News-Talk-Sports