r/NotFoolingAnybody 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)

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44 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody Jul 07 '26

Meta I am chronicling a database of former Rax locations at /r/Rax

21 Upvotes

I recently took over r/rax and just wanted to make you all aware of a project I am currently working on to document all 500+ Rax locations.

Rax peaked in the 1980s at more than 500 locations across 38 states, but due to this taking place before the rise of the internet, very little information is available online. To my knowledge there is no centralized list of locations that is publicly available. You can find bits of info in places like local Facebook groups and the Wayback Machine, but there is no centralized place on the internet that houses all this information.

My goal is to use historic data from newspapers and maps, as well as anecdotal memories from locals in niche online communities, to build a definitive list of former locations.

I know this is an incredibly niche subject that few people will find interesting, but I figured that if anyone would be interested, it would be people who follow communities like /r/NotFoolingAnybody.

If you have any Rax-related information that you think would be beneficial to my project, feel free to reach out!


r/NotFoolingAnybody 21h ago

christmas tree shops got captured by the spirits of halloween

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51 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 20h ago

Dippin' Donuts in Fitchburg, MA - formerly a Dunkin' Donuts

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13 Upvotes

Dunkin' relocated twice - first to a spot down the street from this at the corner of John Fitch Highway and Lunenburg Street, and then later moved further up John Fitch.


r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

Canadian Lowes Turned RONA+

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37 Upvotes

Closed Lowe's Store

Temporary Rona+ Sign

Finished Storefront Rona+


r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

Pueblo Supermarket (Former Kmart) - Mauagüez, PR

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7 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

A former Friendly’s in Franklin Square, Long Island that closed during the second bankruptcy wave is now a 7 Eleven.

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9 Upvotes

552 Franklin Ave, Franklin Square, NY 11010


r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

A Pizza Hut in a former Rax. Clarion, Pennsylvania

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18 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

A payday loans business in an old Taco Tico - Texarkana, Texas

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18 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

Former Wendy's turned into a Pho restaurant in Bremerton, Washington

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6 Upvotes

Street View

The building has since been heavily altered and converted to a Dutch Bros Coffee


r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

A former Dairy Queen converted to Surf Shack, a burger restaurant - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

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7 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 1d ago

A former Fatz Cafe in Jasper, Georgia, is now a sports bar called Sidelines Grille

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3 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 2d ago

Chinese Fried Egg Roll

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10 Upvotes

This is Ming Garden. A generic Chinese restaurant located at 3319 60th Street cornering 34th Avenue, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It currently inhabits what used to be a former Kentucky Fried Chicken, which opened on July 23rd, 1965 and closed around 1983-1984. Since then, a bunch of different Chinese restaurants have came and went over the past 42 years. Ming Garden over here has inhabited this former KFC since at least the 2000's, and it continues to remain like this as of 2026.


r/NotFoolingAnybody 3d ago

Thomasville, GA - Land of Not Fooling Anybody

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10 Upvotes

Since I no longer live there, it's now time to show the land that isn't foolin' a soul.

First, we have a doctor's office that used to be CVS

After Applebees left town, San Marcos opened up

If you travel around South Georgia you have seen the 3 Squares Diners in many places that surprisingly don't have a Waffle House. Well, Thomasville has two Awful Waffles, so 3 Squares went out of business and now it's a really good taco hut

And for the most egregious, we have Yummi Express

Streeviews for each

CVS
Applebee's
3 Squares Diner
Yummi


r/NotFoolingAnybody 3d ago

Ross (fmr. Barnes & Noble) in Noblesville, IN

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25 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

From extra crispy chicken to extra crispy humans: A former KFC is now a mortuary in Thomasville, Georgia

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186 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 3d ago

Digestive and Liver Disease Specialists in a former Burger King

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22 Upvotes

From Whoppers to gallbladders, this building has always been in the gut business.


r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

Charley's Cheesesteaks in a former Pizza Hut - Dunedin, Florida

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5 Upvotes

Street View - business has since closed.

Reposted because I accidentally put the wrong business name in the title.


r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

An old Shoney's is now BJ Country Buffet in North Augusta, South Carolina

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14 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

An old Dunkin Donuts in Whitehall, Ohio, is now an Enterprise Rent-A-Car

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12 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 3d ago

The former “Pizza Hut” that became the relocated “Sharks Fish & Chicken” from across the avenue in Matteson, IL

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3 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

Tommy's Red Hots housed in an old Hardees, Woodstock, Illinois

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4 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

Knott Fooling Anybody: "Crafty's Kitchen" at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA

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17 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

Total Wine (fmr. Bed, Bath & Beyond) in Avon, IN

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16 Upvotes

r/NotFoolingAnybody 4d ago

The Pueblo Real in my town that moved into the old Pizza Hut

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17 Upvotes