Radio Shack Westbrook Mall (Calgary)

What’s this? The ghost sign of an old Radio Shack store? Really? That firm closed down in Canada decades ago and any memories have long been relegated to the deep, dark recesses of the mind. Such connections to the past are usually hidden away in the subconscious and remain dormant until triggered. Only a familiar smell, sound or visual can trip the switch and then the floodgates open. Here they come!

The sign became exposed (in 2016) during renovations at Calgary’s Westbrook Mall and on gazing up it all came back. It’s not just a nostalgia rush for the the firm in general, but also this store in particular. Chris here, and I knew the place well as a youngster. When ditching class at Manning, I’d head down to the mall to play a little pinball at the arcade, nurse a coffee at the Woolco cafeteria, or window shop at the Shack.*

This very store functioned like a second home, but rarely was there money to make a purchase.

This old signage became exposed due to a tenant vacating the space and removing their storefront. I’m speaking of The Source (by Circuit City – the company that succeeded Radio Shack) and given the Westbrook outlet was underperforming at the time, it became one of a group to close that year. The Source continued on for a time, but it too is now history.

These remains had vanished by the time we next visited Westbrook Mall a week or so later. They’re gone forever. Now all that’s left are recollections from long ago and they’re stored up in this old brain (in that special section reserved for good memories). Who else out there recalls this store as fondly as I?

Let’s go back in time to say the ’70s or ’80s to when “The Shack” was the go-to outlet when one needed consumer tech or even a little tech advice. As a retail juggernaut they seemingly had everything a hobbyist or enthusiast could desire and it always seemed busy. The staff were typically knowledgeable and gave decent advice.

Want a tv, record player, tape deck, computer (TRS-80 baby!), CB radio (big once, good buddy) or batteries of any kind? They were the place. Need the building blocks for a homebrew electronics project or repairs? Test gear or tools of the trade? You made a bee-line to the nearest one.

Radio Shack advertised themselves as “The Technology Store” or (in the States) as “America’s Technology Store”. They were unrivaled at the time and held a near-monopoly in certain market segments. Every mall had one as a tenant and the firm advertised heavily. They printed catalogues by the millions and handed them out completely free. To the faithful these volumes were both a reference guide and a wish list.

Their “Free Battery of the Month” club drew in lots of people and once they had you inside, you probably purchased something else. Yours truly figured out a way to have several cards in rotation and perhaps in a small way this set in motion the firm’s later demise.

For years Radio Shack were one of the big players in the home and small business computer market. The Model 1 and Model III were big sellers early on and later they made IBM(ish) compatibles. These did well for a time and branded “Tandy” (Radio Shack’s then parent company).

Radio Shack had several house brands and in fact most of what they sold theirs. Here’s some that come to mind…

Micronta was for testing gear mostly – mutlimeters, logic probes and stuff like that.

Science Fair was for electronic kits and I for one recall the 150-in-1 electronic project kit gifted me on a birthday long ago. For a young, budding techie, it proved more than a toy, but a tool of discovery. One second it was a radio and another, a disco strobe light.

There’s fond memories of making an electronic siren (that made me popular with neighbours), a directional light meter, light organ, that Morse-code noise making thing (another everyone hated) and the always popular capacitive shocker. Touch these two wires…I dare you.

After trying all the experiments it was time to move on. Based on lessons learned a more powerful radio, a super-sensitive bugging device and (the legendary) almost lethal hyper-shocker were all tried. There’ll be smoke coming from your ears from that last one.

This overly zealous approach lead to a couple component meltdowns and the the kit soon a smoldering ruin. Darn near burned the house down in the process and soon after what remained of it went into the garbage. Only ever seen one in person since.

Archer was for all manner of products, including DYI electronic parts and tools. This is the name remembered most here and it was building things that captivated this guy the most. Radio Shack owned this market at the time and did well. Enercell is the name give the battery line and the free give-away proved to be a genius loss-leader.

Realistic is the most widely recognized name and it applied to many consumer electronics sold here. Stereos and TVs, CBs and whatever. They moved a lot of gear and especially at Christmas. Critics and audiophiles often panned their sound equipment but research suggest some of it wasn’t too bad. Still, the Realistic stigma never went away.

Products sold a the Shack came from either the parent Tandy corporation or contract manufacturers. No other competitor sold the same stuff and this gave them an exclusivity for a time.

The firm came to Canada about 1970 and in the beginning, but only briefly, used the name Allied Radio Shack. These stores were a mirror images of US outlets and down there the firm goes back to the early 1920s. The Westbrook Mall store opened in about 1977 and so this fellow has known it since it was new. Bought many things there, small stuff mostly and usually of an experimental nature, but dreamt of purchasing much more.

Interestingly, a second Radio Shack once operated nearby and in a strip mall just down the block from Westbrook. In business from 1971 and into 1990. Just a stone’s throw away, but a world apart and indoor mall stores always did better than those with outside entrances. It’s now a Korean Chicken place and they serve yummy eats.

In the mid-1980s Canadian Radio Shack Stores became independent from the US, but in outward appearances nothing really changed.

At one point there were well over a dozen Radio Shack stores in Calgary and indoor malls were home to most. Southcentre, Chinook, Market Mall, among others and of course lowly Westbrook. Lowly? More in a minute.

In the mid-2000s the company ended operations in Canada. Former stores became The Source by Circuit City and they were similar in scope as before, but with greater emphasis on things like cell phones.

The Source was still operating in Canada when this store closed, but in 2024, any outlets still in business (they downsized over the years) became Best Buy Express stores. They continues to sell electronics and tech, so the theme is pretty much the same.

Interestingly, the Source became Circuit City’s only foray into Canada and they never did open any of their super-stores here. Circuit City went out of business about a dozen years ago, down there, and are now a memory. The Source by Circuit City was actually owned by another tech firm afterwards, but they kept the name. Radio Shack in the US (now stylized RadioShack) still exists but they’ve had a rocky few years and the company is a shadow of its former self.

Radio Shack grew to be huge but is now just another long established firm that has fallen and no longer a market leader. Technology was once a highly profitable business, but now just another everyday product. Make it cheap or else is the only consideration.

This guy hadn’t thought of Radio Shack for years until they exposed the old sign and the memories quickly returned. It’s a bit bittersweet, but times change and the old ways become stale. So long Radio Shack and it’s nice to know you (said while presently searching eBay for a 150-in-1 kit).

Westbrook is one of Calgary’s oldest enclosed malls (1964) and is mere blocks from BIGDoer HQ. Went to school in the area, vowed to never return but came back anyway, over thirty years ago. You can’t get away from this neighbourhood and no matter how you try, you’re stuck here.

Westbrook Mall is the city’s premiere shopping destination…or not. Most days it’s dead now but when I went to school nearby (Manning and earlier Scott Junior High) crazy busy would be the best way to describe it. It was the place to shop – Woolco at one end, Safeway at the other – and lots of really cool stores in between.

Now, it’s empty shops or stores that come and go. Walmart does well enough, but is only sort of connected to the mall (most of their customers never see anything else), Safeway still okay business, as does Sport Chek, but the small shops seem to have little traffic. A few malls in the city seem to do well, but for the rest, including Westbrook, it’s best described as a general malaise. No one makes it their shopping destination.

This post is one of those lost to a recent website database crash (no doubt you’ve heard us bemoaning the event) and rather then simply restore from a backup, we felt it needed a reworking anyway. There’s new and updated info, but we reused the original photo. What you see here is loooong gone and we couldn’t take a new photo even if we wanted.

All posts predating 2016 and a few from that year became messed up by this little “glitch” and rather than restore enmasse from mirrored copies, we’re taking a different approach. Those that still have some relevancy today will get a do-over of some sort and be reposted. Some might get new photos, when possible, but for others we’ll reuse older images. No matter which, all will get a rewrite and those not making the cut will be forgotten. There’s some bad ones we don’t want anyone to see anymore.

This will mean a bit more work, but since it’s mostly re-edits, it’s not that bad.

*Money permitting, a beer with fellow class-cutters at the Westgate might also be a possibility, but that’s another story. The place became infamous with underage booze-hounds at school – they’d didn’t card and were only a short walk away. How convenient!

Know more (new tab): Radio Shack Canada Closes and The Source by Circuit City.

They’re saying…

“…If you love our history this site is worth exploring.” Brian Holt.

Calgary memories…
Kart World or Kart Gardens? (2014).
You Are Here: Corral 4 Drive-in Calgary.
1959 Calgary Stampede Dream Home.
Gonesville: Stadium Shopping Centre.

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Date of adventure: May, 2016.
Location: Westbrook Mall, Calgary Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society, the WayBackMachine, vintage Radio Shack Canada Catalogues found online (also for US RadioShackCatalogs.com) and personal recollections as this former Radio Shack groupie.

Ghost signage from the old Radio Shack in Westbrook Mall.