The city I grew up in had a Tepe's Catalog Warehouse Store. You would receive a catalog a few times a year. You could go to the store and they had a sample each of the most popular items. You could see it, handle it, measure it, etc., buy you had to order it from the catalog and it would arrive a week or so later. The warehouse at the store was only for holding items that had been ordered and were waiting for pick up, no inventory on site.

Anyone remember these?

No, what city did you grow up in? It may have been a regional thing...

I never heard of those. In the neighboring city there was a Service Merchandise store. You took a little order form around the store and selected what you wanted. Then you turned the form in and they brought your selections to the counter from the warehouse area.

It might have just been a chain in Michigan. You could order direct in the store, but you had to wait for them to call and let you know when to come pick it up.

I want to say the one I remember closed in the early 1980's

In NJ se had something similar.
It was Best and company. They had a showroom on the first floor and storage on the second floor.
You looked at the sample on display then filled out a form, paid for the item then went to the pick up area to retrieve your item.

Ah yes, I forgot it was E.H.Tepe Co. We just called it Tepe's. Apparently an Indiana & Michigan thing

https://www.worthpoint.com/wor...g-1982-83-1850543274

Here in Virginia they had Best Products catalog showrooms. I worked there for a little while right out of High School. They had about 170 stores across the country at one time I believe. I think Wal-Mart pretty much ran these kind of stores out of business.

Yes, I remember. Shopped there when one was in Marion,IN.

Yep. I purchased my first Seiko quartz watch at one. Seiko Sport 100 chronograph. I still have it and it runs great.

There was a Service Merchandise nearby when we first moved here in 1986. They disappeared and the location was taken over by Luria's, also a catalog type store, that went belly up in 1997.

I have lived in SE Michigan all 72 years of my life and never heard of them.

They were very much like Service Merchandise.

Yes I remember there was one in Elkhart, Indiana. Actually went there quite often. If I remember they supposedly sold jewelry at just above wholesale.

We had a like business called Dahlkempers.

Yes. We had one in Elkhart,IN. I had several classmates that worked there part time.

Never heard of Tepe's but like others here we had a Service Merchandise where I grew up.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Never heard of Tepe's but like others here we had a Service Merchandise where I grew up.

If I remember right…when Tepes in Elkhart went out of business it became a Service Merchandise.

Service Merchandise at least had a "showroom" setup where you could see and handle the stuff.

Consumers was the other catalog store we had, I never liked that one. The place was more reminiscent of the DMV than a store.