17 North, just past the East Ridgewood Avenue overpass, pass Panera's, in the mall where Equinox [Fitness] now resides, Rickel Home Center, later followed by Channel's, on 17 South, now home of Barnes and Noble, Rickel was the king of home supply centers. That is, until the upstart Home Depot set up shop just north of Midland Avenue. After merging eventually with its competition across the highway, Channel's, Rickel reigned supreme, offering much of the same as Home Depot does some twenty years later. Eventually, heavy debt structure and overexpansion, much like Sears did by acquiring K-Mart, Rickel finally folded its tents in 1997. But, what a store it was! Home Depot, carrying more inventory and building cavernous stores, didn't offer any MORE in service and quality products. I still miss its convenient location and offerings to this day. My oldest Black and Decker power tools hail from Rickel Home Center and perform flawlessly, from 1975!
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