alt Hacker NewsFry's was mentioned in Douglas Coupland's "Microserfs". I loved that book and thoughts Fry's was cool even before I set foot in one.
Years later I entered a store, and somehow it was already nostalgic then :)
So weird, I haven't thought Fry's for the past 20 years.
> There was something about wandering the aisles and seeing the merchandise and getting ideas
That. Exactly.
In that sense, at least for me, it was a third place where we could roam to get inspired and connect. We lost that. I was in Akihabara last weekend. And its the same in a way. While there are still a few, most tech stores are now phone/laptop stores that don't sell parts. Making the hunt for tech really boring.