Strange Business History Cafe

“The Rise and Fall of the Pullman Car Company” is a business history deep dive from Strange Business History Cafe into the railroad sleeping car empire that changed American travel.

George Mortimer Pullman started as a cabinet maker and building mover who helped raise Chicago’s buildings with jack screws. Convinced overnight train travel could be better, he built the sleeping car and grew the Pullman Company into a giant. He then built a whole company town around his factory, where he owned everything and workers rented from the company.

When Pullman cut wages but not rents, workers went on strike, and Eugene V. Debs and the American Railway Union called a national boycott. The Pullman strike changed America, and Congress made Labor Day a national holiday in 1894.

The story continues after Pullman’s death, through the Pullman porters and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters led by A. Philip Randolph, to the company’s decline in the age of the airplane and the automobile.

Links:

• All my links

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Sponsored by CampfireShoppe.com. Campfire Shoppe is a small business offering natural herbal supplements, soy candles, melts, and teas.

“The Rise and Fall of Montgomery Ward” is a business history story from Strange Business History Cafe.

From a single-sheet catalog in 1872 to one of America’s retail giants, Montgomery Ward pioneered mail-order shopping and went head-to-head with Sears for a century. This podcast traces the company’s spectacular rise, its innovative catalogs and stores, and the missteps, competition, and changing times that led to its dramatic fall.

Strange Business History Cafe looks at the rise and fall of the brands and businesses we remember. Follow the show for more business history. Press play and share your own memories of these brands.

New listeners are welcome: start with this episode, then browse the back catalog for more.

Links:

• All my links

Explore more at StrangeHistory.com

Sponsored by CampfireShoppe.com. Campfire Shoppe is a small business offering natural herbal supplements, soy candles, melts, and teas.

“What Happened to Quiznos? A Cautionary Tale of Evil and Greed” is a business history story from Strange Business History Cafe.

From a single Denver sandwich shop in 1981 to nearly 5,000 locations at its peak, Quiznos revolutionized fast food with its hot, toasted subs and premium ingredients. It briefly challenged Subway for sandwich supremacy in the early 2000s, fueled by aggressive franchising and memorable (if bizarre) Spongmonkeys ads.

But rapid overexpansion, a franchise model that squeezed owners with inflated supply costs, massive lawsuits, a crushing debt load from a leveraged buyout, the 2008 recession, and Subway’s $5 Footlong dominance led to one of the fastest collapses in restaurant history. Today, only a fraction of locations remain.

This episode explores the toasted rise, corporate missteps, and lingering nostalgia of a once-dominant chain.

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Sponsored by CampfireShoppe.com. Campfire Shoppe is a small business offering natural herbal supplements, soy candles, melts, and teas.

“The Rise and Fall of Borders Books” is a business history story from Strange Business History Cafe.

The Rise and Fall of Borders Books: How a bookstore giant vanished overnight. Once the crown jewel of American retail, Borders Books was everywhere — a massive, inviting superstore with endless shelves, cozy reading nooks, and millions of loyal customers. At its peak, it seemed unstoppable.

Then, in just a few short years, it was gone. In this episode, we trace the incredible story of Borders: from a tiny used bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to a 1,000+ store empire… and its shocking collapse into bankruptcy in 2011.We explore how Borders revolutionized bookselling in the 90s, the fatal mistakes that left it vulnerable, the brutal impact of Amazon, e-books, and shifting consumer habits, and the lessons every business can learn from its downfall.

A story of innovation, hubris, and disruption — this is how one of America’s most beloved retailers disappeared. If you ever spent hours browsing the aisles at Borders, this episode is for you. Tune in and discover what really killed Borders.

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Sponsored by CampfireShoppe.com. Campfire Shoppe is a small business offering natural herbal supplements, soy candles, melts, and teas.

“Automats: Vending Machine Dining That Became a Cultural Icon” is a business history story from Strange Business History Cafe.

Step back in time to the golden age of American dining with the fascinating story of the Automat. Long before fast-food chains and vending machines dominated our lives, Horn & Hardart revolutionized eating out by opening America’s first coin-operated restaurant in Philadelphia in 1902. Discover how this innovative concept—imported from Europe—combined fresh, high-quality food with futuristic vending technology: gleaming walls of glass doors where customers dropped a few nickels for everything from creamed spinach and hot pies to fresh coffee and lemon meringue pie.

At its peak, the Automat became a cultural icon, feeding hundreds of thousands daily across dozens of locations in New York City and beyond. It symbolized efficiency, accessibility, and modernity through the early 20th century, surviving wars and the Great Depression. Explore its rise, its role in shaping fast food culture, and its eventual decline in the face of changing times.

Packed with archival footage, nostalgic stories, and surprising facts, this video uncovers how the Automat helped birth America’s fast-casual dining revolution.

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Sponsored by CampfireShoppe.com. Campfire Shoppe is a small business offering natural herbal supplements, soy candles, melts, and teas.

“What Happened to F.A.O. Schwarz Toy Stores?” is a business history story from Strange Business History Cafe.

Join us at the Strange Business History Cafe for a whimsical dive into the magical world of FAO Schwarz — America's oldest toy retailer and a true icon of retail wonder. Founded in 1862 by German immigrant Frederick August Otto Schwarz as a humble "Toy Bazaar" in Baltimore, the store quickly became a New York sensation, importing exquisite European toys and pioneering everything from mail-order catalogs to live Santas in stores.

From its legendary flagship on Fifth Avenue — complete with the famous giant piano from Big — to multiple ownership changes, closures, and a triumphant revival, FAO Schwarz turned shopping into pure theater and childhood dreams into reality. en.wikipedia.org In this episode, we unpack the highs, the heartbreaks, and the enduring charm of a business that proved toys aren't just playthings — they're pure enchantment.

Grab a coffee (or a giant stuffed animal), and let's get strange with retail history!

Links:

• Wikipedia

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Sponsored by CampfireShoppe.com. Campfire Shoppe is a small business offering natural herbal supplements, soy candles, melts, and teas.

“What Happened to the Playboy Clubs?” is a business history story from Strange Business History Cafe.

From the swinging '60s to the excesses of the '70s, the Playboy Clubs were the ultimate symbol of sophisticated hedonism. Hugh Hefner opened the first club in Chicago on Leap Day 1960, where stylish keyholders sipped cocktails served by iconic Playboy Bunnies amid top-tier comedy, jazz, and entertainment.

At its peak, dozens of clubs worldwide embodied the Playboy lifestyle—until shifting social norms, financial losses, and changing tastes led to their dramatic decline. By the late 1980s, the last original clubs had closed their doors, marking the end of an era. This is the rise and fall of the Playboy Clubs.

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Explore more at StrangeHistory.com

Sponsored by CampfireShoppe.com. Campfire Shoppe is a small business offering natural herbal supplements, soy candles, melts, and teas.