Circuit City was a major electronics retailer and helped pioneer the electronics superstore concept. The store was founded by Samuel Wurtzel, who started a small television store and turned it into one of the nation’s largest electronics retailers.  When they opened in 1989 in the Tampa Bay area, they already had over 100 retail outlets nationwide. The former Sebastian’s nightclub (aka Thrills) was demolished at 2720 N. Dale Maybry Hwy. for the construction of a new store. A large red tower split two sets of large glass doors in the front of the 30,000 sq ft structure.

By the middle of 1989, the retailer had six stores under construction in the region. They also opened a 620,000 square-foot warehouse and distribution space. Circuit City opened the North Dale Mabry location along with one in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, all on the same weekend in June 1989. By the end of 1990, they had seven outlets in the Bay Area. The company was immensely profitable and grew to over 600 stores nationwide.

In 2000, as shopping habits changed, the brand moved away from the big box format and transitioned to what they called “Tide”, a smaller format like the one pictured in the 2008 photograph at 1702 N Dale Mabry, next to Home Depot. Circuit City moved and took over the spot once held by Toys R Us. According to reports, by 2004, sales had begun to slump. Competitors like Best Buy dominated the market, Circuit City ignored the burgeoning e-commerce trend, the company’s new president made some remarkably bad decisions. The company began to falter.

As the great recession of 2008 loomed, the North Dale Mabry store could hold on no longer and closed. So did the other Tampa area outlets. In 2009, a judge ordered Circuit City's assets liquidated.

In 2010, Nordstrom Rack, a discount outlet for the larger retailer Nordstrom, opened in the spot. In 2020, beauty supplier Ulta took about 11,000 sq ft of Nordstrom’s space and opened a store.  

The former big-box store just down the street at 2790 N Dale Mabry is still there. The massive Jerry Ulm Dodge was built on CC's large parking lot, and the tattered old store building, now Ulm’s service department, is nestled behind it. The big red tower, though covered by a faded service department sign, is also still there.

© Chip Weiner. All rights reserved