Based in San Jose, California, the privately held company was a family business. It was founded in 1985 by the three Fry brothers with the goal of being a “Silicon Valley retail electronics store to provide a one-stop-shopping environment for the Hi-Tech Professional.”
“It is hoped that undertaking the wind-down through this orderly process will reduce costs, avoid additional liabilities, minimize the impact on our customers, vendors, landlords and associates, and maximize the value of the company’s assets for its creditors and other stakeholders,” Fry’s explained on its website.
Other details about its sudden disappearance were scarce.
Many of its retail locations had wacky themes. For example, its Burbank location was inspired by 1950s sci-fi movies and had a UFO decoration crashing through the exterior of the store. Its Phoenix, Arizona, location had an ancient Aztec temple and its Houston, Texas store was inspired by the state’s oil history.