As a longtime Lufkinite, I tend to look at certain businesses, and can't help but to remember what the building was once used for.

I'm not just thinking about the good old days, some of these businesses are still in other towns, and some are gone forever.  Remember the dark days when we didn't even have a Wendy's? I have eaten there at least 10 times since it's been back. They have really good salads now. We would be missing out on that.

Here is a list of 5 businesses, that didn't serve food that I would love to come back to town, if they still exist.

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    Toys "R" Us

    This might be the least likely as they have been closing lots of stores. I am really starting to think at some point there will be people that work at Amazon, and the rest of us. But being able to go into a juvenile store again, like Toys "R" Us is just fun. Ours used to be where Office Depot is in Lufkin.

    I'm not saying anything bad about Office Depot, but could you think of a worse way to kick us when we're down? Just saying, "The Toys "R" Us is now an Office Depot," hurts my soul.

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    Hot Topic

    This is one store at the Lufkin Mall that I would actually go in and check out all the different stuff. There were things you can't just get anywhere, and it was just really cool to shop in.

    I felt cooler going out than in. Where are we going to get all of our Pop figures and Batman suspenders.

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    Spencers

    Walking the isles of this questionable merchandiser was always interesting. We had one in the Lufkin Mall, and they are still all over in other malls close to large cities. I have to drive over 100 miles now to get my fart spray, lava lamps, and Cheryl Tiegs Poster.

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    Hastings

    Remember when we debut the K-Fox Suburban for the very first time at Hastings in Nacogdoches? Well this place is no more, they closed all of them, so at least we are not alone. I used to work at the one in Lufkin, near where Planet Fitness used to be. I don't know where the dungeon masters go now to get all their stuff, but I have an idea.

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    Waldenbooks

    Add this one to the list of stores that are never coming back. I used to frequent the one we had, and bought tons of books and gifts there. It was always a destination when we went to the mall, until it closed in 2009, though it seems like they have been gone forever. Though it was a little cramped, they always had a huge stock of books. Any big book store would be nice, like a Barnes & Nobel, but I am glad some local mom and pop shops are filling the gap, like Absolutely Fiction Bookstore.

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