Shoppers won't be picking up ornate lamps from the Bombay Co. in the coming year. Or investing with Lehman Bros. Holdings Inc. and Bear Stearns Cos. No flying to Hawaii on Aloha Airlines or buying ultracheap tickets on Skybus, either.
All those names vanished last year, victims of the economy, the financial meltdown or other factors. Experts say 2009 could mark the end of even more well-known brands as the now-yearlong recession puts more struggling companies on life support.
"I think 2009 is going to be a blood bath," said Scott Testa, a marketing professor at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. "I think it's going to be very, very ugly."
The woes of the nation's retailers began before the year even started. The Bombay Co., known for its home accessories and furnishings, filed for bankruptcy in late 2006 and closed the last of its stores in January because of slow sales. Travelers bid adieu to some airlines in 2008 as jet fuel prices soared and consumer spending on extras like travel plunged. Aloha, ATA, Skybus and Champion Air all grounded their planes.
Bear Stearns was headed toward collapse in March, awash in massive losses from toxic securities tied to subprime loans, before the government engineered a fire sale of the 85-year-old investment bank to JPMorgan Chase & Co.
And the credit crunch that paralyzed the world economy only got worse after Lehman, a 158-year-old company that helped finance America's railroads, became the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history.
With sales and profits dropping this year and lenders leery of granting new credit, a number of retailers failed. Home goods seller Linens 'n Things began liquidating its stores after originally filing in May for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Apparel chain Steve & Barry's did the same later in the year. Specialty retailer Sharper Image also vanished.
Of all the brands to disappear in 2008, Testa said, consumers may miss department store chain Mervyns most. "That's a brand that's been around for a very long time," he said. Mervyns said in October it would have to liquidate after filing for bankruptcy protection in the summer.
The store's faithful shoppers will probably seek out new places that have the brands and prices they want -- or may just stop spending if they don't find a replacement, said Rita Rodriguez, head of the U.S. division of the Brand Union, which helps companies create brand identities.
