Customers and the curious pay last visit to Circuit City

The shelves were empty, creating a desolate landscape in Circuit City's stores with no hint of what the company once was.

With liquidation sales better than expected, the more than 500 remaining Circuit City stores nationwide closed for the final time yesterday, writing the last chapter of the once-proud Fortune 500 company that started in 1949 in a small downtown Richmond storefront.

Circuit City grew to be at one time the nation's largest consumer electronics chain.

"They've been around for a long time, and it's kind of sad to see them go," said Ryan Steward, who was looking for last-minute deals at the chain's store near Short Pump Town Center. "It's a sign of the times, the way the economy is going."

Shoppers turned out at several stores in the Richmond area yesterday; many left empty-handed as merchandise already was cleared out. Items that remained for sale included fixtures and displays, cables and remote controls.

Some, such as Zack Rickey of Chesterfield County, came for the nostalgia of it. Rickey went to the store on Huguenot Road to see what was still available and "for old times' sake. I sort of grew up with Circuit City. It's pretty sad, especially because it's a Richmond institution."

Circuit City filed for bankruptcy protection in November after mounting losses and struggling to compete against Best Buy, Wal-Mart and other retailers.

In January, the chain was unable to find a buyer or obtain the necessary financing to keep the company operating. On Jan. 16, a bankruptcy judge approved its liquidation and shutdown.

A consortium of four liquidating companies had conducted the going-out-of-business sales since mid January at Circuit City's 567 U.S. stores. As prices were slashed on the chain's remaining $1 billion-plus worth of inventory, shoppers flocked to the stores during the past several weeks, leaving slim pickings on the final day.

"I want to thank our associates for their hard work during this difficult time," James A. Marcum, the chain's vice chairman and acting president and chief executive, said in a statement on Saturday.

Yesterday about noon, a few items -- some discounted as much as 90 percent -- remained at the store on Huguenot Road, including computer video games and batteries for digital cameras and camcorders. By midafternoon, even those were gone.

The store at West Broad Street and Gaskins Road sold out of merchandise Saturday night, leaving workers with the task of breaking down displays yesterday.

Gus Kefalas of Henrico County counted himself a loyal shopper at Circuit City. He stopped by the location in Short Pump, not expecting to buy anything, "but at the same time, we thought, [it's the] last day, we've just got to poke our head in and see.

"It's been an icon in this city for a long time. We've been loyal customers for what seems like forever."

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or .

Deputy Business Editor Gregory J. Gilligan contributed to this report.