Lafayette Radio Electronics

Lore & Background

Lafayette Radio Electronics originated from Wholesale Radio Service, established in the early 1920s by Abraham Pletman in New York City. The Lafayette trademark was first used in July 1931. After a Federal Trade Commission action in 1935, the company became Radio Wire Television, Inc., and by 1939 it was operating as Lafayette Radio Corporation. In 1948, it issued a catalog under the name Lafayette-Concord, calling itself the world's largest radio supply organization. The company's early stores were located in Jamaica, N.Y., and Manhattan in the mid-1950s, and electronics kits were produced in the Jamaica facility.

Lafayette advertised heavily in major consumer electronics magazines of the 1960s and 1970s, offering a free 400-page catalog. The company made major investments in sound rooms to demonstrate hi-fi equipment. Until the 1960s, independent retailers in some markets became Lafayette Associate Stores, which were later displaced by company expansion. Stores ranged from 2,000 to 5,000 square feet and each had a repair shop. By the late 1970s, Lafayette expanded to major markets across the country but struggled to compete with the aggressively expanding Radio Shack.

The company faced major financial difficulty when the FCC expanded the CB radio spectrum to 40 channels in 1977, leaving Lafayette with firm commitments to accept delivery of thousands of older 23-channel units. These were eventually sold for under $40 each. With fewer than 100 stores, Lafayette remained more of a dedicated enthusiasts' store. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1981, closing approximately two-thirds of its stores immediately. Circuit City purchased several stores, renaming them Lafayette-Circuit City, but these eventually closed as Circuit City left the New York market.

Reader's Guide

Lafayette Radio Electronics was significant as a major mail-order and retail supplier of electronic components, kits, and finished equipment to amateur radio operators, hobbyists, and hi-fi enthusiasts from the 1930s through the 1970s. Its catalogs and advertising helped promote the concept of high-fidelity sound to customers in areas far from major electronics stores. The company was quick to embrace industry trends, including open reel tape recorders, 8-track and compact cassette recorders, and quadraphonic sound, though the lack of a single quadraphonic standard dampened sales. Lafayette also sold a variety of electronic musical equipment, including the Roto-Vibe and Uni-Vibe effects used by musicians such as Jimi Hendrix. The company's legacy includes its role in making electronic components and gear accessible to a wide audience before the rise of mass-market electronics retailers. After its bankruptcy, the Lafayette brand name was re-launched at the CES show in 2003, with products offered only through special dealers and limited retail stores.

Did You Know?

• Lafayette's main competitors were Radio Shack, Allied Radio, Heathkit, and independent radio dealers.
• The company's best-selling products were often shortwave receivers, parts, and portable radios.
• In the 1960s, many Lafayette brand radios were rebranded Trio-Kenwood sets.
• Lafayette offered a 'Novatron' miniature atom smasher (van de Graaff generator) as a science kit.