Merry-Go-Round was an American

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

retail chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, Management, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories ...

owned by Merry-Go-Round Enterprises, Inc., that thrived from the 1970s through the early 1990s. The chain fell into

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

during the mid-1990s, and eventually ceased operation in 1996. It was famous for its ability to profit from short-lived fashion fads and also owned men's clothing retailers Silverman's, by purchasing 273 stores from Retail Ventures, Inc. (RVI), parent of

American Eagle Outfitters American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer headquartered at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by brothers Jerry and Mark Silverman as a subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc ...

, in 1989. In May 1993, it purchased the Chess King clothing chain from the Melville Corporation. It filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

bankruptcy in 1994 and began liquidation sales by February 1996. At its end, the company operated just over 500 locations, primarily in enclosed malls. Their mid-1980s commercials parodied Quiet Riot's "

Cum On Feel the Noize "Cum On Feel the Noize" is a song by the English rock band Slade which was released in 1973 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK Sin ...

", with teens and young adults walking down a hallway with massive sized speakers blaring the song. Merry-Go-Round's unsuccessful reorganization led to the 1998 lawsuit '' Devan v. Ernst & Young LLP'' against

Ernst & Young EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...

for violating the standard of care as turnaround advisor. The case resulted in the largest single defendant settlement in Maryland history.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Merry-Go-Round (retailer) Defunct retail companies of the United States Defunct companies based in Maryland 1996 disestablishments in Maryland Retail companies disestablished in 1996 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1994