Editing RadioShack (section)

=== The first 40 years ===
The company was started as Radio Shack in 1921 by two brothers, Theodore and Milton Deutschmann, who wanted to provide equipment for the new field of [[amateur radio]] (also known as [[Etymology of ham radio|ham radio]]). The brothers opened a one-store retail and mail-order operation in the heart of downtown [[Boston]] at 46 [[Brattle Street (Boston)|Brattle Street]]. They chose the name "[[Radio shack|Radio Shack]]", which was the term for a small, wooden structure that housed a ship's radio equipment. The Deutschmanns thought the name was appropriate for a store that would supply the needs of radio officers aboard ships, as well as hams (amateur radio operators).  The idea for the name came from an employee, Bill Halligan,{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} who went on to form the [[Hallicrafters]] company.  The term was already in use&nbsp;— and is to this day&nbsp;— by hams when referring to the location of their stations.<ref>{{cite book|last=Silver|first=H. Ward|date=August 2013|title=Ham Radio For Dummies|publisher=Wiley Publishing|isbn=9780764559877}}</ref>

The company issued its first catalog in 1939<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/|title=Radio Shack Catalogs|website=Radioshackcatalogs.com|access-date=May 23, 2016}}</ref> as it entered the [[high fidelity|high-fidelity]] music market. In 1954, Radio Shack began selling its own [[private-label]] products under the brand name Realist, changing the brand name to [[Realistic (brand)|Realistic]] after being sued by [[Stereo Realist]].

During the period the chain was based in Boston, it was commonly referred to disparagingly by its customers as "Nagasaki Hardware",<ref>{{Cite book|last=Farman|first=Irvin|url=https://archive.org/details/Tandys_Money_Machine_1992_Mobium_Press|title=Tandy's money machine : how Charles Tandy built Radio Shack into the world's largest electronics chain|date=1992|publisher=Chicago : Mobium Press|isbn=9780916371128}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://qrp.kd4ab.org/1996/961225/0013.html|title=QRP-L 961225: Re: QRP-L digest 585|website=qrp.kd4ab.org|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://forums.radioreference.com/threads/has-anyone-used-one-of-those-j-pole-antennas-on-a-pro-96-handheld-scannner.125625/|title=Has Anyone Used One Of Those J-pole Antennas On A Pro 96 Handheld Scannner?|website=RadioReference.com Forums|date=November 23, 2008 |language=en-US|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref> as much of the merchandise was sourced from Japan, then perceived as a source of low-quality, inexpensive parts.

In 1959, the store moved its headquarters to 730 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston (across the street from Boston University's [[Marsh Chapel]]), with ambitious plans for further expansion.<ref name="RSCat1959">{{cite web |title=1959 Radio Shack Catalog |url=https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/flipbook/1959_radioshack_catalog.html?fb3d-page=228 |website=www.radioshackcatalogs.com |access-date=2023-03-08}}</ref>{{rp|234}} After expanding to nine stores plus an extensive mail-order business,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Popular Mechanics]]|date=November 1962|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2NsDAAAAMBAJ&q=leisurama+now&pg=PA231|title=Radio Shack Corporation 1963 Electronics Catalog advertisement|page=235}}</ref> the company fell on hard times in the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Value Proposition: How Radio Shack lost its way by losing sight of its ideal customer |url=https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/how-radio-shack-lost-sight-of-its-ideal-customer |website=MarketingExperiments |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=March 16, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Value Prop: How Radio Shack lost its way by losing sight of its ideal customer, Pt. 2 |url=https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/radio-shack-value-prop-part-2 |website=MarketingExperiments |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=March 19, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Value Prop: How Radio Shack lost its way by losing sight of its ideal customer, Pt. 3 |url=https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/radio-shack-value-prop-part |website=MarketingExperiments |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=March 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=RadioShack through the ages: 8 adorable images from the fallen giant's vault |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2460168/these-old-timey-radio-shack-photos-prove-techies-have-been-nerding-out-since-1931.html |website=PCWorld |access-date=March 8, 2021 |language=en |date=February 2, 2015}}</ref>