Glenn Poor’s TV and Radio was founded in 1949 by Glenn Poor Sr. and his son, Glenn Jr., to sell and service the new phenomenon: television. From the very beginning, the company put an unusual emphasis on service and quality. Throughout the early years, and into the 21st century, Glenn Poor’s has been a virtual smorgasbord of technical talent and expertise (as witnessed by the large number of graduate engineers and engineering students who have worked for the company), and has always showcased the newest and most innovative products.

In the fifties and sixties, Glenn Poor’s sold a potpourri of product categories, although television and music systems were the mainstays. In the seventies, it got more interesting when Glenn Poor’s married video tape decks (even before Beta) to large screen projection television and hi-fi components – creating the area’s first “home theaters.” The first two Glenn Poor’s Audio Video stores were built by Glenn Jr.’s son, Geoffrey, in 1974 (Normal, IL) and 1977 (Champaign, IL) to showcase this new concept in home entertainment.

Throughout the years, Glenn Poor’s has introduced many promising, new companies to its product roster; Sony, Mitsubishi, Kloss, NEC, Philips, Loewe, Sim2, and LG are a few of the video companies introduced to the market by Glenn Poor’s. Among the now-famous audio companies Glenn Poor’s has brought to its market are Mark Levinson, Magnepan, Krell, Apogee, Phase Technology, Dunlavy, Jeff Rowland Design, Balanced Audio Technology, Dynaudio, and Wilson Audio.

The two newest stores, in Champaign and Chicago, have continued this tradition carrying the best, and best value, products in the new categories of HD video displays, digital surround audio systems, whole-house music systems, as well as full system integration and design.