Quote - I have been reading this forum and was wondering if anyone could tell me what Anton's problem was with the stores.

Seriously don't go there.
While there may still be some details in threads in various forums, it's best to let them lie, as they'll only give you a poor understanding of what the situation was.

Quote - ... and they seem to be closed.

They're moving hosting services and software, so they'll be back when thats done.