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Toys R Us and Bon-Ton are two of the most recent chains to shutter. Here are other stores you'll never be able to shop in again.
Toys R Us may have been the most recent store to shut its doors for good, but there are countless others who have had to face the same fate.
In 2018 alone, more than 3,800 stores are set to close across the United States. In 2017, 6,400 stores closed. Malls are losing their anchor stores, and many are being abandoned due to the rise of ecommerce and declining foot traffic to malls.
But even when shopping malls were in their heyday, many stores still shuttered for various reasons. Department stores like Bon-Ton and Ames, bookstores like Waldenbooks and Borders, and clothing stores like Wet Seal and Limited Too are among the many stores that have permanently shut there doors.
Here are other stores you'll never be able to shop at again.
Toys R Us announced it would be closing or selling all 735 of its US stores after filing a motion to liquidate its US business earlier this year. The toy retailer had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2017.
Imaginarium, an educational toy store, first started popping up in malls in the 1980s. It began closing stores in the 1990s, and by 2003, its parent company Toys R Us closed all of its remaining stores.
Blockbuster, the iconic video rental store, announced in 2013 that it would begin closing most locations. As of earlier this month, only a single Blockbuster remains in Bend, Oregon.
Blockbuster Music was created in 1992 after its parent company Blockbuster acquired the Sound Warehouse and Music Plus music chains. In 1998 the chain was sold to Wherehouse entertainment and then closed for good.
Waldenbooks was founded in 1933 and grew to 250 locations in 15 years. In 1994, the company merged with Borders, and in 2011 all Waldenbooks stores closed when Borders Group liquidated.
K·B Toys operated over 1,300 stores across all 50 states. The chain announced it would be going out of business in 2008, and by early 2009 all locations were closed.
Shaper Image used to have a large physical retail footprint before it declared bankruptcy in 2008. It now sells its merchandise through its website, catalog, and third-party retail partners, but you can't shop in a Sharper Image store anymore.
Sports Authority once had more than 200 stores across 33 states, but competition from online stores and other retailers drove the company into bankruptcy in 2016. It closed all its stores and sold its website to Dick's Sporting Goods.
Zany Brainy stores filed for bankruptcy in 2001, and the educational toy retailer's founder, David Schlessinger, now runs the discount company Five Below.
Sam Goody music stores opened back in the 1940s but suffered with the rise of digital media. Most Sam Goody stores were either shuttered or converted into other brands like FYE.
Wet Seal, a teen clothing store, filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and closed for good in 2017. Even though its stores are closed, you can still shop online.
Limited Too, The Limited's children's store, launched in 1987. Its success began dwindling in the early 2000s, and all Limited Too stores were eventually rebranded as Justice by 2008.
Levitz Furniture was founded way back in 1910. It declared bankruptcy twice: first in 1997, and then in 2005. It eventually closed its nearly 80 stores for good in 2008.
Hecht's Department Store was founded in 1857. In 2005, the chain was purchased by Macy's and all locations were either turned into Macy's stores or closed.
Gadzooks was a teen clothing store that was around from 1983 to 2005. It filed for bankruptcy in its final year and was purchased by Forever 21, which then closed all of the stores.
Thom McAn was a chain of shoe stores that had over 1,400 stores at its peak in the 1960s. The chain had closed by 1996, but Thom McAn shoes are still available at Sears and Kmart.
Marshall Field's name changed in 2005 when Federated Department Stores bought the chain and converted the stores to the company's more recognizable flagship brand, Macy's.
Tower Records was one of the largest record stores in the 1990s, but it couldn't keep up with the rise of digital music. All Tower Records stores in the US were closed in 2006.
Ames Department Store had more than 700 locations at one point, but it was forced into bankruptcy twice due to debt and poor sales. In 2002, the remaining Ames stores shuttered.
Filene's Basement was an off-price store that started in Filene's and eventually grew to 20 locations. Its parent company went bankrupt in 2009, and by 2011 all Filene's Basement stores were closed. It currently operates as an online-only retailer.
Mervyn's was a California-based department store founded in 1949 that had almost 200 locations in the western US. In 2008, the company declared bankruptcy and closed all of its stores.
CompUSA started in 1984 as a chain specializing in computer hardware and software. But by 2007, Best Buy and other superstores had taken over, and the last CompUSA closed in 2012.
A&P was the largest grocery store chain in the US from 1915 to 1975. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010 and again in 2015, closing its stores that year.
