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50 stores you once loved that 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.
Babies R Us also closed after Toys R Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Source: Business Insider
Kids R Us, a subsidiary of Toys R Us, was opened in 1983 to sell children's clothing. By 2003, the chain was discontinued and all 146 stores closed.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Buzzfeed
All 256 of the Bon-Ton stores will be liquidated this year. The Bon-Ton stores include its namesake ...
Source: CNN Money
Radio Shack closed more than 1,000 stores in 2017 after filing for bankruptcy last March.
Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Buzzfeed
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.
Source: Buzzfeed
Borders Books & Music stores also all closed shortly after the company was forced to liquidate in 2011.
Source: Buzzfeed
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.
Source: Buzzfeed
B. Dalton Books was acquired by Barnes & Noble in 1987 and continued to operate until late 2009, officially closing in January 2010.
Source: Buzzfeed
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.
Source: Business Insider
Virgin Megastores no longer operates in the US, in large part because of the rapidly declining CD market that it was a big player in.
Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Newsday
Zany Brainy stores filed for bankruptcy in 2001, and the educational toy retailer's founder, David Schlessinger, now runs the discount company Five Below.
Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Bustle
Media Play was opened by the same company as Sam Goody, serving as a big-box version of the store. It closed for good in 2006.
Source: Buzzfeed
Warner Bros. Studio Store used to compete with Disney's, but the company closed all of them in 2001.
Source: Business Insider
hhgregg, an electronics and home appliances retailer, struggled for years before it decided to close all of its stores in 2017.
Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Bustle
Discovery Channel stores sold educational books, videos, and gifts, but all 103 standalone stores closed in 2007.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Buzzfeed
Sport Chalet, which first opened in 1959, abruptly closed all of its stores in 2016.
Source: Newsday
Steve & Barry's sold inexpensive sportswear for teens. It closed all of its stores in 2009.
Source: Buzzfeed
Linens 'n Things had over 500 stores in 2006, but by the end of 2008, they were all closed. The company still does business online.
Source: Newsday
Tweeter was an electronics chain that started in 1972, but all of its stores were closed by the end of 2008.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
Kaufmann's was a department store that had 44 locations at its peak. In 2006, Macy's retired the name, and the brand disappeared.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
Filene's Department Store, a Boston-based department store, went bankrupt in 2009, and there are no more brick-and-mortar locations left.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
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.
Source: Newsday
Kinney Shoes started in 1894. It had 467 stores at its peak, all of which shuttered in 1998.
Source: Newsday
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