Recently in store closings Category

The economic downturn is hitting local stores especially hard. Saddest among those affected are the decades-old establishments suddenly facing bankruptcy or liquidation. Recent news affects numerous local stores with particularly long histories:

• 1868: that's when long Strouse's department store in Evansville, Ind., first opened, and the family-run business has been run by the founder's great-grandson for the past 47 years. But Strouse's is beginning liquidation this month and closing around the end of the year.
• Across the border in Ohio, Holcomb's KnowPlace is ending a 137-year-run and closing its last 10 locations. The chain has been slowly closing locations all year.
  
• 89 years: that's how long Hunter Furniture in Birmingham has been open. But current owner Bob Hunter is closing up shop with a final sale starting next week. Hunter cites a combination of factors in the decision to close.
• Compared to the stores above, 1977 sounds like yesterday. But 32 years is a long time for a hometown hardware store to thrive, so in Milwaukee, residents of Edgar are stung that Hardware Hank hasn't found a buyer and is planning on closing.
  

All 152 locations of InkStop closed Thursday night without notice. The closings are being called "temporary" and information about a restructuring is pending.

An internal memo from the board of directors reads, in part, "The company has elected to temporarily close all stores at the close of business today October 1, to focus on a restructuring plan in an effort to improve the overall operations of the organization. All employees are laid off until further notice."

Employees, who have gone without benefits for the past few weeks, were not informed in advance.

Joystiq is reporting video game retailer Game Crazy is closing 200 of its 680 stores. Game Crazy, a unit of Hollywood Entertainment and Movie Gallery Inc. (which also owns Hollywood Video), is citing the economy as the culprit. Specific store closings have not yet been identified.

Beleaguered jewelry retailer Finlay Enterprises has decided to close all its specialty stores, including Bailey Banks & Biddle, Carlyle & Co. and other outlets. Finlay, which has endured a restructuring and a bankruptcy filing this year, will apparently be out of the retail jewelry business after store-closing sales are complete.

The retail unit of Samsonite Luggage filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, with plans to rapidly close 84 stores. The move is designed to increase profitability by halving the number of existing retail outlets. Merchandise is to be liquidated this fall.

Samsonite expects no disruption of business beyond the proceedings and store closings. The company blamed the recession's impact on travel as the main driver of the bankruptcy filing.

The economic downturn is hitting local stores especially hard. Saddest among those affected are the decades-old establishments suddenly facing bankruptcy or liquidation. Recent news affects numerous local stores with long histories:

• Syracuse, New York, home furnishings retailer Goldberg's is closing after nearly a century in business. Goldberg's, which once operated seven stores across upstate New York, first opened in 1910. Descendants of the founder include the owners of the Raymour & Flanagan furniture chain.
  
• In good ol' Gothenburg, Nebraska, 43-year-old Hometown Variety is closing this autumn after clearing out inventory. Longtime owner Merle Honerman cites rising costs and declining sales as the usual culprits, and says he was unable to find a buyer for the business.
• Kent Hardware in Kent, Ohio, is ending a 125-year-run next month. A sister store will remain open in a neighboring town, but Kent is now left without a hardware store.
• And in Vinton, Iowa, Mahood's Shoe Store is closing after 63 years of operation. Bob Mahood plans on continuing shoe repairs after the clearance sale is complete.
  

The economic downturn is hitting local stores especially hard. Saddest among those affected are the decades-old establishments suddenly facing bankruptcy or liquidation. Recent news affects regional chains with long histories:

• Colegate Food Center in Marietta, Ohio, is closing up shop after 52 years in business. "We're not closing because we want to be closing," said owner Glen Antill, who has been working at Colegate since 1955, two years before it turned into a supermarket.
• Next Friday is the last day for Crocodile Pie, the 20-year-old children's bookstore in the Chicago suburbs. The store was bought in a rescue maneuver last year but sometimes fails to generate as much as $100 in sales in a day. Chicago's 35-year-old Prairie Avenue Architecture Bookstore is also closing if it fails to find a buyer by September 1.
• In Grand Junction, Colorado, Appleseed Health Foods is closing after a 31-year run. The official reason is the owner's retirement, although the store tried to sell itself for two years without success.
  

Fashion designer Mary Norton filed for bankruptcy last week, citing "harsh economic conditions." Mary Norton's stores, in Charleston, New York and Los Angeles, have all closed, a few weeks after holding extensive clearance sales. The company had also sold its fashions in an assortment of boutiques and at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Beleaguered southwestern grocer Bashas' filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday night in an attempt to continue operations. The company announced 10 new store closings alongside the filing. Bashas' owns the Food City and AJ's Fine Foods chains in addition to its namesake, a total of 158 stores.

Bashas' made headlines less than two weeks ago with several store closings. The chain first began closing locations in February in an effort to improve profitability.

Garden and outdoor retailer Smith & Hawken is going out of business. All 56 locations are begin final clearance sales today. The chain, which was founded 30 years ago, is being closed after owner Scotts Miracle-Gro couldn't find a buyer. Smith & Hawken's website has already been shut down.

The economic downturn is hitting local stores especially hard. Saddest among those affected are the decades-old establishments suddenly facing bankruptcy or liquidation. Recent news affects a variety of beloved and longtime stores around the country:

• Washington, D.C.'s Apartment Zero is closing its District location after 10 years in business. The owners vow to continue online and may open another location, but in the meantime, the items in store are being liquidated.
• Out in Billings, Montana, Sutton's Sportswear is closing, two and a half years after its original owners sold the store. Sutton's, which made its own line of clothes, had been around since 1981.
• Aurora, Illinois' Montgomery Ace has started its going-out-of-business sale. The store, which had been a go-to for hardware and housewares, had been operating since the 1970s. [added 2:09 p.m.]
• And in Decatur, Illinois, 121-year-old Wyker's Toys closed for good on Tuesday. Wyker's had been family-run since 1888, when it first opened as a hardware store. The owners cite the economy and changing shopping habits as contributing to the store's demise.

Premium children's clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch is reviewing its U.S. operations and will be closing around 20 of its 35 locations this summer. The company, which is based in New Zealand, hopes to close in on a break-even level with the action. Pumpkin Patch's U.S. stores have struggled since 2007 and underperformed in the recent economic climate.

In Richland, Wash., 13-year-old Liquidation World is going out of business. Its parent company, in Canada, is closing all its United States locations (which, to the best of Timely Demise's knowledge, totals three stores in Washington state).

Anchor Blue, a southwestern chain selling denim and other clothing, is closing and liquidating 46 stores. The closings are related to a bankruptcy filing from May (which somehow slipped past Eyes McGurk at Timely Demise). Anchor Blue had 177 stores before the closings; another 75 Most outlet stores were sold to Levi Strauss at the time of the Chapter 11 filing.

Apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is shutting down the Ruehl chain and closing all 29 doors. The company first publicly cast a skeptical eye on the brand several weeks ago. Ruehl's sales were down 33% in the most recent reported figures.