HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 03: Customers take the opportunity to shop at KMart on November 03, 2021 in Hamilton, New Zealand. COVID-19 restrictions have eased slightly for people Waikato as the region moves to Alert Level 3, Step 2. As of 11:59pm on Tuesday, under Alert Level 3, Step 2 settings outdoor gatherings can increase to 25 and public facilities, such as libraries and museums, along with retail can open with mask-wearing, contact tracing and physical distancing. (Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images)
Soon there will only be 3 Kmart stores left in the United States. The Kmart in Avenel, New Jersey, 15 miles south of New York City is the latest one set to close. It will close on Sunday. There used to be over 2000 Kmart stores in the country but now with giants like Target and Walmart dominating, it's been very tough to sustain. For now, Kmart stores in the continental U.S., continue to operate in Westwood, New Jersey; Bridgehampton, on New York’s Long Island; and Miami, Florida. Founded in 1962, Kmart has had a steady decline in sales over the years. In the spirit of our favorite stores that once were, let's revisit some of our favorite stores that no longer exist.
You knew them, you loved them. They're stores you remember growing up that you LOVED and would shop at pretty frequently. There are now only 3 K-Marts left in the U.S! the store is on the verge of extinction. So let's revisit some famous stores that have also gone extinct in the past decade.
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, the nation's oldest department store, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2020
New York & Co.
They filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and the company has shut down all of its nearly 380 stores.
Pier 1 Imports
Pier 1 declared bankruptcy a year ago and later decided to close all stores and liquidate.
Modell's Sporting Goods
After more than 130 years in business, Modell's Sporting Goods filed for Chapter 11 early last year.
A.C. Moore
Its parent company decided to close back in 2019. Major competitor Michaels took over and rebranded about 40 of the locations.
Brookstone
Deciding to close its mall stores in 2019, you can still find some Brookstones in airports and online
Payless ShoeSource
They filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and would close its 2500 US locations. The company maintains an online business and stores in other countries.
Toys R Us
Debt and competition forced the toy giant to close all of its stores in 2018.
Bebe
At its peak there were over 370 Bebe stores nationwide. In 2017 all of its stores would close.
Wet Seal
It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015 and abruptly closed all its stores in 2017.
They now exist as an online retailer
The Limited
There used to be one in every mall. They went bankrupt at the beginning of 2017 and closed all of its roughly 250 stores.
