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Popular New England Retailer Has Filed For Bankruptcy

By Jeff Gorra May 8th

It’s no secret that the retail industry has fallen on hard times in the wake of the pandemic. Unfortunately, this could be the end of an era for a popular New England chain. Over the weekend, Forbes reported the Christmas Tree Shops has filed for bankruptcy.

The announcement made it clear that this was due to a financial restructuring. This comes on the heels of news that Bed, Bath and Beyond will be closing many of their stores. Bed, Bath and Beyond used to be the parent company of Christmas Tree Shops until it was acquired by Handil Holding in late 2020.

“The company attributed the bankruptcy to high inflation, recent interest rate hikes and dropping consumer demand for home goods and seasonal decoration,” Forbes explains about the Christmas Tree Shops news. As of now, it appears many of the stores will remain open. The company has not communicated any plans that will results in layoffs.

History

Christmas Tree Shops have been a New England retail staple for over 50 years. The first store was opened in Yarmouth Port, MA in 1970. It’s most infamous “windmill” location is in Sagamore, at the bridge. It’s a stone’s throw from the Cape Cod canal.

There are 83 Christmas Tree Shops locations at this time. Massachusetts has the most across the state with 15. New York is a close second with 14 shops, followed by New Jersey with 10. Most of the other stores are scattered along the east coast from Maine down to Florida. Then there are two in Indiana and one in Kentucky.

What’s There?

Though Christmas Tree Shops started as a season destination, and kept the name, the stores offered a wide range of home décor and creative inspirations. From kitchen and dining, to storage units “CTS” has always offered practical products at an affordable price. In fact, “Don’t You Just Love a Bargain,” has been their most recognizable slogan and jingle.

Though Christmas Tree Shops has filed for bankruptcy, at this time only select stores will close. Let’s hope the restructure plan gets this local favorite back on track.

 

Two Of Massachusetts Coastal Towns Ranked in USA's Top 10

North Shore, South Shore, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard. There certainly is no shortage of shoreline in the Bay State. Two Massachusetts towns were selected as a USA Today top 10 coastal town.

10 Best is USA Today‘s travel coverage series highlighting attractions, destinations, and food items around the county. They look for unique charm with homegrown flavors. Furthermore, they were looking for “waterfront charm.” Not only is Massachusetts the home to two of the selections, but it was also the only state in the Northeast to get the nod. According to the final rankings, these two towns are both in the top five!

So what are the towns?

Provincetown and Marblehead are each considered a Massachusetts top coastal town. The tip of Cape Cod and North Shore shipyard landmark. 10Best calls out Provincetown’s spread of galleries and museums as main attractions. In addition, Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary was listed as part of Marblehead’s nature-friendly environment.

Looking at the history of these two summer hot spots, it’s no surprise that their quaint appeal led them to landing on the top 10 coastal town list.

Provincetown is 17.5 miles of unique beachfront and harbor-side living. Often called P-Town, the year-round living population is roughly 3,600 people, while the seasonal population can reach as much as 60,000. Commercial Street is known for its Cabaret establishments, restaurants, and art shops.

Marblehead is about three hours north of Provincetown. You can actually take a boat back and forth. On a map it looks like these two destinations are staring at each other. Marblehead is about 19 square miles with a population of over 20,000. One of the main tourist attractions here are the numerous sailing options out of Marblehead harbor. Finally, it is infamous for its commercial fishing wharfs, thus there are also six yacht clubs spread throughout the area.

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