Boutique convenience chain Foxtrot collapsed unexpectedly this year.
Bethany Biron/Insider
Declining foot traffic and rising e-commerce have led thousands of stores to permanently close.
Former household names like Borders, Circuit City, and Blockbuster are now just retail history.
Here are 49 once-beloved stores that no longer have a meaningful brick-and-mortar presence.
Brick-and-mortar retail is a tough business.
One day, your favorite brand can be riding high and enjoying strong sales from loyal customers, while the next it's fighting for survival and fending off creditors.
The only constant is change, especially as emerging trends, shopping patterns, and e-commerce players take larger pieces of the pie.
Here's a look back at some of the retail brands whose stores once greeted thousands of people each day, but are now consigned to retail's history books — or exist only online or as a tiny fraction of what they once were.
BlockbusterBlockbuster grew from a single store in Dallas to a chain of 9,000 locations over two decades.
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Blockbuster got its start in 1985, and acquired the Sound Warehouse and Music Plus music chains to create Blockbuster Music in 1992. The music division was sold to Wherehouse Entertainment in 1998 before closing for good, but there remains one single Blockbuster video rental store in Bend, Oregon.
Thom McAnThom McAn had over 1,400 stores at its peak in the 1960s.
AP Photo/Justin Ide
Thom McAn was a chain of shoe stores that peaked in the 1960's and closed up shop by 1996. The brand's shoes continued to be available at Sears and Kmart.
Kinney ShoesKinney Shoes was known for moderately priced footwear.
Glen Martin/The Denver Post via Getty Images
First opened in 1894, Kinney Shoes had 467 stores at its peak, all of which shuttered in 1998.
Warner Bros. Studio StoreWarner Bros. Studio Store sold merch from Loony Toons and DC Comics.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Warner Bros. Studio Store competed with the Disney store until the company closed all of its locations in 2001.
Zany BrainyZany Brainy carried products for children aged 4 to 13.
Dan Loh/AP
Zany Brainy filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and closed all locations in 2003. The educational toy retailer's founder, David Schlessinger, co-founded the discount company Five Below.
Ames Department StoreAmes Department Store once had more than 700 locations.
Wikimedia
Debt and poor sales forced Ames Department Store into bankruptcy twice., and in 2002, the remaining Ames stores closed.
Imaginarium was an educational toy store in the 1980s. Stores started closing in the 1990s, and by 2003, its parent company, Toys R Us, had closed them all.Imaginarium-branded toys are still sold through Toys R Us.
AP Photo/Jeff Zelevansky
Imaginarium was an educational toy store in the 1980s. Stores started closing in the 1990s, and by 2003, parent company Toys R Us closed all remaining locations.
Hecht's Department StoreHecht's Department Store was founded in 1857.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Hecht's was purchased by Macy's in 2005 and all locations were either turned into Macy's stores or closed.
Marshall FieldsMarshall Fields was founded in 1852 in Chicago.
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Federated Department Stores bought Marshall Fields in 2005 and converted the stores to the company's more recognizable flagship brand, Macy's.
GadzooksGadzooks stores typically featured a VW beetle sawed in half.
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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.
Kaufmann'sKaufmann's was a department store that had 44 locations at its peak.
AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
In 2006, Macy's retired the Kaufmann's name, and the brand disappeared.
Tower RecordsTower Records was one of the largest record stores in the 1990s.
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Tower Records couldn't keep up with the rise of digital music, and all stores in the US were closed in 2006.
Media PlayMedia Play was owned by the same company as shopping mall record store Sam Goody.
Flickr/AdamL212
Media Play was a big box store selling books, movies, software, toys and video games. It closed for good in 2006.
Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel stores sold educational books, videos, and gifts.
AP Photo/Terry Gilliam
Discovery Channel's 103 stand-alone stores closed in 2007.
KB ToysKB Toys once operated over 1,300 stores across all 50 states.
AP/Damian Dovarganes
KB Toys announced it would be going out of business in 2008, and by early 2009 all locations were closed.
Sharper Image declared bankruptcy in 2008. But the company still sells merchandise through its website, catalog, and third-party retail partners.Sharper Image still sells merchandise through its website, catalog, and third-party retail partners.
Eric Risberg/AP
Sharper Image declared bankruptcy and wound down its physical retail operation in 2008.
Levitz FurnitureLevitz Furniture was founded back in 1910.
Wikicommons/Laurie Avocado
Levitz Furniture declared bankruptcy twice — first in 1997, and then in 2005. It closed all of its stores in 2008.
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.Linens 'n Things still does business online.
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Linens 'n Things had over 500 stores in 2006, but by the end of 2008, they were all closed.
Mervyn'sMervyn's was a California-based department store founded in 1949.
AP Photo/Ben Margot
Mervyn's once had almost 200 locations in the western US. In 2008, the company declared bankruptcy and closed all of its stores.
Limited TooLimited Too, The Limited's children's store, launched in 1987.
Associated Press
Limited Too's success began dwindling in the early 2000s, and all stores were eventually rebranded as Justice by 2008.
TweeterTweeter was an electronics chain that started in 1972.
Flickr/Dalvenjah FoxFire
Tweeter filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and all of its stores were closed by the end of the year.
Circuit CityCircuit City had 567 stores in 2008.
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Circuit City filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and shuttered all stores the following Spring.
Steve & Barry'sSteve & Barry's sold inexpensive sportswear for teens.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
Steve & Barry's filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and closed all of its stores in 2009.
Filene's and Filene's BasementFilene's Basement was an off-price store that started in Filene's and eventually grew to 20 locations.
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Filene's Basement's parent company went bankrupt in 2009, and by 2011 all of its stores were closed.
B. Dalton BooksB. Dalton started in 1966.
AP Photo/Ricardo Santos
B. Dalton was acquired by Barnes & Noble in 1987, which officially closed the bookstore in January 2010, except for a single location in Oviedo, Florida.
WaldenbooksWaldenbooks was founded in 1933.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
Waldenbooks merged with Borders in 1994, and all Waldenbooks stores closed when Borders Group liquidated in 2011.
Borders Books & MusicBorders Books was founded in 1971 by University of Michigan graduates Tom and Louis Borders.
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Borders Books & Music stores closed shortly after the company was forced to liquidate in 2011.
CompUSACompUSA specialized in computer hardware and software.
AP Photo/Donna McWilliam
CompUSA started in 1984, but by 2007, Best Buy and other superstores had taken over, and the last CompUSA closed in 2012.
Sam GoodySam Goody first opened back in the 1940s.
Dawn Villella / AP
Sam Goody music stores suffered from the rise of digital media, and most Sam Goody stores were either ultimately shuttered or converted into other brands like FYE by 2012. Two locations remain: one in Clairsville, Ohio, and one in Medford, Oregon.
A&PA&P was the largest grocery store chain in the US from 1915 to 1975.
Chris Hondros / Getty Images
A&P filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010 and again in 2015, closing its stores that year.
Sports AuthoritySports Authority once had more than 200 locations in the US.
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Competition drove Sports Authority into bankruptcy in 2016, when it closed all its stores and sold its website to Dick's Sporting Goods.
Sport ChaletSport Chalet once had more than 50 locations.
AP Photo/Reed Saxon
Sport Chalet, which first opened in 1959, abruptly closed all of its stores in 2016.
Wet SealWet Seal once operated over 500 locations.
Kirsten Acuna/Business Insider
Wet Seal, a teen clothing store, filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and closed for good in 2017.
Virgin MegastoresVirgin Megastores were hit hard by the rapidly declining CD market.
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Virgin Megastores stopped operating in the US in 2017, but the brand continues online and in select international markets.
The LimitedThe Limited had 250 in 2017.
Facebook/The Limited
The Limited abruptly shut down all of its stores in 2017, and the brand is now sold exclusively through Belk.
Teavana's 379 locations were closed by its parent company, Starbucks. in 2018.Teavana is owned by Starbucks.
Bon-Ton StoresAll 256 of the Bon-Ton group's stores were liquidated in 2018.
AP Images / Rusty Kennedy
The Bon-Ton stores included its namesake brand, as well as Bergner's, Boston Store, Elder-Beerman, and Younkers.
Toys R UsBabies R Us before it closed.
Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
Toys R Us and its subsidiaries closed in 2018, but in 2021 Macy's announced that it would open Toys R Us sections in hundreds of its stores, while Babies R Us is opening within Kohl's stores across the US.
Henri BendelHenri Bendel first opened in 1895.
After 123 years of business, luxury retailer Henri Bendel closed all of its stores in 2019.
Dress BarnDress Barn had 650 stores in 2019.
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Dress Barn shut down in 2019 after 50 years in business.
PapyrusPapyrus greeting cards are still available at retailers like Target.
Geri Lavrov / Contributor / Getty Images
At its peak in 2009, Papyrus had 500 stores across the US and Canada, but the company ultimately filed for bankruptcy and closed its 254 stores in 2020.
Lord & TaylorLord & Taylor was once America's oldest department store.
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Lord & Taylor filed for bankruptcy in 2020, leading to the closure of its 38 stores. An attempt at reviving the brand as a "digital collective" was unsuccessful.
Century 21New York discount department store Century 21 — not to be confused with the realty group.
REUTERS/Chip East
Century 21 closed its 13 locations after going bankrupt in 2020. The company reopened its New York flagship store in 2023 with a greater focus on e-commerce.
Olympia SportsOlympia Sports shut down its remaining stores in 2022.
AP
After a slow decline and a tumultuous stint with private equity owners, Maine-based Olympia Sports shut down its remaining stores in 2022.
Bed Bath & BeyondBed Bath & Beyond had a fleet of more than 1,500 locations at its peak.
Christmas Tree ShopsA customer leaves a Christmas Tree Shop in Pembroke, Massachusetts.
John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The Massachusetts-based seasonal specialty retailer filed for bankruptcy in 2023, winding down the remaining 72 locations across 20 states.
MoosejawMoosejaw was founded in 1992 and acquired by Walmart in 2017.
Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Just months after buying Moosejaw from Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods closed most of the brand's locations and formed one team that would handle both the Public Lands and Moosejaw brands moving forward. Only three Moosejaw locations remain open.
FoxtrotFoxtrot was a boutique convenience store
John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Chicago-based Foxtrot abruptly shuttered its 33 locations in April 2024 after it came up $35 million short of its 2023 sales goal.
