At the start of this decade, many of America's beloved major retailers announced that they'd be closing their stores—Big Lots, Walgreens, Macy's, JCPenney—the list goes on. It's a pattern that recurs throughout retail history, with recent victims including fabric retailer Joann, which closed its last remaining locations in May 2025, and Claire's, which filed for bankruptcy the following August and announced over 1,100 of its stores could soon close. Decor store At Home joined the list in mid-September, when the company announced that it would shutter 30 locations before the end of the month. Pharmacies also seem to be suffering, with Rite Aid filing for bankruptcy protection in May, adding over 100 stores to its list of nearly 500 closures, and CVS announcing 270 more store closures for 2025.
These are far from isolated incidents. A January 2025 report from advisory firm Coresight Research estimates that some 15,000 retail stores will shutter this year, following a record 7,325 closures in 2024, the highest number since the pandemic gutted brick-and-mortar retail in 2020.
To understand why so many beloved shops are closing, it may be helpful to look at their beginnings. Chains proliferate and incur new expenses as they expand. Then, they hit the limit of their funding and growth opportunities and downsized to manage their debt and restructuring. Some can recover. Many, however, end up filing for bankruptcy and/or getting bought out and eventually folding.
It's a familiar cycle. The economy improves, and the market becomes saturated with choice. Very few can survive when the economy slows, dips, and dives. With each cycle, stores that we thought would always be around, stores that defined our childhoods, even our parents' childhoods, fizzle, fade, and become the stuff of retail history.
Stacker reviewed various sources to examine multiple major retail chains that no longer exist. Many of these chains led the pack at one point in history. Some even paved the way for their competitors, who eventually overtook them.Other chains couldn't keep up with the rise of e-commerce sites like Amazon. Sharper Image, for example, was once the only place where tech lovers could flock to play with high-end and niche gadgets. However, Amazon started selling similar products online.
While it's all part of evolution and Darwinian economics, the sad reality is that when these stores die, parts of our memories go with them. Still, it's a lesson that most businesses must learn: adapt with the times, or be lost forever. Are you ready to see the top 25 major retailers that kids today will never remember? Keep reading to see if your favorites made the list.
