From party supply stores to department stores, shutters are down and will remain that way. Do mass store closures have us witnessing the end of in-person retail in real time? Not even a full month in and the new year has brought with it a season of closures, some permanent, some to make room for greater change.
Popular department stores like Macy’s and Kohl’s will shutting down several of its locations, whilst well-known specialty store, Party City, will be starting the year with the ending of their era in retail, amongst others.
Store closures: who and where?
Party City
The decades-old party supplier chain has announced a closure of all stores nationwide in December 2024. Party City has been in business since 1986 and these closures come after a 40 year run in the retail industry. Some branches, however, are independently owned and will remain open to fulfill your supply needs.
The stores in the San Antonio area that will remain open are as follows:
- 2920 SW Military Drive
- 5127 NW Loop 410
- 13419 San Pedro Avenue
- 10628 Culebra Road, Suite 101
Big Lots
Popular discount retail chain, Big Lots, known for their extreme discounts, is going out of business and is set to close down stores nationwide. This end to a business has been in the works as store closures have been occurring in waves. Now the final bout of closures has been announced, marking a final end for Big Lots.
The following locations will close in coming months:
San Antonio
- 3715 Colony Drive
- 7723 Guilbeau Road, Suite 110
- 13926 Nacogdoches Road
- 1739 SW Loop 410, Suite 200
- 2902 Goliad Road, Suite 116
Converse
- 8318 Farm-To-Market Road 78
New Braunfels
- 139 I-35 N. Frontage Road
Austin
- 801 E. William Cannon Drive, Suite 135b
- 8666 Spicewood Springs Road
Round Rock
- 1201 I-35 Suite 200
Cedar Park
- 850 N. Bell Blvd., Suite 104
Macy’s
66 under-performing stores will be shut down at Macy’s and one has to ask if it is because shopping at department stores has become too expensive for most. The company maintains that these closures are not part of an impending bankruptcy plan. They claim this in an initiative for their “bold new chapter” instead. This initiative is “designed to return the company to sustainable, profitable sales growth” but whether this will be fruitful endeavor or not remains to be seen.
Here are some of the stores that will be closed:
Dallas
- 321 State St. in Southlake Town Square
Flower Mound
- 6101 Long Prairie Road
Fort Worth
- 1751 River Run
Houston
- 100 Almeda Mall
Plano
- 6209 W. Park Blvd. at the Shops at Willow Bend
Kohl’s
Popular retailer, Kohl’s, will be following in the footsteps of its competitor, Macy’s, and is set to close 27 of its stores. The selected stores have been deemed as underperforming and the company has recorded diminishing returns in each quarter of 2024.
The affected stores include:
Dallas
- 18224 Preston Road
Is the end in sight with more closures to be expected?
One thing most retailers seem to share in common today, regardless of what they sell, is the compulsion to shut down stores. Financial troubles has resulted in several other retailers being forced to announce closures of some, if not all, of their stores. Walmart, for example, ended 2024 by shutting down 11 of its stores across the country, citing underperformance as the reason as well.
Joann Fabrics is another victim of closures as the craft store retailer had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March of 2024. This had to be done as the business has been struggling to remain afloat. It appears that the tough economic climate and ever-rising cost of living has left people with no time for hobbies. At present, the closures of Joann Fabrics stores remains concentrated in the Northeast states such as Pennsylvania and Delaware, with no closures announced for Texas as yet.