Georgia Chain Stores That Closed Their Doors In 2019

ATLANTA, GA — What some have dubbed the retail apocalypse changed the landscape of many Atlanta area malls and shopping districts in 2019. Several national chains announced closures of stores this year, which means big changes to the way some consumers shop.

A growing list of brick-and-mortar establishments have seen their revenue and popularity plummet with the emergence of e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Walmart. Retailers affected range from clothing stores like Forever 21, Dress Barn and Charlotte Russe, to home decor chain Pier 21.

Here are some of the big chains that announced they were closing stores in Georgia this year.

Forever 21
In late September, clothing retailer Forever 21 announced that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and would be closing two stores in Georgia. These Forever 21 locations are expected to close in Georgia: Stonecrest: 2929 Turner Hill Road N.E #2460, Lithonia; and Savannah Outlets: 200 Tanger Outlets Blvd. Ste. 191, Pooler. Read more.

Motherhood Maternity

As Destination Maternity continues through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection case, the company said it plans to close 201 Destination Maternity and Motherhood Maternity stores across the country, including a handful in Georgia. USA Today reports the company said it plans to close stores at the following locations: Atlanta - Motherhood Maternity; Newnan - Motherhood Maternity; Dawsonville - Motherhood Maternity Outlet; Columbus - Motherhood Maternity; and McDonough - Motherhood Maternity.

Avenue
The women's clothing store is closing more than 200 locations across the country, including all five stores in Georgia. Here is where Avenue has stores in the state: Augusta Square, 3412 Wrightsboro Road, Augusta; Shamrock Plaza, 3932C North Druid Hills Road, Decatur; Gwinnett Marketfair, 3675 Satellite Blvd., Duluth; Southlake Festival, 1524 Southlake Parkway, Morrow; Newnan Crossing, 559 Bullsboro Drive, Newnan. Read more.

Walgreens
The national pharmacy chain will be closing 200 stores in 2019, the company said in an August SEC filing. A list of locations to close was not released by the company.

Sears/Kmart
The iconic Sears brand, along with Kmart, are both owned by the same company and it continued to close stores in 2019, shuttering two more in the state this year. In November, USA Today reported one Sears location was marked for closure: Douglasville Sears: 6580 Douglas Blvd. There were no Kmart locations on the closing list in Georgia. Read more.

Dressbarn
This year, Dressbarn announced it was going out of business. That means it shuttered 13 locations in Georgia, including shops in Snellville, Cumming and Kennesaw. Read more.

Bed Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond, the popular home accessories store with 24 locations in Georgia, has a refreshed look coming to some of its stores before Christmas, while underperforming locations might close or be relocated in the near future. Read more.

Gymboree
Children's clothing retailer Gymboree filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. Under the bankruptcy plan, the retail chain closed more than 800 Gymboree and Crazy 8 stores. The company tried to save its 140 upscale Janie and Jack stores, including two in Atlanta. Read more.

Payless ShoeSource

Payless ShoeSource closed all 2,300 of its U.S. stores as part of a bankruptcy filing, including more than two dozen in the Atlanta area. Read more.

Family Dollar
Nearly 400 Family Dollar stores closed nationwide this year, while another 200 were converted to Dollar Tree, which purchased the rival chain in 2015. There are dozens of Family Dollar stores in Athens, Canton, Cartersville, Dallas, Decatur, Douglasville, Forsyth, Gainesville, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Smyrna, Snellville, and Stone Mountain. There were 30 locations in the city of Atlanta alone. Read more.

Charlotte Russe
A month after it filed for bankruptcy, the women's clothing company Charlotte Russe decided to shutter all of its stores. Stores marked for closing including Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville, Mall of Georgia in Buford, Perimeter Mall in Atlanta, and Northpoint Mall in Alpharetta. Read more.

Pier 1
The home wares and furnishings chain has plans to close 57 stores by the end of 2019, USA Today reported. A list of locations was not released by the company; here are the locations in Georgia.

Charming Charlie
Women's fashion accessory retailer Charming Charlie filed for bankruptcy and closed roughly 260 stores across the country, including 11 in Georgia. The company's website shows store locations inAshley Park Mall: Newnan; The Forum on Peachtree Parkway: Norcross; The Shoppes at River Crossing: Macon; The Avenue Webb Gin: Snellville; The Avenue Forsyth: Cumming; Arbor Place Mall: Douglasville; Mall of Georgia: Buford; Oglethorpe Mall: Savannah; Augusta Mall: Augusta; Cumberland Mall: Atlanta; and Woodstock Square: Woodstock. Read more.

Other store closings announced this year include five Georgia Mattress Firm stores.