- 13 hours ago
Just when we thought they were gone for good, these iconic stores made a comeback! From classic retailers to childhood favorites, we’re looking at brands that reinvented themselves after closing their doors. Did your favorite store make it back onto the shelves? Let us know which comeback story surprised you the most in the comments below!
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00:00The doors are officially open at the new FAO Schwartz and New York City's Rockefeller Center.
00:04A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held over the weekend and...
00:07Welcome to Miss Mojo!
00:08And today we're counting down our picks for the businesses that seem to close for good.
00:12We've got a second chance following a reinvention.
00:15Bed Bath & Beyond, which shut all its doors more than two years ago, is back from the dead.
00:2210. American Apparel
00:24Thanks to their classic pieces and often provocative advertising,
00:28they found themselves among the fastest-growing businesses in the United States.
00:33Unfortunately for American Apparel, that success wouldn't last long.
00:37Signs of financial distress began to show in the 2010s,
00:40thanks to dwindling sales, massive debt repayments, and the firing of their CEO, Dove Charney.
00:46I believe the ousting of Dove Charney was because the board saw that these claims happened over and over again.
00:54And, you know, they would be subjected to further liability.
00:58After filing for bankruptcy twice, they were purchased by Gildan Activewear in 2017.
01:04The brand was then relaunched with the same name and significant changes everywhere else.
01:08It reached a deal to sell its intellectual property rights and some assets to Gildan Activewear for about $66 million in cash.
01:18They put an emphasis on empowerment rather than sexualization,
01:21returned to the company's activity roots, and reopened as a strictly online retailer.
01:26Though the changes were extreme, it allowed them to regain both their old customer base and a new one as well.
01:32The company says it's getting ready to open its new flagship store right here in Los Angeles,
01:37and it's going to be right at the same place it was before, the old American Apparel location on Melrose.
01:43Number 9. Payless Shoe Source
01:45At their peak, they supplied affordable shoes to people across the globe in almost four dozen countries.
01:51That wasn't enough to save Payless Shoe Source,
01:54who found themselves victim to the growing popularity of online shopping in the 2010s.
01:59Officials say they plan to shut down roughly 400 stores immediately.
02:03Payless is among the many retailers who have struggled from online shopping.
02:07That, coupled with a large unpaid debt, led to them filing for insolvency in 2017 and then again in 2019.
02:15Following the second one, they closed over 2,300 stores across North America.
02:21Payless plans to file for bankruptcy for the second time and close its 2,300 stores.
02:26Ironically, the growth of online shopping that was their downfall would end up being their savior later on.
02:32In 2020, they came back as an e-retailer Payless.
02:35Payless says it will reopen some stores.
02:39The discount shoe chain says it is planning to open 300 to 400 stores nationwide.
02:45While they're thriving in the digital space, they plan on hopefully reopening more stores in the future as well.
02:50The discount shoe chain plans to open more than 300 stores across the U.S. over the next few years.
02:568. Jimboree
02:57With their parent brand The Children's Place at the helm, they became the go-to for families who wanted cute clothes and fun classes for their kids to enjoy.
03:06They ran into trouble after being bought by Bain in 2010 for $1.8 billion.
03:10The location in the Valley Plaza Mall would also close down.
03:14There's still time for another buyer to step up and buy the company, but so far, no one has come forward.
03:19They filed for bankruptcy twice and bounced back.
03:22But their third in 2019 was the final straw.
03:25Their physical locations closed, and it seems they were gone for good.
03:29According to The Wall Street Journal, Jimboree is expected to file for bankruptcy protection this week.
03:33It would be the second filing in less than two years.
03:36Luckily, they were picked back up by their original owner.
03:39By 2020, they reopened on a much smaller scale as an online retailer and as a store within a store in various The Children's places.
03:47When that proved to be a success, they graduated to brick and mortar with their first location opening in 2024.
03:54Because there are still frontiers to be discovered and laughter to be shared.
04:00Jimboree, proud sponsor of Dinosaur Train.
04:037. Sharper Image
04:05We're at the Sharper Image in downtown Los Angeles, where they have everything from light sculpture to this space-age crossbow.
04:12Sometimes the answer to resuscitating a business is returning to its roots.
04:16Sharper Image first debuted as a catalog in 1977, where they offered a variety of electric tools and toys.
04:22They then expanded into physical locations, with more than 180 in the United States.
04:28I have to get this. I have to get this.
04:30Harry, we're here for Jess and Marie.
04:31I know, we'll find them something. There's great stuff here.
04:34Things went downhill when they sued Consumer Reports over a negative review on their Ionic air purifiers, leading to their own customers suing them.
04:43After years of losses, they declared bankruptcy and closed in 2008.
04:47Their products were sold by third-party sellers until they were acquired by 360 Group in 2016.
04:52They were relaunched as an online catalog with a new sleek look and saw so much success that they opened up a pop-up in Times Square in 2017.
05:01Number 6. Lord & Taylor
05:03Despite being in business for nearly 200 years, they still weren't safe from the pitfalls of COVID-19.
05:10Lord & Taylor originally opened in 1826 as a dry goods retailer, but eventually transitioned into a full-on department store.
05:18They had to temporarily shut down following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
05:23Now comes the news Lord & Taylor in this iconic building is soon to be over, leaving those who loved it already longing.
05:32By the time they reopened that July, the writing was on the wall.
05:36By August, they'd filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and planned to close everywhere.
05:42Lord & Taylor's going-out-of-business sale officially launching today, the chain closing all 38 of its locations after filing for bankruptcy earlier this month.
05:51They were then purchased by Sadia Group, beginning their transition into their online space.
05:56Since the acquisition, they've become a thriving luxury digital market.
06:00What's even better is that they got their iconic logo back in 2024, returning to tradition in the best way possible.
06:08Retailer of the future and saying, what does that look like?
06:10That does not look like 120,000, 150,000 square feet stores across the U.S.
06:16They're going to be much more focused stores with a much more focused footprint.
06:20Number 5. Limited To
06:22Limited To
06:24Everything a girl could ever want for back to school.
06:28Millennials everywhere will be ecstatic to hear this.
06:31Those who grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s will be more than familiar with Limited To,
06:36a brand that primarily made clothing for kids and teenagers.
06:40You and your classmates could win a premiere screening of a never-before-seen episode of Lizzie McGuire,
06:45hosted by a surprise guest,
06:47plus wardrobe from the first-ever Lizzie McGuire by Limited To clothing line.
06:51Despite its popularity, their parent company announced in 2008 that its name would be
06:57discontinued in order to convert them into Justice, a cheaper children's clothing brand.
07:02Its replacement ended up shutting its doors in 2020, giving the original a sudden opportunity.
07:08After being bought by Blue Star Alliance LLC, clothes were available online.
07:13Then Limited To came back in 2024 with a bang,
07:16by releasing a new line of clothes for kids and adults in Kohl's stores across the country.
07:20A series of Instagram posts this month promising the return of Limited To,
07:25like this photo with text that reads,
07:28The original brand reimagined.
07:30Number 4. FAO Schwartz.
07:33The disappointment that comes with an iconic part of a city disappearing is unmatched.
07:38FAO Schwartz had been a staple of New York City and the holiday season since 1870.
07:43Things were going great until the 21st century, when they were acquired by Right Start Inc. in 2001.
08:02They filed for bankruptcy twice in 2003, and by 2004, all but two locations had been shuttered.
08:09The famous FAO Schwartz on Fifth Avenue closed its doors tonight.
08:14The reason? Rising rents.
08:16It was bought by Toys R Us in 2009, resulting in their remaining stores being closed.
08:22In 2016, 360 Group swooped in and purchased it once more.
08:26It's just three years after shutting its flagships' doors.
08:29The famed FAO Schwartz is once again open.
08:32They opened two new emporiums in NYC in 2018, reigniting the company's popularity.
08:39Since then, the relaunched brand has launched new stores in the U.S. and Europe.
08:43The place is magic. It really is.
08:45For me, the opportunity to get to share what I love with people from around the world is just the most incredible thing.
08:53Number 3. Circuit City
08:55If they can pull this off, it'll be proof that anything really is possible.
09:00Circuit City was at the forefront of electronics sales and was the first to operate a superstore dedicated to them.
09:07Yet after a series of questionable decisions, from undergoing a billion-dollar retrofitting to seizing the sale of large appliances,
09:14they closed over 150 stores in 2008.
09:18Don't wait until it's over. Shop now during the final days of the Circuit City going out of business sale.
09:24They filed for bankruptcy that same year and were granted over a billion in funds, but still shut down in 2009.
09:30The second largest electronics chain in the world is going out of business.
09:34It'll close all 567 U.S. stores by March, including two in Spokane.
09:39They were purchased in 2016 and officially came back in 2018 as a store within a store and as an online retailer.
09:47Their goals of integrating AI into their business and collaborating with other companies should hopefully ensure their long-term success.
09:55The current company's CEO says artificial intelligence will play a big role in the online experience.
10:01Number 2. Bed, Bath & Beyond
10:03While they saw immense success throughout the end of the 20th century and well into the 21st,
10:09the end of the 2010s brought on a sudden downturn for the big box retailer.
10:14The company warned that it may need to file for bankruptcy.
10:18A few weeks later, it said it had defaulted on loans and did not have sufficient funds to repay debts.
10:24The writing was on the wall when several directors were pressured to step down around the same time
10:29the company made the unpopular call to stop their promotional deals.
10:33You always had people that were not willing to shop without that 20% off because it was so easy to obtain,
10:39so you had fewer people paying full price for items.
10:42The true death knell was COVID-19, causing them to shut down 200 locations.
10:48After a few more years and steadily increasing debt, they officially closed in 2023.
10:53Their name was bought afterwards by the Brandhouse Collective and was rechristened Bed, Bath & Beyond Homes.
10:59Their first brick-and-mortar store since relaunching opened in August of 2025,
11:03and we can only hope there'll be more to come.
11:06The new store is called Bed, Bath & Beyond Home.
11:11The owners plan to open 75 more by the end of next year.
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11:29Number 1. Toys R Us
11:33For decades, they delighted customers of all ages.
11:37Despite the popularity of Toys R Us by the 2010s, they were drowning in debt to the tune of $5 billion.
11:44In 2017, they filed for bankruptcy in order to pay it off, but ended up closing a year later instead.
11:51Their attempts to reopen the following year were stifled by the pandemic.
11:55Toys R Us stores across the country were closed for good after 70 years, 70 years of business.
12:00It is just another brick-and-mortar store failing to keep up really with rapidly growing online retail space.
12:06They had another chance when WHP Global bought their parent company in 2021,
12:12helping them facilitate a deal with Macy's to relaunch smaller stores within theirs in several states.
12:18It was a resounding success, allowing them to open flagship shops.
12:21With their return, the newest generation will now have the chance to enjoy the same magic as those that came before them.
12:28The toy store giant has reopened its doors.
12:33And yes, the iconic mascot Jeffrey the giraffe was there to spread cheer.
12:38Which iconic store from your childhood would you love to see a relaunch and reopen?
12:43Let us know in the comments below.
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