Popular Clothing Chains, Including J.Crew, Are Closing Stores, Starting Jan. 22

J.Crew is closing at least one store this month.

J.Crew is no stranger to store closures. In June 2020, the company identified 67 different locations it planned to close after filing for bankruptcy the month prior. And at this same time last year, J.Crew shuttered several stores throughout the U.S., including locations in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Mishawaka, Indiana.

But now, the new year is bringing new closures. The retailer is gearing up to close a location in Portland, Oregon, local CBS-affiliate KOIN reported. According to the news outlet, J.Crew sent an email to customers notifying them that they would be permanently closing their store at Pioneer Place on Jan. 22.

Best Life reached out to J.Crew for more information, but has not yet heard back.

A spokesperson for the company did provide KOIN 6 News with a statement on the closure. "We are always evaluating our business and store footprint, and after careful consideration, we have made the decision to close certain stores to better support our broader omnichannel strategy," they said.

Another clothing chain is shuttering a store the same day.

Another popular clothing chain is closing a store on Jan. 22 as well. Maurices will shutter its location at The Village Mall in Danville, Indiana, the Commercial-News reported.

Store manager Brooke Rose, who has been with the store for nearly 10 years, told the Commercial-News that Maurices is also closing its location in Charleston, Illinois—which is roughly two hours from Danville. According to Rose, the decision to close these stores came down from corporate.

Best Life reached out to Maurices for more information on its upcoming closures, but has not yet heard back.

Eddie Bauer has also slated a closure for this month.

Spring cleaning has come early for multiple clothing chains. Alongside J.Crew and Maurices, Eddie Bauer is also closing a location January.

The company's store in downtown Saratoga Springs, New York, will shutter for good at the end of this month, local ABC-affiliate News10 reported. The last day of business for this Eddie Bauer store will be Jan. 28, according to the news outlet.

Best Life reached out to Eddie Bauer for more information on the closure, but has not yet heard back.

Two of these companies are reimagining their stores.

Closures aren't the only changes for some of these brands.

Back in November, Maurices announced that it would be "expanding the brick-and-mortar presence" of its new brand Evsie, which is catered more toward tween shoppers. The company expanded the tween brand into more Maurices locations as shop-in-shop locations, as well as opening three freestanding Evsie stores in West Jordan, Utah; Fargo, North Dakota; and Boise, Idaho.

"I am excited to open our first-ever Evsie stores and continue the expansion of this brand,” David Kornberg, CEO of Maurices, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to provide the tween girl and her mom comfortable fashion, with a great fit and amazing quality for its value. We are confident in our continued growth opportunities within the market space and are happy to offer Evsie to even more customers."

J.Crew, on the other hand, has pared down its fleet of retail stores from over 200 to 127, Women's Wear Daily reported in Dec. 2022. J.Crew Group CEO Libby Wadle told the trade journal that the company is focused on reimagining the locations it is keeping open.

"The best representation of the brand needs to be in the stores," Wadle said. "We have a smaller footprint, but these stores are in our best markets. We will invest in them to make sure they feel really fresh. What we have done at the Bowery [the new men’s store in New York] is an initial step to refresh our experience. Everything is brought to life in that store in a way that sometimes other stores don’t."