Black Friday bleaker this year with closings of Bed Bath & Beyond, others


Toys R Us. Circuit City. Kmart.

Once staples of Black Friday, holiday and everyday shopping, these big-box retailers disappeared from the retail landscape in Jacksonville over the last decade or so, victims of shifting consumer buying habits, competition and more.

But they were hardly the last to turn off the lights and lock the doors.

In 2023, more household-name retailers have joined the list: Bed Bath & Beyond. Tuesday Morning. Buybuy Baby.

After announcing in January plans to close 87 stores — including stores at 13221 City Station Drive and 6001-24 Argyle Forest Blvd. — storied homegoods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy protection in April and announced the closure of the chain’s remaining 360 stores, including its last two Jacksonville-area stores: 4054 3rd St. S. in Jacksonville Beach and 8801 Southside Blvd.

The bankruptcy of Bed Bath & Beyond also affected the company’s 120 buybuy Baby stores, including its Northeast Florida store at 8801 Southside Blvd.

Discount retailer Tuesday Morning, too, filed for bankruptcy in May and began closing all of its stores, including its two remaining area stores: in Ortega, at 4524 St. Johns Ave., and Mandarin, at 12200 San Jose Blvd., as well as stores in Fernandina Beach and St. Augustine. The closings followed a round of closings earlier this year that led to the closure of its Ponte Vedra Beach store at 840 A1A N.

And in early July, Christmas Tree Shops followed suit, declaring bankruptcy and announcing plans to close its 70 stores across 20 states, including its stores operating under the andThat! banner, which included one in Jacksonville, also at 8801 Southside Blvd., where Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy Baby closed.

Stein Mart, Sears close Jacksonville stores in 2020

The round of closings is the most significant since 2020, when Jacksonville-based Stein Mart filed for bankruptcy and closed its 281 stores operating across 30 states. The closings included its five remaining Jacksonville-area stores.

Also that year, Sears closed a store at Orange Park Mall, its last in the Jacksonville area following the shuttering of stores at The Avenues (December 2019) and at Regency Square Mall (2016).

Bed Bath & Beyond, others remain as online retailers

But the Bed Bath & Beyond, Tuesday Morning and Stein Mart brands live on.

Commercials for the former are currently airing, directing shoppers to the bedbathbeyond.com website after online retailer Overstock paid $21.5 million for Bed Bath & Beyond’s intellectual property in June. Tuesday Morning, too, continues as an online retailer, offering home decor and more. According to its website, the company is offering franchise opportunities in select markets, including Utah, where it plans to open a store in Layton.

And fans of Stein Mart can shop online, where they can buy clothing for women, men and children from fashion brands Deeluxe, Westport, Peck & Peck, Figueroa & Flower, Sara Michelle and more.


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