The home goods sector has suffered through economic havoc over the last two years as major retail chains have collapsed, liquidated, and shut down stores.
Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 23, 2023, and liquidated its 360 Bed Bath & Beyond and 120 BuyBuy Baby stores.
Home goods retailers rise from the dead
Overstock.com in June 2023 purchased Bed Bath & Beyond out of bankruptcy, changed the company's name to Beyond Inc. Then, in February 2025, the company Bed Bath & Beyond's former BuyBuy baby brand.
Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 protection on Sept. 9, 2024, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, seeking to sell its assets to stalking-horse bidder Nexus Capital Management for a $760 million bid.
However, the deal fell through, and the debtor on Dec. 19, 2024, said it would shut down all 1,392 stores.
Related: Iconic retail chain shuts down its remaining stores in bankruptcy
Eight days later, Big Lots agreed to a transaction with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners that allowed for the transfer of stores, distribution centers, and intellectual property to other retailers and companies.
Under the plan, Variety Wholesalers Inc. would purchase 200 to 400 Big Lots stores and operate them under the Big Lots brand, along with up to two distribution centers.
The distress in the home goods sector has continued as At Home filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2025 and said it would close 26 stores.
But the company couldn't seem to make up its mind on which stores to close, as it has twice decided to reopen stores it had planned to close.
Wikipedia/Careymarin
At Home reopens stores scheduled for liquidation
The home goods retailer, for the second time, changed its mind on closing two stores when it filed a notice on Aug. 1 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware removing its Dedham, Mass., and Leesburg, Va., stores from its closing list.
At Home filed an earlier notice on July 15 to remove its Princeton, N.J., and Wauwatosa, Wis., stores from the closing list.
At Home Stores removed from closing list:
- Dedham, Mass.
- Leesburg, Va.
- Princeton, N.J.
- Wauwatosa, Wis.
The debtor did not indicate reasons for cancelling the store-closing sales.
The home goods retailer had included the stores on its original list of 26 stores to close, or 10% of its 260 locations in 40 states, during its bankruptcy case. The retailer already closed six stores in the 12 months preceding its bankruptcy filing, according to the debtor's motion to conduct store closing sales.
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The retail chain also added six stores to the closure list on Aug. 1, located in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Lake in the Hills, Ill.; Bloomington, Ind.; Ypsilanti, Mich.; Ocean Township, N.J.; and West Bountiful, Utah, for a new total of 28 stores to be closed.
The 28 stores designated for closing in its bankruptcy are located in California (8), Illinois (3), New Jersey, (3), New York (2), Washington (2), Florida (1), Indiana (1), Iowa (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Montana (1), Pennsylvania (1), Utah (1), Virginia (1).
At Home closes 28 stores in 15 states:
- California (8)
- Illinois (3)
- New Jersey, (3)
- New York (2)
- Washington (2)
- Florida (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (1)
- Montana (1)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Utah (1)
- Virginia (1)
At Home filed for bankruptcy protection
The Coppell, Texas-based retail chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 16, with plans to close 26 stores and a restructuring support agreement that would eliminate $1.62 billion in debt and hand ownership to its prepetition lenders.
The home decor retailer filed its petition listing $1 billion to $10 billion in assets and liabilities, which include $1.998 billion in noteholder debt, consisting of $1.94 billion in secured note debt and $58 million in senior unsecured notes.
Related: Major mattress retailer files Chapter 7 bankruptcy, closes stores
At Home faced financial and operational headwinds that included increased freight rates driven by rising inflation, softening demand in the home decor market, and a consumer shift away from brick-and-mortar shopping with an increased focus on online purchases, according to a declaration from Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Aguilar.
At Home began as Garden Ridge Pottery in 1979
The company, founded in 1979 as Garden Ridge Pottery, began out-of-court restructuring efforts in early 2025 at a time when tariffs began rising for its many foreign suppliers.
After considering strategic alternatives, the company negotiated a restructuring support agreement with its prepetition lenders before filing for bankruptcy and seeking a $600 million debtor-in-possession financing transaction, which includes $200 million in new money.
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