For decades, specialty chains gave malls their personality: the glittery corner store, the loud sneaker wall, the place everyone met before movies. Online shopping, heavy debt, and higher operating costs are now squeezing many of those brands hard. Some are restructuring and trimming locations; others are closing outright and moving what they can to e-commerce. When those gates finally roll down, what disappears is not only product, but a familiar backdrop for small, everyday moments.
Torrid: Plus-Size Fashion Retreating To The Web
Torrid earned real loyalty by treating plus-size shoppers as the main event, not an afterthought at the edge of the rack. Now the brand is closing scores of underperforming stores while leaning into online sales, where most of its growth already lives. In many malls, that means a bright, affirming storefront goes dark, replaced by a landlord sign and a QR code. The fashion still exists, but the sense of a visible, dedicated space in the center of things slips away.
Claire’s: Glitter, Piercings, And Fewer Storefronts
Claire’s once felt like a rite of passage: first ear piercings, birthday outings, and noisy racks of glittery impulse buys. After bankruptcy and painful balance-sheet work, the company has been trimming locations and renegotiating rents, especially in weaker centers. The brand is not gone, but more business now flows through kiosks, outlets, and online channels. For many smaller malls, that leaves one less place where kids and teens turned nerves and excitement into tiny bags of jewelry.
Forever 21: Fast Fashion Losing Square Footage
Forever 21 used to pulse with loud music, overflowing racks, and towering yellow bags that signaled a long afternoon of try-ons. Several waves of financial trouble and a major restructuring have led to a tighter store fleet and quiet exits from underperforming malls. The chain still sells fast fashion, but more of that story now plays out online and in a smaller group of high-traffic locations. In some centers, the vacant box it leaves behind is too large and oddly shaped to fill quickly.
Express: Workwear And Night-Out Looks In Flux
Express spent years serving shoppers who wanted something sharper than basic casual but less formal than traditional officewear. As hybrid work, softer dress codes, and online rivals chipped away at margins, the chain turned to restructuring and store closings to stay afloat. Flagship locations may survive, but many mid-tier malls are losing their only mid-priced, city-leaning fashion option. The gap is not just about clothes; it is about one-stop spots for first jobs, interviews, and last-minute event outfits.
Rue21: Teen Trend Hub In A Final Fade
Rue21 specialized in quick-moving trends for teens whose budgets demanded aggressive sale racks. After repeated bankruptcies and shifting competition from ultra-cheap online brands, the company signaled plans to wind down remaining physical stores. Going-out-of-business banners change the tone from bright and chaotic to oddly somber. When those spaces empty, some malls lose one of the few retailers that catered directly to younger shoppers who mostly came with friends and limited pocket money.
GameStop: Fewer Walls Of Disc Cases
GameStop’s appeal rested on shelves of boxed games, pre-owned treasures, and staff who actually followed release calendars. Digital downloads and subscription services have chipped away at that model, prompting waves of closures and a sharper focus on fewer, more profitable stores. In malls that lose their location, fans still have ways to buy, but they lose a physical spot for trading in, talking strategy, and arguing about sequels. The glow shifts from a bright storefront to private living rooms.
Foot Locker: Sneaker Shrines Leaving The Mall Core
Foot Locker once turned prime mall real estate into a kind of sneaker gallery, complete with striped jerseys and launch-day lines. Now the company is closing many traditional mall stores while opening off-mall concepts that fit better with big-box neighbors and lifestyle centers. The brand remains strong, but its energy moves outward, away from food courts and carousel corners. In its place, some malls plug in discount chains, while others live with an empty, echoing corner.
Hot Topic: Fandom Space Under Pressure
Hot Topic made room for bands, shows, and fandoms that rarely reached other mall shelves. As pop culture shifted online and buying habits fragmented, the chain has quietly pared back certain locations and leaned harder on e-commerce. It still operates, but with a more cautious footprint and more selective leases. Where a store closes, a mall loses one of the few spaces where niche tastes were not just tolerated but celebrated in full, fluorescent intensity.
Joann Fabrics & Crafts: Hobby Runs Going Missing
Joann served quilters, teachers, cosplayers, and hobbyists who needed materials that general big-box stores did not carry well. Heavy debt and inconsistent sales have pushed the company to close some locations and rethink the scale of its network. Remaining stores often sit in larger power centers, not traditional enclosed malls. Once a Joann shutters inside a mall, crafty shoppers usually pivot straight to online carts, and the center loses a reason people once walked in with measurements and sketches.
Party City: Balloons, Costumes, And Final Sales
Party City turned last-minute planning into a bright, overwhelming rush of balloons, costumes, and themed plates. Financial strain, helium challenges, and changing party habits have led to waves of store closures and consolidation. Some regions still have a location, but many malls do not. When a Party City disappears, nearby tenants feel the loss of Halloween crowds, graduation surges, and every panicked parent who arrived needing candles and decorations before noon.
The Body Shop: Scent And Ethics Moving Online
The Body Shop helped teach a generation that beauty products could come with clear sourcing stories and reusable packaging. As competition from cheaper, online-first brands tightened the market, the chain pulled back from physical retail in several countries and shifted focus to digital sales and wholesale partnerships. For malls that lose their store, the absence is tangible: no more signature butters stacked to the ceiling, no more mix of activism and vanilla musk greeting anyone who walked past on the way to the food court.
