List of defunct department stores of the United States

Department stores

Discount stores

National and regional

• 99¢ Only Stores
• Acorn Stores
• Ames Department Stores Inc.
• Arlan's Department Store
• Ayr-Way Was discount chain of L.S. Ayres & Co. that eventually became Target Stores.
• L.S. Ayres Was eventually sold to May Department Stores and finally became Macy's.
• Bargain Hunt On January 31, 2025, Bargain Hunt's parent company, Essex Technology Group, warned that they were preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as soon as the following week. On February 1, 2025, after it was reported that the company shut its only distribution center, Bargain Hunt announced that they would be closing all 91 stores, with liquidation sales beginning shortly after. Bargain Hunt filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 3, 2025, listing assets between $50 million to $100 million and liabilities between $100 million to $500 million. Up to 300+ employees lost their jobs after Bargain Hunt closed. The stores closed in March 2025.
• Bob's Stores, 24 stores,
• The Bon-Ton and its subsidiaries: Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers.
• Bradlees
• Britt's Department Store
• E. J. Korvette last stores were closed in 1980 after filing for bankruptcy
• Fisher's Big Wheel Discount Department Stores based out of metro Pittsburgh, PA.
• Fred's
• Gamble-Skogmo
• G. E. M. Membership Department Stores
• Gibson's Discount Center, based in Texas but had spread to many other states at its peak
• W. T. Grant
• Goody's
• Hills Department Stores Was bought out by Ames Department Stores.
• Howard Brothers Discount Stores
• Jack's
• Jamesway
• S.H. Kress & Co., Puerto Rico subsidiary Tiendas Kress survived parent company until its remaining locations closed in 2022.
• Leggett, acquired by Belk in 1997
• Lord & Taylor, the oldest department store chain in the United States, founded in 1826 in New York City, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on August 2, 2020. On August 27, 2020, the company stated it would be liquidating all 38 locations by December 1, 2020.
• McCrory Stores
• Mervyn's
• Montgomery Ward
• Neisner's
• Odd Job Stores, Inc., acquired by Amazing Savings in 2003 and went bankrupt in 2005
• Peebles- its parent company Stage Stores would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and would close all remaining stores including Gordmans, Palais Royal, Bealls, Goody's, were all closed down.
• P.N. Hirsch, acquired by International Shoe Company in 1964; later sold to Dollar General in 1983 and rebranded
• Schultz's Family Stores, began as Schultz Bros. Co., headquartered in Lake Zurich, Illinois, 77 total stores in 1974 in the Upper Midwest, bankrupt and acquired by Prange Way in 1989
• Shoppers Fair
• Steve & Barry's
• Syms
• Topps stores were closed when parent company, Interstate Stores filed for bankruptcy in 1974
• Tuesday Morning
• TurnStyle
• Two Guys
• Value City
• Venture Stores Based out of St Louis, MO metro area.
• Woolco, founded by the F.W. Woolworth Company as a full-line discount department store
• F. W. Woolworth Company
• Zayre

  Alabama

• Gayfer's
• Loveman's
• Mazer's Opened in 1932, closed in 2011.
• Parisian, sold to Belk 2006, renamed September 2007. Five stores sold to The Bon-Ton, converted to the Carson Pirie Scott name.
• Pizitz, 13-store Alabama chain, sold to McRae's 1987, renamed later that year
• Rogers Became a division of Dunlap's that closed in 2007 after sale of store chain by Rogers family.

  Alaska

• Northern Commercial

  Arizona

• Babbit's
• Broadway Southwest
• Diamond's, was part of Dayton Hudson
• Goldwater's
• Goldwyn's
• Levy's
• Myerson's White House
• Sacanni's
• Yellow Front Stores

  Arkansas

• MM Cohn, 2007

  California

• The Akron, a Southern California–based "eclectic" department store chain that had specialized in carrying imported goods and unusual items such as parking meters and live Mexican monkeys, and which had stores as far north as San Francisco and far south as San Diego before it was forced to close its stores in 1985
• Blackstone's Department Store
• Blum's, originally M. Blum & Co., established 1907; store appears to have closed shortly after death of owner and founder in 1940
• The Bon Marché , 430–434 Broadway, Los Angeles, opened in 1907, closed within a year
• Boston Stores, HQ in Inglewood and later Carson; liquidated 1989
• The Broadway, converted to Macy's
• Brock's, started in 1924 and sold to Gottschalks in 1987
• Breuner's
• Buffums
• Bullock's, converted to Macy's
• Bullocks Wilshire today it is Southwestern University School of Law.
• Butler Brothers
• Carithers's, closed in 1986
• H.C. Capwell Co., merged with Emporium in 1929 to form the Emporium Capwell Co. holding company, Emporium-Capwell was acquired by Broadway-Hale Stores in 1970, Broadway-Hale Stores later became Carter Hawley Hale Stores and then Broadway Stores, Inc.; during this time, Capwell kept its name until 1979
• City of Paris Dry Goods Co., became City of Paris by Liberty House. Demolished except the rotunda, now part of Neiman Marcus.
• City of Paris, no relation to the San Francisco store or to Ville de Paris, 1850s–1897
• Coulter's
• Crowley's
• Daly's, closed in 1995, with four Northern California stores, after operating for exactly 100 years
• Desmond's, founded 1862, became a large Southland-wide chain, closed 1970s
• Disco Department Stores, chain of discount stores located in Northern California and Northern Nevada, first store was opened in San Rafael in 1956 as Marin Associated Consumers by co-founder William L. Simmons, stores were later renamed MAC Disco Mart and then MAC Disco Discount Department Stores, chain sold to Daylin in 1966 and renamed Disco Discount Department Stores, first store outside of Northern California opened in Reno in 1968, stores were closed by 1975 due to financial problems with parent company
• B. H. Dyas
• Eastern-Columbia Department Store, Eastern Outfitters, Columbia Outfitters, San Francisco/Los Angeles through the 1950s
• Fedco, a membership retailer, not subject to "Fair Trade pricing"
• FedMart, a membership retailer, not subject to "Fair Trade pricing"
• Fedway – first store in this division opened in 1952 by Federated Department Stores; Westwood store opened in 1953; all stores closed and sold off in 1968
• Fifth Street Store: Walker's, main store in downtown Los Angeles was also known as the Fifth Street Store since it was located at the corner of Fifth and Broadway, main store was founded in 1905 as Steele, Faris, Walker Co., later became Muse, Faris, Walker Co., and then finally Walker Inc. in 1924; opened first branch store in Long Beach in the late 1920s; opened a branch store in San Diego in 1935; San Diego store separated in the early 1950s; opened second Long Beach store in 1954; closed Los Angeles store; sold Long Beach stores in 1960 and store renamed
• Frink's, founded by Jose and Lola Frink in the early twentieth century, but closed by mid-century
• Gemco
• Globe Department Store, South Broadway between 51st–52nd, South Los Angeles
• Gottschalks, bankrupt March 31, 2009, which closed all of the stores. A few former Gottschalks stores were replaced as Macy's and Forever 21 in the Pacific region. There were plans to reopen stores in Auburn, Clovis and Oakhurst in spring 2011, but the deal ultimately fell through.
• GET at Lakeshore Plaza, on Sloat Boulevard, in San Francisco, a discount chain, a membership retailer, not subject to "Fair Trade pricing", and open only to employees of local, state, and federal government agencies. Lakeshore Plaza had a Lucky store and in the late 1960s, Government Employees Together became part of Lucky store's Gemco.
• Grodin's, a 36-unit chain of men's and women's specialty stores, closed in January 1987.
• Gump's closed 2018
• Haggarty's, Los Angeles–based chain of junior department stores for apparel, 1906–1970
• Hale's , merged with Broadway in 1970 to form the Broadway-Hale holding company while keeping its name on its stores; merged into The Emporium under Carter, Hawley & Hale.
• A. Hamburger & Sons, founded in 1881, purchased by May Co. 1923 and renamed May Company California
• Harris Department Store, based in San Bernardino, absorbed by Gottschalks
• Harris & Frank
• Hart's Department Store
• Henshey's, finally closed in 1992 after being in business since 1925
• Hilson's, three locations closed 2001
• Hink's, also known as J.F. Hink & Son, closed in 1985Arcadia Publishing
• Hinshaw's, both stores were closed in 1992
• Kahn's, founded by Israel Kahn in 1879, acquired by newly formed B. F. Schlesinger & Sons in 1925, B.F. Schlesinger & Sons was renamed Western Department Stores in 1941, Kahn was rebranded Rhodes in 1960
• S. Lazard & Co.
• Levee's, closed in the early 1980s
• Liberty House
• H. Liebes, liquidated when its parent company, Beck Industries, filed for bankruptcy in 1970
• I. Magnin, converted to Macy's
• Joseph Magnin Co., closed 1984
• Marston's San Diego, 3 branches, purchased by The Broadway in the 1960s
• Mattei Bros. – closed in 1995
• May Company, merged with Robinsons and became Robinsons-May, then Macy's
• Mervyn's of California, operated stores in western US. Went bankrupt December 2008
• Milliron's, see Fifth Street Store, above
• Nahas, 1953–early 1980s junior department stores with clothing and home goods, mostly in Los Angeles County. Purchased and absorbed independent department stores Rathbun's North Hollywood, Trenwiths Santa Barbara and Butler Bros. Van Nuys.
• F. C. Nash & Co. – Nash's, at one time had 5 stores in downtown locations in neighboring small cities during the 1950s and 1960s, founded in 1889 as a grocery store, became a department store in 1921, branch stores were unable to compete with larger chains opening in malls built in the late 1960s and early 1970s and had to be closed, main store destroyed in a daytime fire on May 11, 1976
• National Stores
• O'Connor, Moffat & Co., purchased by Macy's 1945, name changed to Macy's 1947
• Phelps-Terkel junior department store for apparel, founded 1923, survived in various forms until 1992
• Pic 'N' Save, became MacFrugal's, then Big Lots
• Prager's, closed in 1921 after 25 years in business
• Rankin's, Downtown Santa Ana and Orangefair Center, Fullerton
• Ransohoff's, Ransohoff's, Inc., founded in 1902, by Leopold Ransohoff. Ransohoff's was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1958 film, Vertigo, set largely in San Francisco.
• Rhodes, became Liberty House
• Robert's, based in Long Beach, which grew to nine stores before closing in the 1990s
• J.W. Robinson, converted to Robinsons, then merged with May Company to become Robinsons-May, then eventually became Macy's
• Rosenberg's, located on Third Street; closed in 1998; now a Barnes & Noble
• Sage's Complete Shopping, one of the first full department stores that coined the name "super market," at Baseline and E Street in San Bernardino, later with stores in Riverside, Rialto, Colton and Redlands, confounded by Milton Ross Sage and C. C. Jenkins, 1937–1973
• Silverwoods
• Swelldom, junior department stores for apparel, Los Angeles, 1906–1970s
• Two Guys
• Unimart, locations variously became Two Guys, Gemco, FedMart; was owned by Food Giant Markets Inc until it merged in 1967 with Vornado, the owner of Two Guys, which quickly converted Unimart stores to Two Guys.
• Ville de Paris, Los Angeles 1893–1919
• Walker's, see Fifth Street Store and Walker Scott.
• Walker's
• Walker Scott, Solana Beach branch is now a HomeGoods store; founded as a branch of the Walker's Department Store of Los Angeles in 1935; close Walker associate George Scott became president in 1951 following death of Eliza Walker, widow of the deceased founder, in 1951; name of store changed to Walker-Scott in 1955; downtown store closed in 1984; all stores closed by 1986
• Webb's
• Weinstein's, founded by Isidor Weinstein, went bankrupt in 1968
• Weinstock's, founded in 1874 as the One-Price Store by David Lubin and his half brother Harris Weinstein, renamed Mechanics' Store the following year, later renamed The Weinstock Lubin Company, acquired by Hale Bros. 1949, eventually acquired by Federated in 1995 via various mergers of its parent company, stores eventually rebranded Macy's
• White Front
• The White House, closed in 1965
• Whole Earth Access, last stores closed in 1998
• Wineman's
• Zody's, bankrupt and locations were sold to Ralphs Grocery Stores in 1986