All Maine ‘Claire’s’ Stores To Shut Their Doors For Good Among Worldwide Company Closure

It's a store that's been synonymous with all things middle school girl, for decades!

"Claire's", in the Bangor Mall has been the go-to for brands like Disney, Hello Kitty and Pusheen for many a mom on a mission to get the perfect birthday present or back-to-school must-haves. It's the spot where you could get lip gloss, hair accessories, Squishmallows and your ears pierced all in one stop.

News that the company might be in business has been circulating for a while now. According to USA Today, the company filed for bankruptcy for the second time on Aug. 6th of this year, hinting that it might close a majority of their stores in the U.S., but up to that point, Bangor wasn't on their list.

"The Illinois-based company, which has 1,326 stores across the U.S., has faced financial challenges due to the rise of fast-fashion brands like Shein and Temu, high rent costs, and new tariffs from supplier nations, including China, based on documents filed with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Delaware."

While it seemed the Maine stores had dodged a bullet, things changed quickly, however, and they decided to take a more drastic approach and close everything.

According to their website, they're closing all Claire's stores, worldwide! And they're asking everyone with a Claire's gift to redeem that by August 29th.

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A representative from the Bangor Mall, which has been the location of Bangor's Claire's store for as far back as I can remember, says the local Claire's managers were only made aware of the decision to close all of the stores, this past weekend. They did not know when the official closure date for Bangor would be, but said they're currently selling off of their entire inventory.

Online, it's the same story. They're calling it a company-wide "One Last Sparkle" sale.

It's officially the end of an era for folks like me who grew up with Claire's and have seen a second generation of girls' eyes light up when they walk through the doors, when I'd take my daughters in to pick something out.

This corner of Bangor will be a little less shiny and smell a little less of bubblegum lip gloss now.

As a mom of 3 daughters, I can tell you this is going to be a major bummer for them. They loved spending time looking through the racks of jewelry and tiaras.

Might be a good idea to head over and stock up on all that birthday stuff now, while it's still around.

According to their website, they're open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM until 7 PM and Sundays from 9 AM until 5 PM...that is, until they close for good.