It’s been a pretty rough decade for some of our most beloved retail locations, as childhood favourites such as Zellers and Sears shut their Canadian doors for good. While they’ll be quickly replaced with newer, modern alternatives, it’s nice to reminisce over our collective past experiences in these shops. In case you’ve already forgotten, here are 9 stores that closed in Canada that you'll remember from your youth.
Some recent closures came towards the end of 2019, as a number of well-known retailers in Canada announced that they’d be saying a final goodbye to the country, or at least shutting down multiple locations.
Treasured places included Forever 21, Green Earth, Payless, and even Home Outfitters.
Now, it seems there are even more Canuck shops on the chopping block for 2020, as we face saying a final farewell to Bench, Papyrus and our beloved Zellers.
Retail Insider suggests that most of these closures are likely due to our change in spending habits, as consumers move to online ordering rather than in-store shopping.
Whether you have memories of trying on your first bra in La Senza or signing hundreds of birthday messages in Carlton Cards' cards, it can feel pretty hard to say au revoir to these iconic retail locations.
Just before they disappear from your memory forever, here are nine stores that closed in Canada that you'll remember fondly from your youth.
Zellers
Zellers seems to be one of those places that is just too hard to say goodbye to.
After announcing they were closing their two remaining shops in 2019, fans of the superstore did everything they could to convince Zellers to stay, including calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and the last location in Canada is set to close their doors for the final time at the end of this month.
Sears
While it’s been a couple of years since the last Sears closed in Canada, a lot of us are still not over it.
Between grieving their huge catalogue and wondering where we will get new family portraits from, there’s a Sears-shaped hole in all of our hearts.
After the company filed for bankruptcy in 2018, the only way to get your fix is to head to the United States, where all of your Sears dreams continue to live on!
Carlton Cards
On January 22, the hearts of card-lovers were broken Canada-wide, when it was announced that every single North American Carlton Cards would be closing down for good.
With 59 locations and one in almost every province, it’s going to be sad to say farewell to Carlton’s.
Luckily, you’ll still be able to buy their cards from their various brand partners in Canada, so it’s not totally over for this iconic brand.
Papyrus
Alongside Carlton Cards, Papyrus will also be bidding farewell to Canadian shoppers in 2020.
At the start of the year, it was announced that all of their stores would be shutting down too, and it’s yet another knock for anybody who is enthusiastic about greeting cards and cute gifts.
Lowe’s/Rona
It’s a sad start to the decade for fans of Lowe’s/Rona, as the company announced they’d be closing many Canadian locations in early 2020.
In January and February, stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia will be open for one last time, and memories of being dragged there by our parents will be all we have left!
Forever 21
Gone are the days of heading into Forever 21 as a teenager and finding the floral-print dress of your dreams.
Back in September 2019, the popular fashion spot announced that they’d be officially moving out of Canada, and closing all of their local locations in the process.
The company declared bankruptcy towards the end of last year, but have recently made promises to find a way back here soon.
La Senza
Sadly, it seems underwear is not exempt from our online shopping baskets, and therefore La Senza has also felt the hit in recent years.
According to Retail Insider, the intimates company will be closing many of their Canadian stores throughout the new year, and buying first bras from La Senza Girl may become a thing of the past.
Bench
Back in the '00s, if you weren’t wearing Bench, you weren’t worth knowing!
While bright coloured clothing with the huge Bench logo may have once been "the look," it seems to have been left behind with the decade.
Sadly, it’s the end of another era, as all Bench stores will be closing this year.
Blockbuster
Ok, we know Blockbuster hasn’t been around for a long time, but it would be impossible not to consider this iconic company's time in Canada.
Pushed aside by streaming services and Netflix, Blockbuster left Canada back in 2011, and the country just hasn’t been the same since.
We all miss Friday and Saturday nights in the local BB, arguing with friends and family about which movie to chose, and then panicking about returning it on time for the rest of the week.
Blockbuster and chill, anyone?