VA, DC Retail Apocalypse: Another Chain Closing All Its Stores

VIRGINIA — The outlook for national chain retailers in northern Virginia and DC continues to be gloomy: Another national retail chain this week announced plans to close all of its stores, according to reports.

Papyrus, a stationery retailer, is closing all of its stores across the country, according to Fortune. The chain operates three Washington, D.C., stores and six Virginia stores, including shops in McLean, Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax.

The company, which once had 450 locations, is down to 260 stores, which have begun liquidation, reports indicate.

Papyrus hadn't issued a formal statement announcing the closings, Fortune reported, but the website now states that all sales are final and no returns or guarantees will be honored. A 20 to 40 percent off storewide sale was also promoted on the Papyrus website.

The region's Papyrus stores are located at:

• Columbia Square: 1270 F St NW, Washington, DC
• Georgetown: 1300 Wisconsin Ave., Washington, DC
• Union Station: 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC
• King Street: 721 King St., Alexandria
• Fashion Centre at Pentagon City: 1100 S Hayes St., Arlington
• Fair Oaks: 11912 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax
• Tysons Corner Center: 7934 Tysons Corner Center, McLean
• MacArthur Center: 300 Monticello Ave., Norfolk
• Stony Point Fashion Park: 9200 Stony Point Pkwy., Richmond

Papyrus joins other chains that are closing all or some of their DC and Virginia stores, including Pier 1 Imports, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sears, Kmart, Motherhood Maternity, Dressbarn and more.

Earlier this month, Pier 1 said it would likely close half of its stores to "better align its business with the current operating environment."

A dozen Virginia stores, including one each in Manassas, Falls Church, Arlington and Alexandria, were removed from the chain's website. The company confirmed on social media the stores removed from the website were slated for closure. Patch has posted the full list of the 12 Pier 1 stores expected to close.

Lord & Taylor said in November it is closing two stores in Northern Virginia, its Tysons Corner Center store and its Dulles Town Center store in Sterling, the Washington Business Journal reported. The Lord & Taylor store at Tysons will lay off 117 employees, effective Jan. 31. The store at Dulles Town Center laid off 79 employees when it closed Christmas Eve, according to the report.

The women's clothing store Avenue is closing more than 200 locations across the country, including three stores in Virginia. Read more.

In November, craft supply store A.C. Moore announced it was closing all of its stores. The arts and crafts supplier operates at least 15 stores in Virginia. Under the transition, as many as 40 A.C. Moore stores will become Michaels. The locations to become Michaels have not yet been named. Read more.

The news is a continuation of the recent climate for brick-and-mortar stores across America. A record 9,300-plus store closings were announced in 2019, and that number could be even higher in 2020, according to a report by Business Insider.

RELATED: NoVA, DC Store Closings By Chain Retailers In 2019