4 Claire’s locations closing in Alabama following Chapter 11 bankruptcy

ALABASTER, Ala. (WIAT) — Claire’s recently confirmed the closures of 235 locations across the country, four of which are in Alabama.

The announcement comes after the company, a major shopping mall retailer focused on girls between the ages of 3 and 18, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early August.

In Alabama, stores closing include the Shops of Grand River in Leeds, the Propst Promenade in Alabaster, the Decatur Mall in Decatur and the Outlet Collection in Foley. While the Leeds and Alabaster locations have already closed, dates for the Decatur and Foley closures have not been confirmed.

“It was always kind of just a good time. Like, I think most of the people who work at Claire’s kind of do it because they like the experience working with the kids and giving them good memories,” said Romeo Garrison, who worked at the Alabaster location of Claire’s.

Lyric Caroll worked at Claire’s in Alabaster from 2021 to January 2025. At the time she left, she was the store’s manager.

“I feel like it’s a very nostalgic place because it’s been there for so long,” Caroll said. “Like, even if you weren’t a super girly girl, you probably got like some spiky ball earrings as a gift at some point when you were a kid from Claire’s.”

“It was also one of my favorite stores as a kid, like the location I managed, that specifically I used to shop there when I was in high school for prom and homecoming week and all that kind of stuff,” Caroll added. “So, it was very full circle of me to start working there, and now very sad that it’s yet another one of my childhood stores that is closed forever.”

Garrison said that, during his time working at Claire’s, the majority of customers he saw were parents with younger children.

“We’ve kind of seen all the places where tweens are really supposed to shop kind of die out,” Garrison said.

According to Claire’s website, the store’s intended audience is teens, tweens and young girls between the ages of 3 and 18.

“I think they’ve kind of lost some of that audience,” Garrison said. “The younger and younger kids are getting pushed into, like, older and older styles.”

Besides the four Alabama locations that are closing, 13 locations throughout the state are remaining open. The closures, as well as the locations remaining open, were detailed in a court filing.