Another national retailer is closing in Modesto amid the ongoing COVID pandemic
Another national retailer is closing its doors and calling it quits in Modesto.
MJM Designer Shoes, a discount shoe retailer on McHenry Avenue, sent an email to its customers this week announcing the closure. The company is owned by its next-door neighbor in Modesto, the Burlington department store (formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory).
The email to valley shoppers read, “Your store is closing, but great savings are still nearby.” The message then had information on Burlington, its parent company, which is known for selling discounted coats, clothing, home goods and more.
Burlington opened on McHenry, just north of Briggsmore Avenue, in 2002. MJM Designer Shoes, which has a small space on the corner of the Burlington building, opened around the same time.
A Burlington Stores corporate spokesperson said the store was closing “shortly,” but the company was “excited to be able to drive customers to the Burlington store located within the same strip as the existing MJM.” The spokesperson also said employees at MJM would be offered work at the neighboring Burlington store.
The spokesperson did not give a reason for the closure.
When I called the MJM store, an employee told me Friday, Jan. 15, would be the business’s last day open, but could not give more information.
As the pandemic has raged on, retailers large and small have felt the hurt. A number of prominent brands have filed for bankruptcy, citing COVID-19 and the outbreak’s fallout for their financial woes, ranging from Neiman Marcus to Gold’s Gym, Brooks Brothers to Ruby Tuesday.
In Stanislaus County national brands have shuttered stores already from J.C. Penny (which closed its Turlock and Los Banos stores) to Pier 1 (which closed all of its locations including its Modesto and Turlock stores), Bed Bath and Beyond (which is closing its Turlock site) and GNC (which shuttered its Vintage Faire Mall store in Modesto).
Regional chains like In-Shape Health Clubs have also filed for bankruptcy, and restaurant’s from Modesto’s Fuddruckers, Ceres’ Pastas Pronto, Escalon’s The Tri-Tipery and Turlock’s Dust Bowl Brewing Company downtown taproom have all closed their doors as well.
With the COVID-19 outbreak in our area not letting up, it’s sad to say we will likely see more closures through this year until the pandemic is under control. So shop and eat local, tip your friendly small business owner/staff, and follow all public health guidelines so we can find a way out of this horrible mess sooner rather than later.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
