Another chain home decor store is closing a Fresno location. It’s not the only one
Home decor store Kirkland’s plans to close its northwest Fresno location.
The store, at The Marketplace at El Paseo, near Highway 99 and Herndon Avenue, will close July 14.
The company’s other two stores – one at the Villaggio Shopping Center at Blackstone and Nees avenues and one at Clovis Crossing at Herndon and Clovis avenues – will remain open. Kirkland’s has more than 400 locations of its small-format home decor stores nationwide.
The northwest Fresno store opened in 2015.
A manager, who declined to be named, said the store got lower traffic than the other locations in town. They tried to increase sales, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the company decided to close the store.
A Kirkland’s representative later emailed this statement regarding its closure: “We evaluate store performance and leases on a regular basis, and we work to renegotiate leases at stores that are not meeting expectations. However, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close a small number of underperforming locations across the U.S., including the one in Fresno CA, to maintain the overall health of our company. Area customers can still shop Kirkland’s online at kirklands.com.”
It’s not the only chain home decor store struggling.
Pier 1 filed for bankruptcy last month and is closing all its 540 stores, including locations in Fresno and Clovis.
Tuesday Morning, a discount home decor store, is also bankrupt and will close stores in Fresno and Visalia.
Still, other home decor stores are opening in the area.
At Home, a giant discount home decor store, opened in the former Kmart on Shaw Avenue in Clovis in February.
Nearby, Hobby Lobby, which sells craft supplies but also has a strong home decor department, is gearing up to open two new stores.
In Clovis, Hobby Lobby is preparing to open in the former Toys R Us on Shaw Avenue, shooting for a July 10 opening.
Hobby Lobby is also planning a store in The Marketplace at El Paseo, likely opening in July.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 1:12 PM.
