Remaining CT Christmas Tree Shops Doomed For Closure: Reports

CONNECTICUT — It appears the four remaining Christmas Tree Shops in Connecticut are closing by late summer.

A staff member at the Manchester location said Monday that a cloud of uncertainty was hanging over the store. The popular discount retail store has been designated for closure, and it could be gone as soon as two months from now, the staffer said.

That is consistent with a Wall Street Journal report noting that the complete liquidation is coming on the heels of a financial snafu in which the chain took out a $45 million bankruptcy loan that has since been terminated by creditors after it defaulted on the terms due to worsening revenues.

The WSJ cited a notice filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

There are about 70 Christmas Tree Shops nationwide. In addition to Manchester, stores in Connecticut are located in Danbury, Orange and Waterford. Christmas Tree Shops released a statement in May indicating it sought court permission to close 10 underperforming stores across seven states.

Hearst Connecticut reported that all four Connecticut locations are "now on a list of additional stores to be closed nationally."