Lord & Taylor, America’s Oldest Department Store, Prepares to Close Its Doors Forever
The year 2020 was one for the history books: the shocking death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, the coronavirus pandemic upending daily life, and nationwide protests following George Floyd’s murder. Amid this turbulence, the U.S. economy struggled—and traditional retailers felt the full brunt as shoppers turned to online giants like Amazon. One of the hardest-hit names? Lord & Taylor, America’s oldest department store, now facing the end of nearly 200 years in business.
The Fall of a Retail Icon
Once a symbol of elegance and innovation, Lord & Taylor is preparing to close all 38 of its stores, launching a desperate liquidation sale to wrap up its final chapter. This comes after the company initially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, planning to keep 14 locations open. But the pandemic’s crushing economic pressures, combined with the rapid rise of e-commerce, proved too much to overcome.
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