Pier One, which is still around, to close half its stores

Wowwwww! I had forgotten all about them.

I thought they were already gone.

World Market is way better. Pier 1 is such garbage.

I have three within ten miles of me. WTF is the purpose of that? I don’t even live in a dense city.

About 25-30 years ago they had cool stuff

Last time I went into one several years ago they sold expensive furniture and everything seemed kind of fake "upscale" Asian crap. It was on a grisly strip in a rather depressing town so not much made sense.

I never buy anything there. There’s always seething off about their stock; either overdecorated or overpriced.

Agree R4 They always had nice inexpensive cloth napkins and tablecloths, cushions for wicker and other outdoor furniture. Some of their dishes were nice and budget friendly. Many times I was surprised what great deals they had on small containers, boxes, and porcelain items perfect for gift giving.

I haven't been in one in probably twenty years though, as they all closed up shop near me ages ago.

I pretty much forgot about them, but there are apparently still three in the city where I live. I had a hot big dicked friend who used to manage one, and a couple of friends who worked there part time.

They were always reliable for decent housewares for post-college apartments in the ‘90s. I used to go by the store at the end of my friend’s shifts, always loved the way it smelled and the nice warm lighting.

The products are gaudy Asian hausfrau crap. How they assembled that product line is a huge mystery. I would not be interested in anything they offer.

They lost their foothold when they went from small stores in shopping malls to stand-alone stores. When they were small and in shopping malls (pre-2000), they really did have unique imported items. But as soon as they got bigger and had stand-alone stores, they starting having boring mainstream stuff that wasn’t that unique.

Another thing that hurt them is the internet because anyone can buy unique items from anywhere in the world via various websites. Pier 1 is kind of irrelevant now.

I have their Chas sofa in seersucker with a matching ottoman to make something of a sectional and an armchair from the same line in light blue. I really like them and they have held up very well - I've had them for about 5 years.

I needed a smaller scale sofa than a lot of places carry, and I liked the English roll arms and tufted back.

There was a first wave of closings a few years ago, and the stores closest to me shut down. They were always hit and miss, but I still have a great area rug I bought there 10 years ago, and a good wicker chair.

It's OK because they had ten times as many as they needed.

Pier One in the Shitter - Declares Bankruptcy

Last link is wonky so here's another

30 years ago, their stuff was considered exotic and eclectic and most importantly, it was cheap.

Nowadays, cheap housewares imported from Asia are EVERYwhere. No need to go to Pier One when that stuff is all over Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl's, etc.

Excellent question, OP. Why not, indeed.

And their signature *papasan chair* is now sold by Amazon, Ikea, Overstock, Wal-Mart, Wayfair, WorldMarket amking a trip to Pier1, redolent of scented candles and plastic, quite unnecessary.

This place will always remind me of my mom. She loved shopping here in the 90's. I think our entire house was stocked via Pier One and the Bombay Trading Company. I do remember it always smelling really nice in both of those stores. Anyone know what they used?

When they started you got exotic stuff priced very reasonably ,it was actually fun to shop there . Now they are hideously expensive but I have to say ,the quality is worlds above Home Goods and the like . But when you can get the same item much cheaper online ....

Never once did I step into a Pier One store.

Maybe I should check one out before they all disappear.

Chapter 11, Sister Moon!

World Bazaar is much, much, better.

What happened to Bombay Trading Company? I forgot about them. I bought a brass lamp from them in the 1990s. Maybe that's why they're gone now.

I used to only shop at pier 1. The quality and selections have gone down hill

Gasp!

This brass lamp, R23? I think it's the only one they sold.

Is the Pier One on Pier 42 closing?

That's cute, but no, mine was simpler, a candlestick shape, small. No pull chains. But the shade was the same.

Very poor quality. Very cheaply made.

Now they’ve filed for bankruptcy.

They used to have great stuff. After Christmas things were 90% off. I got my mom some bubble bath/shower gel that smelled so nice & not chemical,...she loved it. I used to go in & get trays & lanterns to use outdoors for 50% off. Then I went in there and the trays were like $30. Are you kidding me? It became a store that was decorated to be a store. Like, none of it would look good unless you bought a whole houseful of other Pier One of stuff to match it.

Their website almost never had free shipping and 20% off was a sale. Who wants 20% off when it’s overpriced to begin with, you have to pay shipping & handling & taxes? To me, 20% isn’t a sale. Before the Internet, there was no such thing as 20% off. Sales started at 25% off, were quickly marked done to 50% and anything remaining after 2 months was 75% off. Almost nothing is 50% off now.

Their products have gotten cheaper and cheaper, and yeah they used to be a lot better.

OP is being paid to verbatim repost from LSA. Block that cunt.

Who is this fucking nutjob at r32 who keeps accusing other people of re-posting from other websites and stealing its ideas?

F&F

[quote] OP is being paid to verbatim repost from LSA. Block that cunt.

The article came from Reuters. Do you think perhaps, just maybe, it’s been reposted in many different places. Are you arguing that any news article posted else where should not be posted here?

What’s the deal?

I don't even care about the quality becuase the items themselves are so repellant. The Pier 1 buyers are now all Karens and everything they buy is teal and lavendar and pink silver and DISGUSTING. Cheap middle class shit that would be proudly displayed in one's condo in North Carolina and not a single thing that evokes other countries and other cultures.

They had a great brand and pissed it away.

They were one of the few retailer that had inexpensive solid wood furniture (not all of it, but quite a bit) that had some character. I will definitely miss them if they close up shop.

Shit, I remember going there with my mom decades ago. It used to be so fun.

Let it die.

They used to have fun, inexpensive stocking stuffers and Christmas items, but it's been crap for decades now.

All this time, I thought World Market was just Pier 1 and that they rebranded or something.

r39 it's always been confusing :)

World Market is Cost Plus.

Oh no, where will I go to buy a throw pillow with a sunflower on it and a 50 dollar woven basket that I could buy at Target for 12?

World Market will be next. Nothing but crap.

R43 I rather like World Market. Their decor selection is uninspiring, but they have a decent assortment of beer, wine, coffee and teas.

I loved stuff from Bombay.

r45 I liked Bombay Company too! I wonder why they went out of business.

When I did decorate a lot at Christmas I would go there for unique decorations.

I still have pieces from Bombay that have held up beautifully 15 years later .

We are drowning ourselves with White Zin upon hearing this tragic news.

[quote] I still have pieces from Bombay that have held up beautifully 15 years later .

Wow a whole entire 15 yrs. That’s so NOT amazing!

If I was rich I would do my whole house in Pier One. I know I'm tacky, but I love all those earth tones, incense and wicker.

Bombay Co overstepped itself by opening a “light wood” version of itself. Bombay had “dark wood” decor & the franchise they opened had Alex or Alexander in the name and sold light stained wood decor.

Funny, my old neighborhood had a Bombay Company & Pier One across the street from each other. They both closed way before I left manhattan in 2005. Hell, there used to be Pottery Barn stores all over the city. They didn’t sell furniture back then. Just housewares, cutlery, rugs and framed pictures. I used to pick up lovely Xmas ornaments for 50¢ on Dec 30. Those were the days. Then they all closed down & became 1 or 2 large stores. I think they’re all closed down now.

Cost Plus/World Market is now owned by Bed Bath and Beyond, and since that company is not doing well, it might spell trouble for Cost+ (which is how we die-hard Bay Areans will always refer to it.)

I just used a $15 gift certificate at Pier One. Bought some oil that smells good. You put the sticks in them. You know what I mean. I usually never buy from pier one because they never do free shipping, but the had free shipping on Black Friday and just happened to have a 2 toned clothes hamper that matched my bathroom exactly.. So I ordered it (it came with matching 2 toned waste basket I kept & a couple of smaller baskets which I threw away). So I earned a certificate because if triple-dipple points or something. I had a card stored on their website probably since 1997, so I scored.