Here are all the Forever 21 locations in NYC that will permanently close this year

If you grew up in the ‘90s or 2000s, you might want to take a seat: Forever 21, the retailer that dressed our awkwardly-shaped teenage selves, just announced that it’s closing all its stores across the U.S., which will include several locations across New York City.

The iconic retailer, which was founded in 1984, filed for bankruptcy for the second time in six years and, this time around, all their shops are shuttering for good. 

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Forever 21 had already been reducing its presence in New York for the past several years, most notably when it shut down its beloved Union Square location in 2020. There are still a handful of operating Forever 21 stores across the city, though, including its flagship Times Square location, another one near Herald Square and a couple of other locations in Brooklyn and Queens. 

Here are the NYC Forever 21 stores that are closing

• Seventh Avenue-Penn Station (435 Seventh Avenue)
• Times Square (1540 Broadway)
• Kings Plaza Shopping Center (5301 Kings Plaza)
• The Shops at Atlas Park (80-40 Cooper Avenue)
• Staten Island Mall (2655 Richmond Avenue)

Forever 21's managing company will stop operating in the U.S., but it is holding out hope that a buyer will take on its inventory and continue running its stores, per CNBC. Despite months long efforts, though, no viable deals have materialized. 

Although it's unclear when, exactly, the NYC stores will close, liquidation sales at Forever 21 stores across the country have already begun. This might be the time to visit the destinations if you've been meaning to find the perfect excuse to shop. 

Despite its massive popularity and more than 350 locations, the store blamed soaring inflation as well as competition from Chinese retailers like Temu and Shein as reasons for its demise. Specifically, the store referenced a “de minimis” exemption, a trade loophole that lets international retailers ship low-cost goods to the U.S. duty-free, allowing Forever 21's Chinese competitors avoid tariffs and sell goods to American consumers for a lower price, per Axios. 

If you needed proof that a potential recession is looming, this might be it: in this economy, not even Forever 21 can be forever.