Beloved stationery shop Papyrus closing all stores
The beloved stationery shop Papyrus will shutter all its stores, becoming the latest iconic chain to close amid a brick-and-mortar retail shakeup.
The store's parent company, Schurman Retail Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday, announcing it planned to liquidate remaining inventory and close all 254 stores, according to papers filed in a Delaware bankruptcy court.
"Schurman Retail Group wants to thank you, our wonderful customers for so many years of loyal patronage," Papyrus said in a statement on its Facebook and Twitter pages. "Unfortunately, we regret that we are closing our stores."
"We hope that through our artistic, thoughtful greeting cards and our personal expression products that we were able to inspire you to celebrate and honor the special people in your lives, creating meaningful moments along the way," it added. "We truly appreciate all of your business and will miss serving your needs. We will cherish the memories. The Papyrus brand lives on and we hope you will still find joy in it."
Papyrus currently employs 1,100 workers, according to the court filing. The first Papyrus store opened in Berkeley, California, in 1973.
Schurman Retail Group did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for further comment Friday.
The official Papyrus Facebook page, however, responded to queries of whether its products would still be available at other retailers with: "Unfortunately, we cannot address this as American Greetings controls the future of the PAPYRUS brand."
Papyrus is the latest in a string of brick and mortar stores closing or downsizing in an increasingly e-commerce world.
In September 2019, another retail staple at American malls Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy. A month before, iconic New York City-based retailer Barneys also filed for bankruptcy.
