These Beloved Businesses Permanently Closed In MA In 2025

The holiday shopping season is almost upon us, and Massachusetts consumers might be surprised to see that some of their favorite brick-and-mortar stores have disappeared since they last checked off gifts on Santa’s list.

Popular pharmacy chain Rite Aid is gone. So are most locations for Joann, the fabric and crafts retailer. In all, some 2,700 stores nationwide have locked their doors or are planning to close in 2025, according to a Business Insider analysis.

See also: Major Pharmacy Chain Will Close Its Remaining Stores In MA

There are multiple reasons, but a big one is e-commerce competition. In a report last year, UBS analysts said another 45,000 stores may close by 2029 as retail’s physical footprint increasingly shifts to fulfillment and distribution centers.

Amid the store closures and constrictions, larger corporations such as Walmart, Costco, Target and Home Depot plan to expand, according to the analysis.

See also: 5 MA Starbucks Locations Closing, New List Says

Large businesses benefit from their size, which allows them to absorb higher costs and secure more favorable agreements compared to smaller businesses — especially the independent shops that anchor main streets across the country.

It only takes a small shift in the economy to sour what was once a profitable business. For many, “the tariffs are that kind of tipping point,” Scott Lincicome, vice president of economics and trade at the libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, told Minnesota Public Radio’s “Marketplace.”

See also: Beloved MA Drive-In To Close After 60 Years In Business

Massachusetts Closings So Far In 2025

Here’s a look at some businesses that have closed locations or completely in Massachusetts in 2025:

Starbucks shuttered five locations across the state. This came as the Seattle coffee giant was focusing more of its resources on a turnaround, CEO Brian Niccol wrote in a letter to employees.

See also: North Shore Cheese Shop To Shutter In September

Iconic East Taunton restaurant the Star Drive-In announced it would close after more than 60 years in business.

The Cheese Shop of Salem closed down on its 10th anniversary in September. The owners cited rising costs and a desire to "close while things feel good and true to our values."

See also: Major Auto Company To Shutter Over 100 US Locations—MA Stores Could Be Impacted

United Parcel Service shuttered a South Boston facility as it scaled back on the amount of Amazon shipments it handles.

Walgreens closed Massachusetts locations. Residents learned in May that all locations in the state would either be sold or closed, which has come with a slow rollout of closures across stores in the state.

See also: Major Shipping Company To Cut 20,000 Jobs: Will MA Facilities Close?

Claire's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this summer. The retailer planned to close 700 stores and was considering liquidating its entire 1,500-store footprint in North America. However, when a private equity firm acquired Claire’s assets, the liquidation plan was paused for about half of the stores. In Massachusetts, seven stores closed.

Rite Aid was closing all of its Bay State stores.

See also: 'Dead Malls': YouTube Channel Chronicles History, Decline Of MA Shopping Malls

"While we have continued to face financial challenges, intensified by the rapidly evolving retail and healthcare landscapes in which we operate, we are encouraged by meaningful interest from a number of potential national and regional strategic acquirers," CEO Matt Schroeder said in a statement.

Massachusetts Joann locations closed as the company cited rising costs and dwindling demand for its financial difficulties, as more sewists, quilters, knitters and other craft enthusiasts are buying supplies online.

See also: Liquidation Sales Underway At Most Massachusetts Joann Stores

Smithland Pet & Garden Centers is closing all its locations after over four decades in business, including six in Massachusetts.

Consumers Fret About Prices

Everyday Americans are on the same precipice. Tariffs are adding to inflation, high credit card interest rates and other pressures already pushing many families to the edges of their financial comfort.

See also: Another Walgreens Is Closing In This MA City

To get the best deals, many consumers began their holiday shopping last summer, before President Donald Trump’s retaliatory tariffs on some of the top importers of U.S. consumer goods took effect.
Nearly half (49%) of the 2,600 consumers surveyed by Bankrate said they planned to start buying gifts before Halloween, and 41% are worried about higher prices.

“Tariff concerns are likely a prominent reason why more than 2 in 5 holiday shoppers fear higher prices this year,” said Ted Rossman, a senior analyst at Bankrate.

See also: Here's When This Popular Store In Shrewsbury Will Close

About 70% of those surveyed said they expect to spend the same (43%) or more (27%), according to the survey.

That could be good news for retail businesses that are dependent on the fourth-quarter holiday sales to finish the year in the black.

See also: Longtime Retailer Quickly Closing All MA Locations