Phoenixville's Big Lots Store To Close, Ending Its Brief Tenure

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — Phoenixville's Big Lots is no more.

The discount retailer has gone bankrupt and is out of options, according to their executive team.

Located in the Shoppes at Valley Forge on 270 Schuylkill Road, the Phoenixville location was central to the Phoenixville, Collegeville, and Valley Forge areas.

The closure comes as a competitor to Big Lots, Ocean State Job Lots, opened its second store in the local area in Pottstown earlier this month. They also have a location in Montgomeryville.

"We all have worked extremely hard and have taken every step to complete a going concern sale," Big Lots CEO Bruce Thorn said in a statement. "While we remain hopeful that we can close an alternative going concern transaction, in order to protect the value of the Big Lots estate, we have made the difficult decision to begin the GOB (going of out business) process."

Big Lots said it continues to serve customers in-store and online, and will provide updates as available.

Founded in 1967, the company operated in its infancy as Consolidated International and operated closeout and discount stores under a variety of names. In 2001, the various store names and company were converted to the single national Big Lots brand.

The Big Lots website currently lists 64 locations across Pennsylvania.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Eric Heyl