Forever 21 store at Fashion Fair Mall in northeast Fresno to close

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- There will soon be a large vacancy at Fashion Fair Mall in northeast Fresno.

Forever 21 started its liquidation sale on Tuesday with large signs saying, "everything must go."

The retailer took over the three-floor location in 2011 after Fresno-based Gottschalks closed in 2009.

"It's kinda shocking and a little sad cause I feel like I'm always in there. That's the first store I always go to when I'm here," said Chloe Machanin.

Shoppers said they're going to miss how convenient the retailer was.

"It's kind of upsetting. The clothes were kind of cheap and they have a lot of nice stuff," said Dulce Birrientos.

"There's a lot of still cute, trendy stuff while remaining in a really good price area for a lot of people these days," added Machanin.

On Tuesday, signs were displayed inside and outside the retail space, alerting customers that everything was on sale, offering 10% to 40% off the entire store.

A recent article from the Wall Street Journal reported the retail giant may have to file for bankruptcy.

The news of Forever 21 having financial issues comes after crafting retailer Joanne Fabrics announced it would close its River Park location.

The closure is one of 500 locations set to shut down as Joanne's navigates its bankruptcy process.

The merchant filed Chapter 11 in January, and that was the second time in less than a year.

"Fresno, we have a problem," said Former Fresno State Econ Professor, William Rice.

Rice has been a consultant for hundreds of businesses over the years. He said retailers are optimizing to cater to their customers but it's still not enough for them to keep their doors open for business.

"When someone starts talking to me about closing a business, I get a heart attack. This can't happen -- we got to come up with some strategies," said Rice.

He adds that when a business closes, dollars don't get spent.

That could have an impact on our local economy, but only time will tell how severe it could be.

Forever 21 has not announced when it will close.

Action News has reached out to the corporation and Fashion Fair Mall to try and get more answers, but we have yet to hear back.

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