If you ask a girl where they got their first ear piercing from, many will reply with “Claire’s” including current eighth-grader, Emily Littel. Intended for ages as young as three to teenagers as old as 18, Claire’s was a staple store in many young girls’ lives. Their stores feature a variety of items and services such as ear piercings, jewelry, hair accessories, makeup and even toys. However, with Claire’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy twice in the past seven years, first in March 2018 and again in August 2025, and the permanent closing of Justice in 2020, another tween clothing store, the question of “why?” arises.
“This decision is difficult, but a necessary one. Increased competition, consumer spending trends and the ongoing shift away from brick-and-mortar retail, in combination with our current debt obligations and macroeconomic factors, necessitate this course of action for Claire’s and its stakeholders,” stated Claire’s CEO, Chris Cramer. However, Cramer expressed that they will “continue to explore all strategic alternatives,” such as a mass sale.
Many teenagers now remember their childhood closet consisting of brands such as Justice, Old Navy, GAP and OshKosh. But now, children’s closets consist of Lululemon. Many teenagers remember using Claire’s makeup in their younger years, but tweens now are getting their makeup from Sephora. Furthermore, when Claire’s announced their bankruptcy and sales, the crowd that ran to the stores was not the children of today, but the children of the 2000s to 2010s craving nostalgia.
This switch could be attributed to social media. Although social media existed in the 2000s and 2010s, children back then did not have as much or any access to such platforms. In comparison to today, children of many ages have access to platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram exposing them to all kinds of content. In fact, according to Pew Research Center, since 2014-15, there has been a 22% rise in the amount of teens who have reported having access to a smartphone (95% now and 73% then).
The old saying, “you are who you surround yourself with,” has evolved in this new generation. In the early 2000s, who you “surrounded yourself with” was usually people whom you had met in person and have a close, personal connection with. Now, however, with influencers participating in trends such as GRWM (get ready with me) or DIML (day in my life), those close personal relationships are now exercised through the screen.
Additionally if this influencer is wearing Lululemon or showing products from Sephora, then those viewing the content are likely to start wearing Lululemon and products from Sephora.
If the children of this day and age are viewing TikToks, Instagram Reels, or Youtube Shorts with these trends, then they will start to become “who they surround themselves with.” With the death of tween-centric stores, according to Emily Littel, the children of today are “losing their childhood” and “will be wearing Lululemon crop-tops instead of Jojo Bows.” And if this theory is true, then we can expect more of our childhood stores to become a relic of the past.
