The Chesterfield Big Lots Is Officially Closed

A little more than a month after announcing it would be going out of business, the Chesterfield Big Lots shut its doors permanently yesterday.

A handful of shoppers perused the largely gutted floor Tuesday afternoon, searching for bargains among the last remaining aisles. The interior of the retailer was mostly bare, with large portions sealed off by yellow caution tape, and the few items that remained were marked down by 90 percent.

It offered a starkly contrasted view from May 20, 2011, when the 23,000-square-foot store opened with a ribbon cutting attended by Chesterfield Mayor Bruce Geiger and a line of eager shoppers.

Asked in December, Manager Travis Chapman declined to say why the location was closing.

The move could be due to broader issues for the national brand name discount chain. It has recently been plagued by a federal investigation into its CEO and Chairman Steven Fishman, who announced his intentions to retire Dec. 4, 2012. On the same date, the company also told investors that it had an operational loss of $6 million for the third quarter of that year. 

The Chesterfield Common’s shopping space has previously lost a tenant due to the poor performance of a national chain. It’s previous occupant was Circuit City, an electronics retailer that declared bankruptcy and liquidated all its American stores in 2009.  

Editor's Note: Due to a copy editing error, a previous version of this story incorrectly stated when Big Lots opened. Patch regrets the error and any confusion it may have caused. 

Are you sad to see this Big Lots close down? Find some great deals there in the past? Tell us about it in the commens section below.