COVID is going to keep this series busy for a minute.

They seemed confused about who they wanted their target customer base to be. They opened many of their stores in middle class shopping centers, which cheapened their brand in the eyes of affluent shoppers, but they kept the upscale prices, so middle class shoppers percieved them as being way too overpriced. Who's going to pay $45 for a throw pillow at Pier 1 when they can go to the Marshall's next door and get one just like it for $12? They should have either lowered their prices to be more competitive in the middle class market, or if they wanted to remain upscale, only opened their stores in high income areas. You don't see Restoration Hardware opening a store in a shopping center sandwiched between a Ross and a 5 Below

I know this will get buried in the comments...however my aunt worked for Pier 1 for 31 years, and did all she could to help corporate keep up with the trends she knew the customers wanted. She saw this coming though.She died unexpectedly in May, and they announced closing exactly a week later. Will miss her, and the Pier 1 gift the family got every year.

"By 2020 they changed their marketing to target young home buyers" That was a mistake. Last I checked not many young adults have the opportunity to even comfortably afford their apartment.

There's a strip mall in my hometown that had a Circuit City, Toys-R-Us and a Pier 1 in it. The Circuit City got replaced by Marshall's and the Toys-R-Us got replaced by Ashley Furniture. After Toys-R-Us closed, I went "What's next, Pier 1?". That strip mall is haunted or something.

Worked there for 6 months near the end, the clutter was because they were constantly getting obscene amounts of seasonal items. You'd basically have to rearrange the whole store every few weeks. The company would also accept a lot of cheap 3rd party stuff that just never got sold. The prices for the furniture there was just... yikes. Honestly, they should've just shifted their goods to only their fragrances, those were the only things worth buying from them.

The problem with Pier-One: They forgot who their core demographic was and started pricing their items too high for that demographic, and this was being done on stuff you could buy at Walmart for cheaper. Their original core demographic was young just married couples and first-time homeowners. In short, two groups with not a lot of money to throw around who are more than likely in the market for new furniture and home decorations. Now, when you sell a papasan chair at a markup that makes the same chair cost twice as much as what you could pay for the same chair at Walmart, you're going to lose customers to Walmart. This papasan chair example could be applied to anything else Pier-One tried to sell.

I find it crazy how most of this series includes so many stores I’ve just driven past over the years. never going in, but recognizing the names as I pass. I don’t have any connection to them but it still makes me sad to see some of em go

Their overstock and cluttering issues kept some of my friends away from Pier 1 stores because of accessibility issues. No room for wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, or canes in those aisles.

It's almost like their CEO went into IKEA and couldn't find the exit

I remember Pier 1 Imports from the 70's and early 80's. Whenever we went to the mall, I'd pop in just to enjoy their unique ambience and smell of incense. I loved pretending I was on some exotic island. So many of the shops I grew up with are now gone. 😥

Nearly all the stores I remember as a kid are or have gone out of business, Circuit City, Sears, Ames, JC Penney, CompUSA, etc now Pier 1?

They really fell off the pier

The first and only time anyone has shown interest in a topic involving Pier One Imports.

Thirty years ago, Pier 1 was the cool place to shop. It's sad that they dumbed themselves down to the point that they were basically the Wal Mart of the home goods market.

A scene from "Friends" sums up the company: "Forget it, its from Pier 1"

BSF: They filed- Me: Already?? What?! BSF: For an initial public offering on the American stock exchange. *Oh that makes sense*

Pier 1: *Gets greedy* Pandemic: *So you have chosen death...*

Pier 1 will have a special place in my memory for what it used to be. I remember back in the 90s when I was a teenager. Me and my sister used to go to the nearest Pier 1 and pick out stuff for our imaginary apartment. It will always remind me of that time in my life.

I never really cared for Pier 1 Imports. I never found anything I couldn't go without. Nothing ever caught my eye enough to spend $20+

Most entertaining series on yt not gonna lie

I remember their most recent commercial: It was a dining room where they threw everything in that store on the set, nothing matched, had layered dishes, the foodless table was so crowded & ugly. When they were going out of business by my house, I picked out an "accent" chair that was really a plush dining room one, because it did match my living room, but everything else was over priced even at "clearance".

I hope he does Abandoned videos on Regency Mall in Augusta, Georgia (has been abandoned for 18 years), and Northridge Mall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (has been abandoned for 17 years).

I remember I was always scared that I’d knock something over in the store cause of how enclosed and cluttered it was

Pier 1 had expensive prices compared to other retailers that were “discounted”. I remember shopping with my mom at pier 1 to put some pillows and they were charging $75 for them. We went to TJ maxx in the next plaza over and got identical ones for $20. Pier 1 may have started the industry but fell behind and subcame to it

This feels like Company Man but more savage.

Pier 1, the store that you visit and ask yourself "what is it that you sell again?"

I remember going in one with my mom last year on Black Friday because she wanted to see the plates, and we came to the conclusion that Pier 1 Imports sells overpriced and ugly decor that could never fit the style of any home. Even when I was younger and went with my dad and stepmom to one of the stores, my dad always mentioned how expensive items were for what you were really getting and I needed to be careful when walking around because it was always so cluttered, that I would fear of breaking something accidentally and especially because everything there was expensive.

Nice video! Next Bankrupt episode should be about Chuck E. Cheese's filing for Chapter 11 back in June.

"I usually opt for Crate & Barrel, or Pottery Barn" * laughs in free stuff I found on the street *

My memories of Pier 1 Imports consisted of going with my mother who was there to return unwanted wicker items, candles, and candle related accessories.

Covid: How many stores do you want me to close down? BSF: Yes

“What kind of dining set defines me as a person?“ I had it all. Even the glass dishes with tiny bubbles and imperfections, proof they were crafted by the honest, simple, hard-working indigenous peoples of wherever.

I was an actual Pier employee several months ago. Sad to see it go :(

What's wild is that what was the Pier 1 Imports location in my town (which I always thought of Pier 1 as one of the more expensive/fancy stores in town) that location/building has become one of the lowest end stores around, a brand new Dollarama location. It's still this fancy looking building from the outside, but it's just a basic dollar store inside, lol.

It would be cool for this series to cover about the bankrupt shipping company, Hanjin Shipping. One of the largest container shipping companies in the world and offered bulk and container services. They had owned almost 100 container vessels and had 6,000 employees and transported cargo to countries that had notable companies such as Nike. Until it's unexpected bankruptcy in 2017.

The way things are going, some major movie theater chain will be a bankrupt video on this channel.

They were overpriced. That’s why they are going out of business. They couldn’t flex their prices to compete with other competitors.

3:15 Blues Brothers and the old Dixie Square Mall!

Im betting Kohl's is gonna show up here in a few years. I give it 2 years.

My mother used to drag me to Pier 1 when I was young. It was soooooo boring. I can't help taking a sadistic pleasure in their bankruptcy.

COVID killing retail. Jake: “It’s free real estate”

Friends would meet up for lunch, then shopping in far-away shops that were all within “Pier 31’s” walls. If someone was moving or one of your kids was moving out, a housewarming gift or birthday present from the Pier was always the go-to gift. We would go up and down the aisles looking at specialised kitchen do-dads, wine gizmos and/or amazing fragrances, new kitchen tools that were must-haves and towels, bedding - just very nice merchandise. A couple of hours later we would emerge with our treasure-troves of the “perfect” gift(s)! It was a standing date on Mondays......giving a reason to get up and go to work! Ours was right on the waterfront. We would park under the viaduct and walk over. A very nice store with a smidge of “posh” here and there. Great memories! Thanks for this upload, my friend. I saw it in a search the other day and found it again. So sorry to see them go.......our society cares far more for “use and toss” than going for something that you’ll be able to pass down to the kids (a special plate set out with cookies for Santa every year, for example) because it brings back happy memories. Things like that are becoming a thing of the past. 😢 But this upload is very well done, as are all of yours. Keep up the amazing work you do. It won’t be long until virtually every UKposts user knows your name. Bigger and better things are just barely out of sight, if that is what you want. Stay safe and be well!

We had a standalone Pier 1 Imports in the surrounding area of the Huntington Mall. It was there for as long as I could remember. Never actually went inside, but it was such a mainstay of the shopping district that I still felt sad to see it go.

I love this channel man! Keep up the amazing work!

Great job Jake! As an aspiring person within the media world I love to watch your work. Keep it up!

Lots of knowledge, firsthand viewpoints and great editing for all your videos! I am glad you are getting more known! Well done.

I feel bad for their employees that have lost their jobs but it was honestly just a matter of time for this store. Every time my wife and I gave it a chance and went in there, we were always sticker shocked at the prices they were charging for their products. The EXACT same kind of stuff I could purchase at Home Goods for less than half that. A couple of months ago, we went into one again because they were having the "going out of business sale". We walked in and I found a set of 4 drink coasters that I thought looked pretty neat. I flipped it over to look at the price...$30, for 4 coasters?!?!? We left the store right after that. We won't miss them.

"discount Pottery Barn" Me: still couldn't afford either of them

here in Vancouver, BC, there was a Pier 1 Imports right underneath a Bed Bath & Beyond. Interesting fate for that building

I worked in pier 1 for a year from September 2019 to September 2020 when we closed.... I miss my coworkers and the place held many memories ... 💙 wasn’t always the easiest because we would get some customers that weren’t the easiest but it was worth it when you would get those that you could have a nice conversation with and help out and you would see them leave and come back to see you again as well as come back for you to help them ... was nice putting a smile on those who would like to fix their homes every once in a while or just those who loved trying new things 💙

Both Kirkland's and Home Goods also have a weird 'randomness' to the store layouts which puts me off from the stores, because I feel overwhelmed with choice, in the same way Bed Bath and Beyond has ceiling high shelves. It feels more like they are trying to give me a need than me actually having a need to be filled. Mid century modern (ikea) minimalism has replaced knick knack kitschy chic which now comes off as dated and tacky. 70s furniture is in right now so maybe knick knacks will come back into fashion too.

I worked at a Pier 1 in 2017-2018 and was shocked when I heard they filed. The location I worked at always did well and was placed in an upscale plaza. We had many diehard, loyal customers. But it all makes sense now after watching this video

And now we have Le Château added to the list

I used to work at a pier one that recently closed. We used to work overnight shifts to “re-stage” the store where we would essentially move the clutter around for 5 hours and make it just as cluttered as before

One of my favourite experiences with this channel is definitely seeing clips of stores near me in the video. I went to the pier 1 by the pen centre once I think?? Last year??? It was a cluttered mess of a store with clearance racks everywhere, but otherwise fun to pick through.

This is what happens when you sell furniture at a way higher price than anyone can or will pay for it.

7:22 that always amazes me when one person leaves and the whole thing collapses. It makes me wonder if the person was just good at keeping shady stuff going on, or were they genuine and somehow the organization absorbed nothing of what they had to offer.

I went to the local Pier 1 before they closed their doors. Everything in the store was pretty low quality, but the prices were insanely high.

Hey Jake! This video got me thinking about the Bombay Company. I don't know if you had that in canada growing up but here in the states they were fairly popular and went through a similar downturn. Great vid as always!

Pier 1 imports is so expensive for no reason. Their decorations have nothing unique about them. You could get the same thing at home sense for a much more affordable price. Their styles are a little outdated.

Yay new video!

This video was very well thought out. I appreciate taking me on Pier 1’s history. Thanks.

Pier 1 was amazing in the 90s. It's so sad to see how bad it became, and it kinda broke my heart to hear they were done.

I wonder if he’s going to do JCPenny, not all are closing but it’s ashamed to see something that’s been here forever is going bankruptcy

I've never shopped there even though there has been one in my neighborhood. Now it's shut down and turned into a Spirit Halloween store

Still can't believe that you're a part of Nebula now, that's just so awesome, very well deserved, considering how much time and effort goes into your videos!! When you first announced that you had joined Nebula as a creator, I was so freaking excited and happy for you to see that all your work and dedication to providing us with quality content hadn't go unnoticed. I'd honestly thought from the very beginning since Nebula was made public, and tied to Curiosity Stream that this channel would make a perfect fit.

Pier 1 was my JAM in the late 90s and early 2000s... my mother and I had a tradition of going every single year and picking out a little variety of fun new glittery tree ornaments for Christmas. I loved their decorations, their glassware, so many things. I fell off over time as my life changed and their store got less interesting and more cluttered. I skipped a few years, and tried going back once or twice in the late 00s, and I remember at that time thinking what a difference it was and wondering how much longer they would last. This is probably one of the very few stores that I actually have, like, emotional feelings about its decline and closing 😅😬💗

When I was a little kid there was one pretty close to my house and I went there a lot with my mom. They replaced it with another drug store and we never went to the new location. It’s sad how much prime real estate is wasted on banks and drug stores.

*"Pier One Imports... Never Shopped There. Never Cared."*

I remember me and my mom would go out shopping sometimes and I remember seeing a Pier One Imports near some notable stores •Bath & Body Works •Target •TJ Max •Dollar Tree •Big Lots •Five Below •Marshal’s (Also wasn’t that far from Stonebriar Mall)

Pier 1 was way too expensive. I’m not surprised it’s gone.

We had 2 Pier 1 stores a literal 5 min drive apart. They had however both survived until now.

I got really depressed this summer after a break up, but then I started watching these videos (and other channels) in bed at night and it became my favorite part of the day. I don't know why, but these videos are helping me with anxiety/depression.

When I got my first "real" apartment in the early 90's.... I went to pier one in our shopping mall and got one it is big fan straw chairs... I paid thirty nine dollars for it. Fast forward Thirty years later I go back because we had one open in a strip mall... Mind you I have a whole lot more money at this point my life. Then I did thirty years ago. And the prices were just *RIDICULOUS*!!!! I didn't go back until they were going out of business and I bought their .... "Store display" artificial plants for 70% off😅

never get a debt you can't pay, and if the ship is sinking sometimes is better to jump before shallows you

Jake: What a great and detailed analysis of what caused this one grand franchise to go under as fast as it did. I never realized how successful they were just six to seven years ago and how it all went downhill so quickly. It makes me so sad that it’s all gone away so fast...

Always love the time, effort, and attention to detail you put into your videos! I always look foreword to new videos from you!

What a sad loss, particularly from the perspective of someone who grew up in Fort Worth. Pier 1's headquarters building is now set to become Fort Worth's new city hall. Another now-bankrupt Fort Worth-based company suffered a similar fate (its HQ becoming a government-owned building) when Tarrant County College (the local community college) took over RadioShack's headquarters. For some time, the college owned the building but leased out part of it to the downsizing RadioShack, until RadioShack went under, then the college took over the rest.

In my town pier one and micheals are side by side. Michaels was open and pier one had you order and pick it up outside. Employees were outside with tables and thier parking lot was empty. Micheals was packed.

Loving the series! You explain it all great, Keep up the great work.

2012 and no website? Damn they took a good nap with that one ^^

My grandma use to take me to peir 1 imports and It made me so happy, I loved seeing all of the hanging chairs and cool furniture it’s bittersweet to see it go

The loss of this store makes me so sad. When I first moved to California from Pennsylvania over 36 years ago, and my nieces and nephew were so delighted with the gifts that I would get them from pier one and send back to Pennsylvania. It was mostly novelty type items but they seemed very exotic to them, but it was affordable and I loved shopping there. I had a wall hanging I got there that looks like a large fan with cranes painted on it, and it was on the wall of my bathroom for over 35 years. But with less and less stores they got harder to find and I just kind of forgot about them. I guess I shouldn’t miss where I hadn’t shopped for years, but I really liked that store once upon a time. I love documentaries!

"An overpriced store with crappy products." Exactly why I never went in the one 10 miles from my home the many, many years it was there.

They were folding well before COVID it. It was known and announced to store manage the in (so cal)in February. The first week of March they already had plans set for going out of business sales. COVID had nothing to do with it. Even your pic at 8:18 noted 450 stores closed in January.

I think the British version of pier 1 is basically Homesense, especially when you said “You could look at a product and knew it came from Pier 1” It’s still like that with Homesense tbh, very eccentric designs.

I remember being a kid when a Pier 1 opened near my families house. We’d never shopped there and my mom wanted to check it out. We went once, and only once. I remember it being everything you mentioned: overpriced, cluttered, and not really worth the hassle. I didn’t know they shunned the internet for a while and why they made such a decision is ludicrous.

Nice!! I was literally just thinking yesterday whens the next bankrupt gona come out! Love these!

Shop-Vac recently filed for bankruptcy. Seeing as that is such a staple brand like Kleenex is to facial tissues I think it would be really interesting to see one on it or maybe that’s just me🤷

I remeber selling the building in southampton to them, back in 2005.. It's insane how busy they became even that store was very busy until 2016 and around 2010 they started going down hill for sure. Greta video.!

I found this very interesting, grew up with Pier 1 so it's sad(?) to see them go. I loved that outro music too! This got me thinking about Kmart and how surely, 2020 must be the nail in that company's coffin.

Interesting. The brand was still strong in 2016 even with a strong presence of online shopping in the world. I can’t feel sad for this company, as it seems they screwed up themselves and did not keep up with the times.

Another great video. These have turned into mini-documentaries and your narration is always clear and on point. Keep up the great work! Also creeping ever closer to 1 million subscribers. Well deserved!

My favorite channel on UKposts........ thanks for the upload and fantastic work Jake.......

The BSF videos have always been great, no matter what topic was covered. One of the best narrator voices as well.

i worked at pier 1 all the way up till the final day, and only worked there a couple months. im so sad it closed, because it was, by far, my absolute best job experience ever. it might have very well just been that one location, but the employee base and store environment made me love it. granted, i actually always did love it, but il never forget the people i worked with all the way up till the end

Ive watched like most of your channel.this is Netflix worthy content.props to you man

Jake, we enjoy your videos, great job! One quick note we noticed that kind of gave us a chuckle: "liquefy" has a very different meaning than "liquidate." (You accidentally used the former and we imagined Pier 1 putting their assets into a blender lol.)

It's so funny. Right at the beginning of the video I was thinking 'Pier 1 has nice stuff but I just feel like I'm walking around a discount store like Goodwill because of all the clutter....there was no organization.' Which is exactly one of the things that lead to their downfall.