13 Messages from the PEOPLE Group Chat About the Claire’s Bankruptcy

Millennials are in mourning today as another childhood favorite appears to be heading to the great mall to the sky. On Aug. 6, Claire’s announced they are filing voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the state of Delaware, following years of mounting debt and other problems including “increased competition … and the ongoing shift away from brick-and-mortar retail,” according to CEO Chris Cramer.

The news comes as a shock to a generation that grew up planning their after-school meet-ups and weekend hangs at the mall, spending their allowance on 10-pair earring packs for $5, butterfly necklaces, animal-print headbands and other special trinkets from collaborations the accessories store did with millennial icons Paris Hilton and Katy Perry.

Most importantly, though, Claire’s was the place where we all got our ears pierced. And while the use of those piercing guns (and their very young operators) remains questionable, it’s rare to find a millennial who didn’t go to Claire’s for their first set of earrings. Even the legendary Harrison Ford even got his ears pierced at Claire back in 1997. The store is iconic!

In the wake of the news and looming death of mall culture (excuse the catastrophizing, but this is a heavy day), the PEOPLE staff held a private vigil on Slack, with emotions ranging from heartbreak and nostalgic reminiscing … plus some utterly shocked that the store was still standing.

Out of 70 Slacks discussing the news, here are 13 reactions that summed it all up.

Brittany Talarico ( Director, Beauty & Style): “Was Icing Claire’s naughty cousin? They are the same, right? [Regardless], no one does a buy-one-get-one sale better than Claire’s! I took my four-year-old there in the past year and she was able to get a pair of fairy wings, a unicorn headband, a furry pen and three slinkies.”

Lizz Schumer (Senior Editor, Books): “Me and my uneven lobes are so depressed right now. In my mall, Claire’s was where you went to get pierced, the Icing was where you went to get trashy jewelry to put in them. Claire’s was cutesy, Icing was edgy. (I have no evidence for this.)”

Catherine Santino (Reporter, Style): “Who would have thought getting a hole in your head 5 feet from an Auntie Anne’s pretzel could be a bad business plan?”

Alex Apatoff (Managing Editor, Special Integrated Projects): “Honestly, what are the 13-year-olds doing if they’re not holding up ugly stuff and telling their friends to buy it?”

Steph Sengwe (Features Editor): “As a person who bought their hoop earrings exclusively from Claire’s well into my 20s, the Claire’s slander is jarring.”

Kelsie Gibson (Senior News Editor, Society & Culture): “Remember when they sold makeup bags and hats that just said Brad, Josh, Ashton, etc. for Brad Pitt, Josh Hartnett, Ashton Kutcher? I still use my Josh one.”

Bailey Richards (Reporter, Weekends): “If Hot Topic can bring back Twilight merch, get me otp with the CEO of Claire’s.”

Michelle Lee (Editorial Assistant, Style & Beauty): “The girls have had nothing to live for since Claire’s took the One Direction shelf down.”

Marissa Muller (Nights Editor): “Could have sworn they already filed for bankruptcy a few years ago! But the Claire’s by us in Highland Park is still alive and well. Saw a mom take her five-year-old there for an ear piercing last weekend when I walked by. Malls are thriving in L.A., though, I think.”

Skyler Caruso (Staff Writer): “Does anyone else STILL have a drawer completely dedicated to Claire’s neon colored hair clip extensions, tinsel and wigs? Asking for a friend…”

Kelsie Gibson: “Anyone else remember their charm bracelets? Mine got so heavy with like 50 charms.”

Lizz Schumer: “I got the piercing gun STUCK ON MY EAR and needed like, three untrained teenagers to remove it while my dad fled to Radio Shack in horror.”

Bailey Richards: “I jokingly made a ‘Claire’s haul’ TikTok a couple of years ago and then simultaneously went viral and got cancelled for ‘promoting piercing guns’ method for ears.”