I have very fond memories of shopping at Claire’s.
What I remember most was getting my ears pierced there. Or my friends and I pooling our tooth fairy money to dive into their never ending buy three, get three free jewelry sale. Or begging my mom to buy me the flavored lip gloss packs so I could feel like a “real teenager” experimenting with makeup.
Claire’s was the store that had it all and tween girls thrived there. It was a magical haven filled with aisles of pink, sparkly treasures; it was the peak of girlhood.
For generations of tween girls, a trip to Claire’s was not just a shopping trip, it was a rite of passage. Since its founding in 1961, Claire’s has become the go-to destination for girls to explore fashion and beauty at their own pace. Its products were fun, age-appropriate and offered a safe way to discover your personal style.
So why has Claire’s seemed to become so irrelevant lately? And where are all of the stores going? Well, earlier in August, the company filed for bankruptcy for the second time in seven years. Claire’s has since announced the sale of most of its North American business to private equity firm Ames Watson, a holding company focused on purchasing and transforming companies.
“The retailer filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month, weighed down by nearly $500 million in debt and an increasingly competitive sales environment. The company is also expected to bear the brunt of tariff impacts on suppliers from countries such as China and Vietnam,” CNBC stated.
Keeping Claire’s alive will not be easy, especially as mall stores like it continue to fall off.
One of the most pressing challenges is the increased tariffs imposed on imports from China. This has forced many retailers to reevaluate and raise prices. This is detrimental for Claire’s because they are selling for a demographic of consumers that, quite frankly, do not have money or jobs.
The second the prices go up, the magic becomes inaccessible.
But it’s not just economics. Today’s kids have a different relationship with fashion, makeup and jewelry, largely shaped by social media.
Instead of wandering Claire’s aisles, you are more likely to find tween girls shopping in a Sephora, curating their own overpriced and unnecessary skincare routines inspired by influencers. Watching them rush to grow up, skipping that joyful middle phase of childhood is bittersweet, especially when so many of us made our best memories in places like Claire’s.
So the big question remains: where will tween girls turn now to explore their styles? As shopping shifts online and kids become more plugged into social media trends, the market is pushing kids into adulthood faster than ever. The charm of Claire’s was that it gave kids permission to be kids — to experiment with glittery nail polish, butterfly hair clips or friendship bracelets. Claire’s was about fun, not pressure.
The future of tween self-expression lies heavily on brands that will be able to offer a balance of fun individuality within beauty and fashion without rushing kids to adulthood. Whether any company can fill the void of Claire’s is uncertain, however, the fun earrings, hair clips and flavored lip glosses will not disappear, it is just whether or not we can let kids be kids again.
