A Home Goods Chain in Monmouth and Ocean To Close

Sadly, the negative effect of COVID-19 on our economy continues. Two pretty big retailers in Monmouth and Ocean counties have announced they are closing.

Home good retailer Tuesday morning announced that they are closing 230 of their nearly 700 stores by the end of the summer.

Two of those locations are in our area. Middletown in Monmouth, and Toms River in Ocean.

Other New Jersey locations that will be shutting down include East Hanover, Paramus, Ramsay, South Plainfield, and Watchung.

This is unfortunately not shocking considering the news of Pier 1.

Retailers of all sizes that specialize in home furniture and seasonal décor have been hit especially hard.

Tuesday Morning has filed for bankruptcy protection, and as reported by the APP, the CEO of the company said in a statement:

The prolonged and unexpected closures of our stores in response to COVID-19 has had severe consequences on our business.

The reality of the retail landscape is really starting to take a scary shape. Businesses were already having a hard time staying alive with online competition. COVID-19 has made staying open nearly impossible for many.

And I'm just talking about 'big box stores.' Think about how hard it has been the past couple of months for our locally owned and operated stores at the Jersey Shore. If massive corporations can't keep the doors open, what chance do 'mom and pops' have?

It really all depends on us, the customers. If we want to keep small local businesses of all kinds alive in Monmouth and Ocean counties, we have to shop. Shop local.

Support the big guys too. Instead of making that easy purchase on Amazon, maybe think about walking into a store. People's livelihoods depend on it.