Forever 21 at West Towne Mall in Madison Wisconsin is already gone

 

The space was recently taken over by Planet Fitness.

Photos by Retiring Guy

New York Times, 3/167/2025

Yan Zhuang reports:

Forever 21 found success in the early 2000s selling cheaply produced fashion that appealed to young women seeking clothes inspired by designer styles, at rock-bottom prices. At its peak, it had more than $4 billion in annual sales and employed more than 43,000 people worldwide in hundreds of stores. 

But the retailer expanded too aggressively just as technology was beginning to upend its business. 

It first filed for bankruptcy in 2019, closing down more than 30 percent of its stores in the United States, before being bought out of bankruptcy by Sparc Group, a joint venture between Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group, a mall operator.

Other West Towne Mall posts:

2024

West Towne Mall Shuffle:  H&M edition.  (10/11)

Bungee jumping trampoline in food court.  (6/23)

Watch this space.  (6/21)

Change of location for H&M.  (6/21) 

West Towne Mall area is slowly transforming itself.  (6/11) 

Hallmark Store now relegated to an isolated corner of West Towne Mall.  (4/18)

Sparkling clean and spartan look of West Towne Mall center court.  (1/15)

2022

First Christmas at Von Maur, West Towne Mall. (12/15)

Madison Wisconsin business news: Von Maur opens its West Towne Mall store.  (10/18/2022)

JC Penney side of West Towne Mall continues to struggle to find new tenants.  (8/18)

Von Maur West Towne Mall construction project site visits. (5/22 final visit)

2021

Hobby Lobby is ready for its close-up.  (11/23)

Portillo's.  (11/23)

Scrubs now occupies long-vacant Apple Store location.  (10/17)

JC Penney side of West Towne Mall appears to be emptying out.  (10/17)

Train D1fferent takes over former locations of Payless and Name of the Game.  (10/17)

Transformation of south end of West Towne Mall.  (10/17)

Room for a couple more at the south end of West Towne Mall.  (9/20)

Room for one more at the entrance to West Towne Mall.  (9/20)

Name of the Game fills in for Justice.  (4/25)

2020

West Towne Mall shuttered Shopko UPDATE: Storefront looks less abandoned in bright winter sunlight.  (12/21)

Ragstock goes to West Towne Mall.  (11/21)

UPDATE. What does Seritage have planned for the remaining portion of Sears at West Towne Mall?  (7/1)

2019

Not so Forever 21.   (10/4)
Boston Store UPDATE. While management wonders what to do with 140,000 square feet of empty space, they invite young white women to hang out.  (8/19)
Can't hide the emptiness at the former Payless Shoe Source store.  (8/12)
UPDATE. Space formerly occupied by Sears remains vacant.  (7/9)
Wind-driven signage.   (5/1)
Then and Now: North and south of the Beltline and east of West Towne Mall.  (4/30)
Then and Now: North and south of the Beltline in the West Towne Mall area.  (4/2)

2018
Food court directory.  (9/24)
UPDATE. West Towne Mall Management now prefers traffic cones to pothole repair.  (4/30)
Total Wine UPDATE:  Now open for business.  (4/22)