Second major retailer in Trenholm Plaza in Columbia closes

J.Crew, the men and women’s clothing store in Trenholm Plaza, will close its only Midlands location at the end of January.

After six years in business between Anthropologie and Ivy & Leo, the clothing and accessory retailer will only be accessible to South Carolinians online or in the Lowcountry.

Stein Mart in Trenholm Plaza also closed this year after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August. Stein Mart announced in a news release that it would close all 279 stores nationally.

J.Crew announced to its customers through an email in December that the store would shut its doors at 4840 Forest Drive. There is only one other J.Crew in South Carolina, on King Street in Charleston, and there are no known plans for that location to close, according to a store employee.

A small sign posted in the Trenholm Plaza store says, “This J.Crew store is closing on January 24th, but this isn’t goodbye! You can shop at jcrew.com.”

J. Crew declined to comment on the Columbia closure, but did confirm that 32 stores nationally shut down. The company announced a “real estate optimization strategy” in August that would save $70 million in 2020, according to a news release. The strategy included renegotiating leases for all of its stores.

J.Crew emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, according to a company release.