The closed Carson's at the Southlake Mall.
Carson's, the iconic Midwestern department store chain that has been run in Merrillville as an e-commerce site since it collapsed into bankruptcy in 2018, closed its only remaining brick-and-mortar store in Evergreen Park, Illinois at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has kept more people home.
The legacy retail brand was purchased out of bankruptcy by CSC Generation, the parent company of Merrillville-based DirectBuy, two years ago. CSC Generation, which acquired the buying club DirectBuy in a similar fashion a year earlier, located Carson's operations in DirectBuy's corporate offices in Merrillville, which already had a call center to support a business that largely migrated from physical stores to online.
CSC Generation operates both DirectBuy and Carson's largely as online retailers, but reopened one brick-and-mortar Carson's store at 9700 S. Western Ave. in Evergreen Park, just outside Chicago's Beverly neighborhood. At the time, the new owners had ambitions of opening more brick-and-mortar stores, and also expressed an interest in buying and reviving the shuttered Carson's at the Southlake Mall in Hobart, but that never came to fruition.
The company added a Z Gallerie to the Carson's in Evergreen Park after DirectBuy bought that retailer out of bankruptcy court last summer.
Carson's, formerly Carson Pirie Scott, operated as a department store chain for more than 160 years, with a long-standing presence in the Region and locations in Hammond, Hobart, Michigan City and Calumet City.
CSC Generation officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Carson's and Z Gallerie continue to operate online as e-commerce sites.
Recap: A look at businesses that closed in Northwest Indiana in 2018
Recap: A look at businesses that closed in Northwest Indiana in 2018
Some have been called 2017 the "retailpocalypse" because of the stunning number of brick-and-mortar stores that have been closing across the country.
More businesses were shuttered in the Region and south suburbs in 2018. Find out which closed their doors in 2018 here:
Brightwood College is closing campuses nationwide, with some locations offering their last classes as early as this Friday.
Merrillville-based Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Northwest Indiana abruptly closed after falling behind on bills, but the Indiana For…
Lowe's plans to transfer or offer severance to the employees at its Portage big-box store, which is slated to close by January at the latest.
Many thought it was only a matter of time, but now it's officially the end of an era in Michigan City.
Sorry, fans of moderately priced sirloin steak dinners, "2 for $20" deals and calling appetizers "apps," but there's no more "eating good in t…
Lowe's plans to close its big-box home improvement store at 6221 U.S. 6 in Portage.
Memo's Taco Mex, a beloved traditional Mexican restaurant in Highland, is closing after more than a decade in business.
The Region institution Gayety's survived the Great Depression, the Great Recession, a world war, bankruptcy, a faltering franchise, population…
After years of declining sales and diminishing relevance, money-hemorrhaging retailer Sears plans to close the Griffith Kmart, along with 141 …
After filing for bankruptcy last week, Mattress Firm is putting three Region stores to sleep, and that could be just the start.
The nation's largest sporting goods retailer closed its big-box store in the Highland Grove shopping mall and hopped across the street to Sche…
Last October, Armacell, a Munster, Germany-based "global leader in flexible foam for the equipment insulation market and a leading provider of…
After more than six decades, Region residents will no longer be able to head to Carson's, formerly Carson Pirie Scott, to buy gifts for Christ…
Porkchop, a Chicago-based chain specializing in barbecue and southern comfort food, didn't last a year at the Southlake Mall in Hobart.
Geoffrey the Giraffe hits the unemployment line next week.
Sears announced Thursday it would close 72 unprofitable Sears and Kmart stores in September, with liquidation sales starting as early as June …
Longtime customers have been flocking to Broadway Cafe on U.S. 30 in Valparaiso to buy lemon rice soup by the gallon and freeze it for later use.
There's no more "eating good in the neighborhood" in Calumet City.
Carson's will close its department stores in Southlake Mall in Hobart, the Marquette Mall in Michigan City and in Hammond, where the three-sto…
They had a million toys at Toys 'R' Us that you could play with. From bikes to trains to video games, it was the biggest toy store there was u…
Romano’s, the 70-year-old pizzeria celebrated throughout the Region for its Ham Hoagies, and Soprano’s Restaurant and Lounge have closed after…
The music faded at The Big Shots concert hall in South Haven, which closed late last year.
ATCO-Gary Metal Technologies LLC plans to shutter its Gary plant and lay off scores of employees, including 68 production workers.
One of the Region's oldest and most beloved sandwich shops, Lincoln's O in downtown Highland, has served its final U.S. Steel Special after 55 years.
In this Series
Region stores that closed in 2020
Joseph S. Pete
Business Reporter
Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military.
