Of the nearly 50 stores nationwide, there are 17 stores in Iowa. The chain has been bought by a liquidation company. That’s a loss of hundreds of jobs in Iowa. Four of those stores are in the metro.
They will all be closing.
Many people will remember the Younkers headquarters in downtown Des Moines. The store boasted the first-of-its-kind escalators and it was a one stop shop back in the day. There were tailors on hand to make any needed adjustments to clothing.
There’s a vast collection of Younkers memorabilia at the state historical society.
State archivist Tony Jahn said Iowans have made lots of memories with Younkers, “They’re going to remember going to the tea room, finding that dress, that first communion outfit, the pots and pans, wedding gift registry that they used to build their early lives.”
Younkers will be closing stores in August.
