Renys Set to Close Large Maine Location on New Year’s Eve

After months of speculation, Renys has officially announced that its downtown Portland store will close permanently on New Year’s Eve.

The location, which sits on Congress Street in the heart of the city’s retail district, has been a familiar stop for shoppers for the past 15 years. But according to the company, sales at the Portland store never fully recovered after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Renys told the Portland Press Herald earlier this year that the lingering financial impact of the pandemic made it difficult to sustain operations at the site, despite efforts to rebuild customer traffic.

According to WGME 13, a sign now posted outside the store thanks the community for more than a decade of loyalty and support. Many longtime customers say the closure marks the end of an era for the area, as Renys has been one of the few remaining locally owned department-style stores in the downtown corridor.

While the Portland location is shutting down, the company continues to operate more than a dozen other stores across Maine, and management says those locations are not affected by the closure. The news station went on to report that the final day of business will be December 31st, giving shoppers one last chance to visit before the doors officially close.