If you grew up on the East Coast, that "Don't You Just Love It" jingle is basically burned into your DNA. You know the one. It promised bargain bins overflowing with weird garden gnomes, oversized bags of off-brand pretzels, and enough Christmas decor to cover a small village in glitter. But things got weird a few years ago. Suddenly, your local spot might have swapped its iconic yellow sign for something that looked a bit more corporate, a bit more... "andthat!"
Honestly, the rebranding of the andthat Christmas Tree Shop was one of those business moves that left everyone scratching their heads. Why fix what wasn't broken? Well, it turns out it was broken, at least behind the scenes. The shift from the classic Christmas Tree Shops (CTS) branding to the "andthat!" moniker wasn't just a random whim. It was a desperate attempt to tell customers that they sold more than just balsam-scented candles and plastic reindeer.
People were confused. They’d drive past an andthat Christmas Tree Shop and wonder if it was a new tech startup or a boutique gym. In reality, it was the same chaotic, wonderful treasure hunt inside. But that name change was the beginning of a very long, very public struggle for a retail icon that eventually saw the company file for bankruptcy and shutter all its brick-and-mortar locations in 2023.
The Identity Crisis of andthat!
The logic behind the "andthat!" name was actually pretty straightforward, even if it backfired. Bed Bath & Beyond, which owned the chain for a long time, realized that people who didn't live near a store thought they only sold Christmas trees. If you’re trying to sell patio furniture in July, having "Christmas" in your name is a bit of a branding hurdle. So, in certain markets—mostly in the South and Midwest—they rolled out the andthat! brand.
It was supposed to signify that they sold home goods, and that, and that, and other stuff too.
It didn't really land. Most loyalists just kept calling it "The Christmas Tree Shop" anyway. The branding felt a bit too "2010s tech" for a store that thrived on a "grandma’s attic" aesthetic. While the core of the business remained the "bargain hunt" experience, the split identity created a rift. You had the legacy stores in New England keeping the original name, while newer stores in Virginia or Florida were stuck with the exclamation point. This fragmented the brand at a time when they really needed a unified front to fight off competitors like HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx, and the rising tide of Amazon.
The strategy was simple. They wanted to compete with the "treasure hunt" retail model.
Retail experts like those at Retail Dive often point out that when a brand loses its specific niche, it loses its soul. By trying to be everything to everyone with a generic name like andthat!, they lost the quirky, seasonal charm that made them a destination. You didn't just go there to buy a spatula; you went there to see what kind of bizarre, discounted lawn ornament you could find. When you strip away the history of the name, you're just left with a store that has slightly messy aisles and weird lighting.
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Why the Christmas Tree Shop Empire Actually Collapsed
Let’s be real: it wasn't just a bad name change that killed the andthat Christmas Tree Shop locations. It was a perfect storm of bad timing, massive debt, and a changing world. When Handil Holdings bought the chain from Bed Bath & Beyond in 2020, people were hopeful. They thought a smaller, more focused ownership group could save the brand.
It didn't happen.
Instead, the company got slammed by high interest rates and a massive drop in "discretionary spending." That’s the fancy way of saying people stopped buying $10 ceramic pumpkins because they were too busy trying to pay for eggs and gas. By the time 2023 rolled around, the company owed millions to creditors. They tried to restructure. They tried to close just the underperforming stores. But eventually, the money ran out.
- The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2023.
- By July 2023, that bankruptcy shifted to a Chapter 7 liquidation.
- All 70+ stores across 20 states were ordered to close their doors forever.
It was a brutal end for a store that started as a tiny stand in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, back in 1970. The original founders, Charles and Doreen Bilezikian, had built something special. They knew that if you give people a bargain and a fun atmosphere, they’ll keep coming back. But as the business grew into a multi-state conglomerate with names like andthat!, that personal touch vanished. The stores became too big, the inventory became too predictable, and the charm evaporated under the weight of corporate debt.
The Misconception About "Going Online"
One thing people always ask is why they didn't just pivot to e-commerce. It seems easy, right? Just put the stuff on a website. But the andthat Christmas Tree Shop model is notoriously hard to digitize. The whole point of the store was the "thrill of the hunt." You’d find a one-off item for $4.99 that was probably worth $20. Shipping a $5 ceramic mug across the country is a logistical nightmare that eats up any profit margin immediately.
Online shopping requires precision and predictable inventory. The Christmas Tree Shop thrived on the opposite: unpredictable, closeout merchandise. When you have 500 different items but only 10 of each, it’s almost impossible to maintain an accurate website without constantly disappointing customers who find out their item is out of stock.
What the 2026 Return Actually Means
If you’ve been following the news lately, you might have seen headlines about the "Return of the Christmas Tree Shop." Is it true? Yes and no. This is where things get a little complicated for fans of the old andthat Christmas Tree Shop.
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The physical stores you used to walk through are gone. They aren't coming back in the way you remember. However, the intellectual property—the name, the logo, the brand—was bought during the liquidation. A company called United States Bedding (which, funnily enough, is owned by a different branch of the Bilezikian family) won the rights to the brand for about $1.2 million.
This is a classic "zombie brand" move. We've seen it with Toys "R" Us and Linens 'n Things.
The new owners have launched an e-commerce site under the original Christmas Tree Shops name. They’ve dropped the andthat! branding entirely because, let's face it, the original name is where the value is. But it’s not the same. It’s a curated selection of home goods and seasonal decor sold online. You can’t wander the aisles. You can’t find that weird, random item in a clearance bin. It’s a cleaner, more sterile version of the brand.
The Problem With Modern "Bargain" Shopping
The landscape has changed. If you want a bargain today, you go to Five Below or you scroll through Temu. The middle-market retail space where andthat! lived is a graveyard.
Even the big players like Big Lots are struggling. The "treasure hunt" isn't as fun when the prices aren't actually that much lower than what you find at Walmart. For the Christmas Tree Shop brand to survive in 2026 and beyond, it has to lean into the nostalgia. It has to offer things that feel "New England quaint" rather than "Big Box generic."
Navigating the New Reality of andthat Christmas Tree Shop
If you're looking for that old-school experience, you have to look elsewhere. But if you’re just looking for the products, there are ways to find them.
The most important thing to realize is that the "andthat!" name is essentially dead. You won't see new stores popping up with that logo. The future is digital, and it’s focused on the original 1970s branding. For many, this is a relief. The "andthat!" era felt like a weird detour that didn't quite fit the soul of the company.
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Here is what you can actually do right now:
First, check the official website. The "new" Christmas Tree Shop is live. It’s mostly seasonal stuff. If you want the classic "CTS" ornaments or garden flags, that’s your best bet.
Second, don't get scammed. When iconic stores close, "liquidation" websites often pop up claiming to sell leftover stock for pennies on the dollar. These are almost always scams. The actual inventory from the andthat Christmas Tree Shop liquidations was sold off in 2023. Anything you see now on social media ads is likely a phishing site.
Third, look for the "spiritual successors." Stores like Ocean State Job Lot or even certain regional liquidators like Ollie’s Bargain Outlet carry that same chaotic energy. They buy the same closeout stock that CTS used to buy. If you miss the smell of potpourri and the sight of overstuffed aisles, those are your new homes.
Fourth, join the community groups. There are massive Facebook groups dedicated to "Christmas Tree Shop Finds." Even though the stores are closed, these communities are still active, sharing where they find similar items or selling vintage CTS decor. It’s a weirdly wholesome corner of the internet.
Finally, keep an eye on pop-up shops. There have been whispers in the industry about the brand experimenting with seasonal pop-ups—similar to Spirit Halloween—during the fourth quarter. While nothing is set in stone for a massive rollout, the "zombie brand" strategy often includes these temporary physical footprints to test the waters.
The era of the massive andthat Christmas Tree Shop warehouse is over. It’s a bummer, honestly. There was something special about finding a $2 kitchen gadget next to a $400 patio set. But in a world of streamlined logistics and high-speed internet, that kind of messy, unpredictable retail just couldn't pay the bills. The name change was a symptom of a company trying to find its way in a world that had already moved on.
Whether the new online version can capture even 10% of that magic remains to be seen. For now, we just have the memories of the yellow bags and that catchy, slightly annoying, absolutely unforgettable jingle.