If you’ve walked past an Old Time Pottery recently and seen big clearance signs, or heard that a location near you is closing, it’s natural to wonder if the whole chain is shutting down. Rumors about Old Time Pottery going out of business have been floating around since at least 2020.
The short answer is no — Old Time Pottery is not going out of business. But the longer answer involves a bankruptcy, an acquisition, and some real store-level changes that are worth understanding. Here’s what’s actually going on.
Old Time Pottery Is Not Going Out of Business
As of 2025, Old Time Pottery is still operating as a discount home décor retailer. It has stores across the Southeast and Midwest, an active website, and a corporate headquarters in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
No chain-wide liquidation has been announced. The company has active executive leadership — including a CEO, President, and CFO on record — and business data confirms it still generates significant revenue and employs a sizeable workforce.
That doesn’t mean nothing has changed. A lot has changed. But “changed” and “closing” are two very different things.
What the 2020 Bankruptcy Actually Did to the Company
In June 2020, Old Time Pottery filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is where a lot of the confusion started — and it’s still fueling rumors today.
Chapter 11 is a restructuring tool, not a shutdown order. It allows a company to keep operating while it reorganizes its debts and cuts costs. Many well-known retailers have used it without disappearing entirely.
In Old Time Pottery’s case, COVID-19 hit their business hard. The Chapter 11 filing let them close underperforming stores and reduce their debt load. They went from a larger store network down to around 29 locations after the restructuring.
Here’s a useful example: in metro Atlanta, Old Time Pottery closed its Duluth and Douglasville stores during this period — but kept the Marietta location open. That’s a textbook case of restructuring. The company didn’t disappear. It got smaller on purpose to survive.
If you saw news about store closures in 2020 and assumed the whole chain was collapsing, that’s an understandable misread. The closures were intentional cuts, not signs of total failure.
Gabe’s Bought Old Time Pottery in April 2023 — What That Changed
After the restructuring, Old Time Pottery kept operating and eventually attracted a buyer. On April 18, 2023, Gabe’s — formally known as Gabriel Brothers Inc. — acquired Old Time Pottery.
Gabe’s is an off-price retailer backed by private equity firm Warburg Pincus. At the time of the acquisition, Old Time Pottery had 38 stores across 11 states.
Gabe’s publicly stated that both brands would continue operating independently under their own names, with no business disruption through 2023. That messaging was meant to reassure customers and employees that nothing would change immediately.
And for a while, that held up. But post-2023, the picture shifted. The combined company now operates roughly 169 stores across 20 states — but some of those Old Time Pottery locations have since been converted to Gabe’s stores.
So the “no disruption” commitment had a time limit. That’s not unusual after an acquisition, but it does explain why some customers started seeing clearance events and merchandise changes at stores they’d shopped at for years.
Why Some Stores Are Closing or Changing While the Chain Survives
This is the part that trips people up most. When you see a store running what looks like a going-out-of-business sale, it’s easy to assume the whole company is folding. That’s usually not what’s happening.
When a parent company acquires a chain, it evaluates every location. Some stores get kept as-is, some get converted to the parent brand, and some close if they’re underperforming. This is completely standard in retail.
Think of it like a supermarket chain acquiring a smaller grocery brand. They might convert a few high-traffic locations to their main banner, keep others under the original name, and close any that aren’t pulling enough revenue. The acquired brand doesn’t disappear — it just gets a smaller or reorganized footprint.
That’s what’s happening with Old Time Pottery and Gabe’s. Customers who’ve seen heavy clearance sales at a local Old Time Pottery may be watching a store-level conversion to Gabe’s branding — not a signal that the entire chain is shutting down.
The distinction matters if you’re a shopper, an employee, or a business professional watching how retail acquisitions play out in practice.
What the Financial Data Actually Says
Some sources that track credit risk have assigned Old Time Pottery LLC a B3 rating, which reflects moderate financial risk. The probability of default reportedly peaked around April 2025 and has since declined — suggesting some stabilization rather than a worsening situation.
A B3 rating isn’t great, but it’s also not a death sentence. Many companies carry similar ratings and continue operating for years. The key is whether the business is generating enough cash flow to service its obligations, which the ongoing operations suggest it is.
It’s worth being clear here: moderate credit risk is not the same as imminent closure. These are two different things. A company with a B3 rating that’s actively managing its store footprint under new private equity ownership is not the same as a company running out of money with no plan.
What This Means for Shoppers and Employees
If you shop at Old Time Pottery, the most practical thing to know is this: check your specific location. Whether a store stays as Old Time Pottery, converts to Gabe’s, or closes entirely depends on its individual performance and Gabe’s strategic priorities for that market.
There’s no company-wide announcement of closures. Many locations continue to operate normally, with the large-format home décor assortment Old Time Pottery has always been known for — holiday items, seasonal décor, housewares, and furniture at discount prices.
If you notice significant clearance activity or a shift in merchandise at your local store, it may be early signs of a conversion or closure at that specific location. Ask staff directly. They usually know what’s coming before any public announcement.
For employees, the situation is similar. The company is still operating and still hiring in many markets. But individual store fates depend on decisions made at the Gabe’s corporate level. If you work at a location that seems to be transitioning, it’s worth asking management about the store’s status rather than assuming the whole company is going under.
For a broader look at how retail restructuring and acquisitions affect business operations, TheBizAgenda covers these types of business developments in plain terms that are actually useful for professionals trying to make sense of shifting markets.
The Bottom Line
Old Time Pottery is not going out of business. The 2020 Chapter 11 filing was a restructuring, not a collapse. The 2023 acquisition by Gabe’s brought new ownership, not a liquidation. And individual store closures or conversions are the result of normal post-acquisition decision-making, not proof that the chain is shutting down.
What’s actually happening is a company that survived a pandemic-era crisis, got acquired by a larger off-price retailer, and is now being integrated into a bigger combined operation. Some stores are changing. The brand itself is not disappearing.
If you have a specific local store you’re wondering about, check directly with that location or monitor their social media and signage. The answer to “is Old Time Pottery closing?” is almost always going to be store-specific — not a chain-wide event.
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