Afterthoughts (occasionally stylized as After Thoughts) was a chain of accessory and jewelry stores in the United States, from the 1980s to 2002.

History

Woolworth's/Venator Group

Then stylized as After Thoughts, the chain was first created as one of the many specialty store subsidiaries of

F. W. Woolworth Company The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's or simply Woolworth) was a retail company and one of the pioneers of the five-and-dime store. It was among the most successful American and international five-and-dime businesses, se ...

(later

Venator Group Foot Locker Retail, Inc. is an American sportswear and footwear retailer, with its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and operating in 28 countries. Although established in 1974, and founded as a separate company in 1988, Foot ...

), in the 1980s. By 1996, the chain had grown to a total of 809 stores, and grew further that year with the Venator Group's merger of 109 Accessory Lady stores, previously bought from

Melville Corporation Melville Corporation, formerly based in Rye, New York, was a large retail holding company incorporated by Ward Melville in 1922 from Melville Shoe Corporation, Melville Shoe Company. It became CVS Corporation in 1996 under a massive reorganization ...

in 1993, into their various formats, including Afterthoughts.

Claire's Stores, Inc.

The chain, then reduced to 768 stores, was acquired by major competitor

Claire's Claire's (formerly known as Claire's Boutiques, Claire's Boutique and Claire's Accessories) is an American retailer of accessories, jewelry, and toys primarily aimed toward tween and teen girls. It was founded in 1961 and is based in Hoffman E ...

in late 1999, as the Venator Group began selling off or closing many of its specialty store chains to focus on Champs Sporting Goods and

Foot Locker Foot Locker Retail, Inc. is an Americans, American sportswear and footwear retailer, with its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and operating in 28 countries. Although established in 1974, and founded as a separate company in ...

. As stated in their 2000 annual report, Claire's at the time planned to convert their stores under The Icing name to Afterthoughts, as they targeted the same market, and Afterthoughts had higher sales and margins at the time. In first-quarter 2000, Claire's announced that they were closing a total of 300 stores- 100 Claire's, and 200 Afterthoughts, in malls that could not support multiple stores. Despite previously announced plans, by February 2, 2002, the Afterthoughts brand had been consolidated into Claire's existing The Icing brand, following a tumultuous 2001 fiscal year.{{Cite book, title=Claire's Stores, Inc Annual Report, date=February 2, 2002, publisher=Claire's Stores, Inc, pages=2

References

Jewelry retailers of the United States Retail companies disestablished in 2002 F. W. Woolworth Company