A slew of young kids have fond memories of buying magnetic friendship necklaces with their BFFs, fawning over multi-colored notebooks, or clenching that stuffed teddy bear tight as they got their ears pierced for the very first time. The shoppers, some of whom are self-described glitter pen users, are now mourning this part of their childhood, as Claire's prepares to close nearly 300 stores across the United States.

Claire's Holdings LLC announced this month that it sold its North American business to private equity firm Ames Watson for $104 million. As a result, 291 stores will close, as outlined in an Aug. 25 court filing .

The closing shops include 235 Claire's locations and 56 Icing stores, the latter of which is classified as a "grown-up" version of Claire's.

"This has been

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