As of Dec. 31, I’ve counted 61 storefronts that have either closed in 2012 or announced they were closing (like Sears, which officially closes sometime in late January).
That total is lower than last year, but about the same as 2010. Here are the closure totals:
2012: 61
2011: 67
2010: 57
2009: 89
2008: 83
2007: 35
These totals are not official by any means; I track the closures as they happen through either press releases or regularly checking local shopping districts.
I haven’t tallied all the business openings yet, I hope to do so later this week. I do know that the 2012 business openings are more than double this year’s closures. In 2008 and 2009, the biz closures and openings were about even.
UPDATE: Yesterday (Jan. 2) I drove around Bellingham to take a closer look for business closures and found three more: Freedoms Labs, Oishii Teriyaki (it’s space in the Viking Plaza in the Sehome neighborhood; the Bakerview Square restaurant remains open) and In8 Family Chiropractic. That makes 61 closures the final total for 2012.
I’m thankful for the safety nets of unemployment and welfare. Otherwise, this Great Recession would have been the Greatest Depression.
It ain’t over, either.