Linens 'n Things

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Linens 'n Things began in August 1970, when Great Eastern Mills opened the first store in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Eugene Kalkin later bought seven locations following Daylin’s 1975 bankruptcy, establishing the independent chain that turned towels, tableware, throw pillows, and inexplicably essential kitchen gadgets into a destination run.

Melville Corporation acquired the growing business in 1983. The chain expanded hard in the big-box era, becoming a familiar home-furnishings rival to Bed Bath & Beyond. When Melville reorganized as CVS Corporation, Linens 'n Things returned to public ownership through a 1996 initial public offering. Its corporate headquarters was in Clifton, New Jersey—because every great quest for fitted sheets deserves a New Jersey command center.

In February 2006, an investor group led by Apollo Management acquired the company for about $1.3 billion. Linens 'n Things filed for Chapter 11 protection on May 2, 2008, initially closing 120 underperforming stores. A proposed restructuring did not stick; liquidation sales began at the remaining stores in October. The final stores closed by the end of December 2008.

Our Linens 'n Things collection celebrates the fluorescent-lit glory of the home-goods superstore: towering bath-towel stacks, aisle-end bargains, wedding-registry optimism, and the eternal belief that one more decorative basket could fix everything.