If you’ve searched for an Old Time Pottery store recently and gotten confusing results, you’re not alone. Some locations appear closed. The brand now shows up under Gabe’s. And a 2020 bankruptcy filing left a lot of people wondering if the company was on its last legs.
It’s a fair question. But the answer is more straightforward than the search results suggest. Here’s a clear breakdown of what actually happened — from the 2020 bankruptcy to the 2023 Gabe’s acquisition — and what it means if you’re trying to figure out whether stores are still open.
Old Time Pottery Is Not Permanently Closed
Let’s start with the direct answer: no company-wide shutdown has been announced for Old Time Pottery.
In April 2023, Gabe’s acquired Old Time Pottery and the two businesses were intended to operate together as a combined entity. After the deal closed, Gabe’s maintained a dedicated Old Time Pottery page on its website, which signals that the brand continued operating rather than being immediately discontinued.
The confusion is understandable. The company went through a bankruptcy filing in 2020 and then a full ownership change in 2023. Those are big events. But neither one was a permanent closure announcement. They are different things entirely, and it’s worth understanding the distinction.
A Brief History of the Company
Old Time Pottery was founded in 1986 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, by Jack Peterson. It started as a pottery retailer and gradually expanded into broader home décor and furniture — the kind of discount format that attracts shoppers looking for affordable housewares without the big-box experience.
The chain operated primarily in the Southeast and Midwest and built a regional following over the years. It wasn’t a national household name, but it had a loyal customer base in the markets it served.
The company had been through ownership changes before the most recent acquisition. In 2014, private equity firm Comvest Partners acquired Old Time Pottery when it was running 33 stores across 11 states. That deal was described as a growth-focused acquisition, not a distress sale. It’s worth noting because it shows the brand had already changed hands once before things got complicated in 2020.
What the 2020 Bankruptcy Actually Meant
In June 2020, Old Time Pottery and its parent entity OTP Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. For a lot of shoppers, the word “bankruptcy” reads as “the company is closing.” That’s not always accurate, and in this case, it wasn’t.
Chapter 11 is a restructuring process. It gives a company legal protection while it renegotiates its debts and reorganizes its finances. The business typically keeps operating during this process. It’s not a shutdown — it’s closer to a financial reset.
Chapter 7 is the version that leads to full liquidation, where a business stops operating entirely and sells off its assets. Old Time Pottery filed Chapter 11, not Chapter 7. And according to legal records from Bass Berry & Sims, the company later emerged from that bankruptcy process.
This matters because the 2020 filing is still easy to find online, and it looks alarming if you don’t know what type of bankruptcy it was. Many well-known retail brands have gone through Chapter 11 and continued operating afterward. The filing alone doesn’t mean the lights went out.
The Gabe’s Acquisition in 2023 and What Changed
The most recent and most relevant event is the April 2023 acquisition by Gabe’s. Gabe’s is an off-price retailer that sells clothing, home goods, and general merchandise — a business model that has some overlap with what Old Time Pottery offered.
According to Retail Insight Network, Gabe’s entered a definitive acquisition agreement with Old Time Pottery in 2023, with plans to operate the businesses as a combined entity. The framing was about expanding selection and reach, not winding things down.
Think of it like a regional restaurant chain being bought by a larger operator. The original brand doesn’t automatically disappear. It may keep its name, get folded into a new banner, or operate alongside the acquiring brand. What it’s not is a closure announcement.
Post-acquisition, Gabe’s kept a dedicated Old Time Pottery store page live on its website. That’s a practical signal. Companies don’t typically maintain active store pages for brands they’ve already shut down.
That said, what this means for any specific location depends on the store and the region. An acquisition of this kind can lead to some individual locations closing even when the broader brand continues. If you’re trying to find out whether a specific Old Time Pottery near you is still open, checking directly through Gabe’s website or calling the store is the most reliable approach.
Bankruptcy, Acquisition, and Closure Are Three Different Events
One practical takeaway from the Old Time Pottery situation is how easy it is to conflate three very different types of retail news. This comes up with other brands too, so it’s worth keeping the distinctions clear.
Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
This is a legal restructuring of debt. The company continues operating while it works out a new financial arrangement with creditors. It’s serious, but it’s not the same as shutting down. The goal is usually to keep the business alive in a more sustainable form.
Acquisition
This is when one company buys another. The acquired brand may continue under its original name, operate under a combined banner, or eventually be absorbed into the acquiring company’s existing structure. An acquisition is not a closure. It’s a change of ownership.
Permanent Closure
This is when all locations stop operating and the brand ceases to exist as a retail presence. This is what actually happened to chains like Toys “R” Us (at least initially) or Pier 1 Imports. There’s usually a liquidation sale, a formal announcement, and no continued retail activity afterward.
Old Time Pottery went through the first two — a Chapter 11 restructuring and then an acquisition. Based on available information, there is no confirmed evidence that it went through the third. The distinction matters, especially if you’re a shopper, a vendor, or someone in the retail industry trying to read what’s actually happening with a brand.
For business owners and managers, this is also a useful reminder that press coverage of a bankruptcy filing or an acquisition can easily be misread by customers. If your business ever goes through either event, clear communication matters — because your customers will search for answers, and what they find shapes how they act.
If you’re looking for more straightforward coverage of business news and retail trends, The Business Briefs covers these topics with the same direct approach.
What This Means for Shoppers
If you’re trying to find out whether you can still shop at Old Time Pottery, the short answer is: the brand is still operating under Gabe’s, but your specific local store’s status depends on where you are.
The best steps are simple. Check Gabe’s website for a store locator or Old Time Pottery store page. If you don’t see your location listed, it may have closed as part of the post-acquisition changes. Calling the store directly, if you have a number, is also a reliable option.
What you don’t need to assume is that the entire brand is gone. The company survived a Chapter 11 filing, was acquired by a larger retailer, and continued operating in some form after the deal closed. That’s a different story than a company quietly shutting its doors for good.
The Bottom Line
Old Time Pottery is not confirmed to be going out of business in the sense of a company-wide permanent shutdown. It went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, emerged from that process, and was then acquired by Gabe’s in April 2023. The brand continued under Gabe’s, at least in an integrated form, after the deal closed.
The confusion is real, but it comes from mixing up three separate events — bankruptcy, acquisition, and closure — that happened at different times and mean very different things. Understanding the difference gives you a clearer picture of what actually happened and what to look for if you’re trying to shop there or follow the brand’s future.
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