TOWSON, Md. — The shopping hub of Towson is entering a season of change for the new year.
WATCH: Major stores leaving Towson Town Center
Tommy Bahama, Madewell, Banana Republic, and Wockenfuss Candies are all leaving the Towson Town Center.
Tommy Bahama has already closed down, with Banana Republic closing in January.
Nancy Hafford, with the Chamber of Commerce, told WMAR-2 News it's not something they have seen before.
"Every year, three to four stores close and then other stores come in," Hafford said.
She said despite the closures, Towson is still a bustling area with over 92 restaurants and bars.
While she hasn't had a chance to speak with the store owners about why they're leaving the mall, she acknowledges that the economy has changed.
"People don't have as much expendable funds as they used to a couple years ago. With the cost of goods being so high, they don't have as much to spend, and Amazon has really hurt a lot of the retail businesses too, so that's another reason that we've had some challenges."
The store closures come as the city continues to struggle with a virtual ghost town in Towson Square, with only the movie theater occupying the space.
Hafford said she has spoken with the company in charge of revitalizing the area.
"They are working diligently to attract new businesses in. One thing we've found in Towson is people's pallets have changed. So they're not going to the big national chains as much."
She hopes incentives like grants will draw more businesses to the area.
"We work extremely closely with Baltimore County Economic Development, and they are doing some incentive programs to help bring retail businesses into the community. We also work with the state of Maryland to give facade improvement grants."
We reached out to all stores asking for the reason behind the closure.
No stores have answered the question yet.
We also reached out to the owners of Towson Town Center, Brookfield Properties, and have not heard back yet.
