Empty Shelves and Bare Bones at Dartmouth’s Christmas Tree Shops Days Before Closing [PHOTOS]

With days left before the sun sets on Dartmouth's Christmas Tree Shops, devasted shops are cleaning house.

By the end of July, the Dartmouth branch will be closed indefinitely. For over 50 years, SouthCoast shoppers flocked to the Hyannis, Foxboro, Middleboro, and Dartmouth locations. From knickknacks to decorations, children's toys to snacks, Christmas Tree Shops had something for everybody.

Ironically, they sold just about everything but Christmas trees.

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I took a drive down Faunce Corner Road to see how business was doing after news shook the East Coast regarding a chain-wide liquidation. Dartmouth just so happens to be the closest location to me, so I went shopping one final time before its doors close for good. Also, I had a gift card and it was the final day to use them before they were no longer accepted.

What used to be a warm welcoming of Christmas decor and stocked shelves was nothing more than bare bones and a rather depressing atmosphere. The end is inevitable and I could feel the cold presence of bankruptcy lingering between the empty aisles.

There was once a time when Christmas wrapping paper flooded the floor by the dozens and now, only a few tubes were remaining.

"Everything on Sale" and "Entire Store on Sale" signs were hung desperately from the ceiling, painting the reality of another American classic preparing to lock up shop. It was clear as day that what you saw was what was left. Around each turn was another lonely and abandoned section where kitchenware and bedding products flourished.

As for the current employees, it was transparent that morale was low, but they kept trucking onward and maintained a rather kind and pleasant customer service. News of closure is never an easy pill to swallow- my heart truly goes out to them.

A majority of the summer products were wiped clean from the store with only a couple of pool floats, beach chairs, umbrellas, and one lonely blowup pool left in the dust.

In all honesty, there wasn't much left to buy and the sale discounts didn't quite feel like a decent deal. I just wanted to take one last look before they padlock the front entrance. A sense of melancholy filled the air and as I made my final purchase- a giant Mentos puzzle, a bathtub wine holder, and a pretty sweet insulated fanny pack.

There might not be much left, but if you grew up shopping at this iconic New England-based store, perhaps one more stroll through the desolate CTS is the closure you never knew you needed.

After all, "Don't you just love a bargain"?