Feb. 16, 2019

Payless ShoeSource Inc. plans to close all of its U.S. stores and start liquidation sales Feb. 17 as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

The national retailer has 2,100 stores, including one in The Empire Mall and another in a standalone building on the mall’s campus.

The stores are expected to remain open until at least March, with many not closing their doors until May, according to a Payless spokesman quoted in multiple reports.

Payless had been trying unsuccessfully to find a buyer. It filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and closed 400 stores at that time as part of its restructuring, including one on East 10th Street.

Payless was founded in 1956 in Topeka, Kan., and has more than 3,600 locations in 40 countries. Its international franchises and Latin American stores are not affected by the U.S. closures, according to multiple reports.