PRINCETON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – After more than four decades of serving the Princeton community, popular discount retailer Roses is preparing to close its doors for good.
According to store employees, workers were notified this week that the Roses location on Stafford Drive will permanently close on December 19, 2026.
The store has been a longtime fixture in Princeton’s retail community, operating in the city since the 1980s.
Known for its affordable prices and wide selection of merchandise, Roses has offered shoppers discounted clothing, groceries, household essentials, toiletries, toys, and other everyday items.
The retailer has also been popular among local shoppers for its weekly 10% senior citizen discount on Wednesdays and its layaway program.
The upcoming closure comes less than two years after Roses’ parent company, Variety Wholesalers, acquired hundreds of Big Lots locations following the retailer’s bankruptcy.
That acquisition included the Big Lots store in Princeton, which operates directly next door to Roses on Stafford Drive.
The Princeton Big Lots location reopened under Variety Wholesalers ownership in May 2025, placing the two neighboring discount retailers under the same parent company.
It remains unclear whether the closure of Roses is connected to the company’s acquisition of Big Lots or whether any merchandise currently sold at Roses will be incorporated into the neighboring Big Lots location.
The closure will mark another departure for the discount retailer in Mercer County. Roses previously operated a store at Mercer Mall in Bluefield, which closed several years ago.
Following the Princeton closure, the nearest remaining Roses location will be in Hinton.
The December 19 closure will bring an end to more than 40 years of Roses serving shoppers in the Princeton area.
