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Dressbarn the latest in a string of closing Modesto businesses

Dressbarn is closing their doors not long after Sears, Orchard Supply Hardware, Toys "R" Us and several others left town for good.

MODESTO, Calif. — Dressbarn is the latest big box stores to announce they're closing their doors, following a string of other closures across the city of Modesto.

Mary Rehling, 80, took her job at Dressbarn only about two months ago after being laid off from Sears, where she worked for more than two decades. 

"Vintage Fair Mall Sears went by the wayside and so I was lucky enough to get the job here," Rehling said.

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But just two months into the new job at Dressbarn, she got more tough news.

"And then I got the news [Monday] that they too will be closing," she said.

Dressbarn announced their plan to close all 650 of their stores across the U.S.

"It's OK because I don't know what's going to happen. I have no idea, but each stop along the way you have to move on," she said.

This comes after Sears, Orchard Supply Hardware, Toys "R" Us, Babies "R" Us, Payless and a few others closed for good, leaving a string of empty buildings around town, as ABC10 first showed you back in October.

"I'm very disappointed. I like shopping here," Janice Kamerena, a Modesto resident said.

Some attribute the closures to online shopping.

"It's indicative of many people being more comfortable with buying online. It's quicker for them to locate the things that they want and the price is usually very right for them," Linda Bustle, a Modesto shopper said.

But the city says, that's not necessarily a bad thing, because just last month, they started to get sales tax from online shopping.

"The unintended benefit, potentially, of businesses leaving town, we also see an increase of internet sales tax, and that, of course, is excellent for the services that we want to provide to the City of Modesto," Thomas Reeves, a spokesman for the City of Modesto said.

And they say, they're actively working to make sure the string of empty buildings around town don't stay empty for long.

"We have at least half of the empty storefronts that we feel confident that there is movement. And so we are actively in conversations with the businesses who will either be taking over those areas, who will be sold to other businesses," Reeves said.

As for Rehling, she's positive something good could come out of this.

"We have a shirt in there [that says], 'when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.' And so from here on, until whatever happens here, don't know when, I don't know all of the ins and outs, but I am going to make my lemonade," Rehling said.

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