Driving down US-19 in Clearwater used to mean passing that massive blue and white sign. You know the one. For years, the Bed Bath and Beyond Clearwater FL locations—specifically the big one at the Sunset Point Shopping Center—were the go-to spots for last-minute wedding gifts, Dyson vacuums you didn't really need but bought anyway, and that endless maze of kitchen gadgets. It felt permanent. Then, the bankruptcy hit, and everything changed.
Honestly, it was weird watching it happen. One week you’re browsing for 400-thread-count sheets, and the next, there are "Store Closing" banners screaming at you from the windows.
The Reality of the Clearwater Closures
If you’re looking for a physical Bed Bath and Beyond in Clearwater today, you’re basically chasing a ghost. Following the 2023 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the parent company, all brick-and-mortar locations in Florida, including the ones serving the Clearwater and St. Petersburg area, shuttered their doors.
The Sunset Point location (23674 US Hwy 19 N) was a staple. It sat right there near the Barnes & Noble and the Panera, anchoring a massive chunk of local retail traffic. When it closed, it wasn't just about losing a place to buy towels. It left a physical hole in the Clearwater retail landscape. We saw the same thing happen over at the Tyrone Square area nearby.
Retailers like Overstock.com eventually stepped in to buy the brand's intellectual property. That’s why you still see the website live today. But if you’re standing in a parking lot in Pinellas County hoping to walk into a store and use a blue-and-white paper coupon, you're out of luck. Those days are gone.
Why the Clearwater Retail Scene Shifted
Why did it fail here? Clearwater has plenty of money. The demographics are perfect for home goods.
It wasn't just Amazon. It was the "Big Box Burnout." Locally, shoppers started migrating. If you live in Clearwater, you probably noticed the shift toward Target’s Hearth & Hand collections or the constant lure of HomeGoods. Bed Bath and Beyond had a massive footprint—too massive. The Clearwater store was huge. Maintaining that much square footage on US-19, where commercial real estate prices haven't exactly been plummeting, became a liability rather than an asset.
When the company's supply chain started rattling, the shelves in Clearwater began to look thin. I remember walking in about six months before they closed; the "As Seen on TV" section was weirdly sparse, and the back wall of coffee makers looked like a picked-over clearance rack. It’s hard to survive in the Florida sun when your inventory is drying up.
What is Occupying Those Spaces Now?
The question everyone asks now is: "What’s going in there?"
In the world of commercial real estate, a vacant Bed Bath and Beyond is a prime target for what we call "junior anchors." In many parts of Florida, we are seeing these spaces carved up.
- Nordstrom Rack and TJX Companies: Often, these large shells are split in half to accommodate stores like Sierra or Homesense.
- Gyms and Entertainment: Don't be surprised if large retail voids in Pinellas are filled by high-end fitness centers or "eat-ertainment" venues.
- Spirit Halloween: The inevitable temporary tenant that haunts these buildings every September.
The Sunset Point location in Clearwater is a key piece of property. Its proximity to the Clearwater Mall area and the heavy traffic of US-19 makes it too valuable to sit empty forever. Local developers are constantly eyeing these sites for mixed-use conversions, though retail remains the primary play for that specific corridor.
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The New Way to Shop the Brand in Florida
You can still "shop" Bed Bath and Beyond, but it’s a completely different animal. Since Overstock rebranded itself as Bed Bath & Beyond, it’s an online-only powerhouse.
For Clearwater residents, this means your shopping experience moved from the physical aisles of US-19 to a browser tab. The "Beyond+" loyalty program was revamped, and the coupons—those iconic 20% off mailers—have largely transitioned to digital codes.
Is it the same? Not really. You can’t feel the weight of a chef's knife or test the "squish" of a memory foam pillow before you buy it. But from a business perspective, the brand is leaner. They don't have to pay for the air conditioning in a 30,000-square-foot Florida building in the middle of July.
Where Should You Go Instead?
If you need something today and you're in the Clearwater area, you have to pivot. Honestly, most locals have already found their new spots.
- At Home (Clearwater): If you want that massive, warehouse-style wandering experience, the At Home store off US-19 is probably the closest spiritual successor, though it leans more toward decor than high-end kitchen tech.
- Container Store: For the organization addicts who loved the "Beyond" part of the old store, there are locations across the bridge in Tampa (International Plaza area) that fill that niche.
- Macy’s at Countryside Mall: For wedding registries and high-end linens, Macy's still holds the fort in Clearwater.
The Legacy of the Big Blue Sign
There’s a bit of nostalgia involved. For many people in Pinellas County, that store was a weekend ritual. It was where you went when you got your first apartment in Dunedin or when you were prepping a beach house for rental season.
The death of the Bed Bath and Beyond Clearwater FL physical presence marks the end of an era of retail where "category killers" ruled the suburbs. Now, retail is more fragmented. It's more specialized.
Moving Forward: Actionable Steps for Clearwater Shoppers
If you’re still holding onto old gift cards or wondering how to navigate this new landscape, here is the current reality of the situation.
Check your balances. Physical gift cards from the "old" Bed Bath and Beyond expired during the bankruptcy proceedings. The new online entity occasionally runs promotions for former customers, but the old plastic cards are essentially coasters now.
If you’re looking for those specific brands—like Wamsutta—that Bed Bath used to carry, you’ll find that many of those private labels were sold off or discontinued. You'll need to look at brand-specific sites or the new digital Bed Bath and Beyond storefront.
Keep an eye on the Sunset Point Shopping Center's permits. If you're a local business owner or just a curious neighbor, watching the Pinellas County building permits is the best way to see who is moving into that old space next. Retail reshuffling in Clearwater is moving fast, and these large footprints don't stay empty for long in high-growth Florida markets.
Focus your physical shopping at the Clearwater Mall or Countryside areas for immediate needs, but accept that for the "Beyond" experience, you're going to be clicking "Add to Cart" rather than pushing a heavy metal shopping cart through the aisles of US-19.
The retail landscape in Florida is always evolving. While the loss of a local staple is a bummer, the space it leaves behind usually paves the way for something more suited to how we live and shop in 2026. Keep your eyes on the US-19 corridor; the next chapter for that real estate is already being written.