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Frederick's of Hollywood Closes All Stores

This is a sad day in retail history.

The venerable Frederick's of Hollywood chain of lingerie stores, started shortly after World War II by Frederick Mellinger, has closed all its stores around the country.

Now, if you want to shop the collection, you have to do it online. The flagship store on Hollywood Boulevard was holding a store closing sale until it closed its doors on April 15, also known as Tax Day.

Earlier reports had the company closing a big chunk of stores and keeping others open. Guess that didn't work out.

Calls to Frederick's executives were not returned. But the company's website notes that, "We no longer have store locations. Our online store offers the same selection of products."

The company has been slowly shrinking over the past decade and has struggled to match its biggest rival, Victoria's Secret, which seems to be everywhere, including at the Hollywood & Highland shopping center where it is expanding its footprint.

Frederick's of Hollywood filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001. In 2003, it emerged from bankruptcy. In 2006, it merged with New York City sleepwear manufacturer Movie Star and the headquarters were moved to New York. The company was publicly traded until last year when it went private. At that time, there were some 94 stores in the chain.