Coldwater Creek

Coldwater Creek's 2014 bankruptcy collapsed a catalog and retail brand targeting women over 50. The company had thrived in the 1990s-2000s catalog era but couldn't transition to e-commerce or compete with faster fashion. At peak, Coldwater Creek mailed 250 million catalogs annually and operated 370 stores. When catalog effectiveness declined and stores drained capital, the model collapsed. A 2014 relaunch as e-commerce only failed; 2020 saw another bankruptcy. Coldwater Creek demonstrated that some business models can't be migrated - the catalog magic didn't translate online.