by kleinbl00

Ivan Zhang, a 20-year-old student in Baltimore, said he frequented the store throughout his childhood, usually to take a break after walking around the mall. “You would go to the nearest Brookstone and take a breather on the massage chair,” he said. “I always wondered how do they make money? I never saw anyone buying anything.”

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Brookstone said Thursday it would put its 35 airport stores up for sale. Those locations are still performing well, the company said. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Brookstone was in talks with liquidators to close its mall outlets.

The airport stores, which sell products as diverse as travel pillows and Brookstone-branded virtual-reality goggles, have fared better than the mall shops, people familiar with the matter say. Airport locations make up 17% of Brookstone’s net sales. In 2017, the airport stores had nearly $38 million in sales, down from $44 million in the previous year.

While Brookstone sells Fitbit watches and Tempur-Pedic pillows, most of the company’s products are Brookstone-branded, and account for nearly 70% of its net sales. The company will also look to sell its intellectual property, including its brand name, and e-commerce operations, through a bankruptcy-run auction.

- WSJ