Brookstone filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, but it looks like the Westfield Montgomery Mall store is safe for now. Plans call for the chain to be acquired by the parent company of Spencer’s gift shops and Spirit Halloween stores. Brookstone’s sales have slipped in recent years as shoppers declined to open their wallets for $4,500 massage chairs and $70 talking remote meat thermometers – the same problem that ultimately killed Sharper Image. Brookstone says it doesn’t plan to close any stores at the moment, but its future growth will be at airports rather than malls.
