Specialty game retailer files Chapter 11

Apparently mind-challenging games and puzzles weren’t big on holiday lists last year.



Marbles: The Brain Store has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with plans to close its 37 stores, reported The Chicago Tribune. In its filing, the Chicago-based retailer cited a "dramatic downturn" in its 2016 holiday business that left it short on cash.



Marbles is looking to sell intellectual property related to its e-commerce and wholesale business. The company listed between $1 and $10 million in assets and between $10 and $50 million in liabilities in its filing.



Marbles had considered a restructuring that would have shuttered half its stores, but decided negotiations with landlords would have been too difficult, according to the Chicago Tribune.



The retailer made its debut in 2008, with a kiosk in a local mall. But it went back to the drawing board and came up with a store and online strategy.