I was walking through the downtown area of my town the other day and I noticed that one of the largest stores in the downtown square had gone out of business.  I tried to remember what had been there, and finally recalled that it had been a Wickes Furniture.  Then I remembered that I had seen on the local news a couple of days before that the company had filed for bankruptcy, citing the decline in the economy, slumping housing market, and increased gas prices.  Apparently, not all of the company’s stores have been closed, and they are hoping that an investor will purchase the company and save it from the scrap heap.  The news report said that they company had expanded several years ago, and it might have been too much too fast, and the company had gone into a decline the past couple of years.  The report also said that Wickes is in debt to several companies to the tune of several million dollars.  The company officials insist that the stores that are still open will remain open during the bankruptcy process.  People who are in limbo from this include customers who have given down payments for their furniture and are now waiting for it.