CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – JCPenney is permanently closing 154 stores across 20 states this summer as part of its bankruptcy plan, but the stores in Barboursville and downtown Charleston are not among them.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protecting in mid-May, one of the most high-profile retailers to file for bankruptcy protection after being hit hard by the coronavirus.

At the time the 118-year old company was struggling to overcome a mountain of debt, made worse when the pandemic forced the temporary closure of all its stores.

Friday, the company announced the closures – and the JCPenney stores in the Charleston Town Center Mall and Huntington Mall were not on the list. In fact, no stores in West Virginia were on the list.