Home Decor Stores Compared: The Retailer Hub

This is the single most useful thing on the page, because it explains why so many of these stores feel identical inside. They are identical inside. One company runs five of them.

The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) owns HomeGoods, HomeSense, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and Sierra. Not as a partnership or a licensing deal — these are all operating banners of a single publicly traded corporation, with one buying organization, one return policy and one gift-card program. US store counts as of January 31, 2026:

• T.J. Maxx — 1,348 stores, 27,000 sq ft average. Apparel-led, with a home department.
• Marshalls — 1,255 stores, 28,000 sq ft. Apparel-led with a home department; TJX distinguishes it from T.J. Maxx by a full line of footwear and a broader men’s offering.
• HomeGoods — 963 stores, 24,000 sq ft. Home only.
• Sierra — 145 stores, 21,000 sq ft. Outdoor and active, plus home fashions and pet.
• Homesense — 79 stores, 28,000 sq ft. Home only, larger format, adds large furniture and ceiling lighting.

Outside the US the same company runs Winners, HomeSense and Marshalls in Canada, TK Maxx in Europe and Australia, and Homesense in Europe — 5,214 stores across 10 countries on 3 continents in total.

The rest are independent of each other:

• At Home — a separate company. It filed Chapter 11 in June 2025, exited in late October 2025 having eliminated nearly all of roughly $2 billion in funded debt, and is now owned by a group of its former lenders. 229 stores in 39 states, down from 260 at filing.
• Hobby Lobby — privately owned and independent; describes itself as the largest privately owned arts-and-crafts retailer in the world. More than 1,000 stores in 48 states. Closed every Sunday.
• Kirkland’s Home — its parent, Kirkland’s, Inc., rebranded to The Brand House Collective, Inc. in 2025, moving its ticker from KIRK to TBHC. It is converting Kirkland’s Home stores to Bed Bath & Beyond Home, with roughly 75 conversions planned through 2026 out of a foundational footprint of about 290 locations.
• Target and Walmart — unrelated general merchandisers. Target: 2,000+ US stores in all 50 states and DC. Walmart US: 4,611 stores as of January 31, 2026.

The four columns that decide most trips: who owns it, how likely one is near you, whether you can buy without driving, and how long you have to change your mind.

• HomeGoods — TJX. 963 US stores. No online store. Returns: 30 days with receipt, store credit after.
• HomeSense — TJX. 79 US stores. No online store. Returns: 30 days, same TJX policy.
• T.J. Maxx — TJX. 1,348 US stores. Sells online at tjmaxx.com. Returns: 30 days in store, 40 days online.
• Marshalls — TJX. 1,255 US stores. Sells online at marshalls.com. Returns: 30 days in store, 40 days online.
• At Home — lender-owned since 2025. 229 stores, 39 states. Sells online. Returns: 60 days, 90 for members.
• Hobby Lobby — private. 1,000+ stores, 48 states. Sells online. Closed Sundays. Returns: 90 days with receipt.
• Kirkland’s Home — The Brand House Collective. ~290 locations, converting to Bed Bath & Beyond Home. Sells online. Returns: 30 days; exchange or gift card after.
• Target — independent. 2,000+ stores. Sells online. Returns: 90 days; one year on Target owned brands.
• Walmart — independent. 4,611 US stores. Sells online. Returns: 90 days; 30 days for Marketplace sellers.

Two patterns worth pulling out. First, the two stores with the deepest home assortments — HomeGoods and HomeSense — are the only two you cannot shop online at all. That is not an oversight; off-price buying means a handful of units per item per store, so there is no national inventory to publish. Second, the longest return windows belong to the general merchandisers, not the decor specialists. If you are buying something you might return, that is worth more than a slightly better price.

The TJX family, sorted out. These four questions come up constantly because the stores share an owner and look alike.

• HomeGoods vs HomeSense — the same company at two scales. Which one has furniture, and whether the drive is worth it.
• HomeGoods vs Marshalls — are they the same company (yes), and what the Marshalls home department actually carries.
• HomeGoods vs T.J. Maxx — one has a whole store of home, the other will ship it to you.
• T.J. Maxx vs Marshalls — for home specifically, whether there is any real difference at all.

Off-price versus the big-box superstores. Different companies, genuinely different models.

• HomeGoods vs At Home — treasure hunt against planned catalog, and where each one actually wins on price.
• HomeSense vs At Home — the two biggest home-only formats, and which is more likely to exist near you.
• HomeGoods vs Target — is HomeGoods cheaper than Target, honestly, category by category.
• HomeGoods vs Walmart — the lowest sticker price versus the biggest discount off list.

Decor, crafts and the specialists.

• HomeGoods vs Hobby Lobby — finished decor against decor plus fabric, framing and craft.
• At Home vs Hobby Lobby — the two biggest seasonal-decor destinations, compared on range, hours and returns.
• Kirkland’s vs HomeGoods — and what the Bed Bath & Beyond Home conversion means for your local store.

Online-first retailers. When the treasure hunt is the wrong tool.

• Wayfair vs Amazon and Wayfair vs IKEA
• IKEA vs Amazon and Target vs Amazon
• West Elm vs Amazon and West Elm vs Pottery Barn

The short version, if you only read one section. These are the calls I make on real projects.

• Brand-name bedding, bath towels or cookware: HomeGoods, Marshalls or T.J. Maxx. Off-price discounts bite hardest where the original list price was high, and all three share the same buying organization.
• Actual furniture — a sofa, a dining set: HomeSense if one is near you, At Home otherwise. HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Hobby Lobby all top out at accent pieces.
• A whole room bought to a plan in one trip: At Home or Target. You need a planned catalog for things to read as one collection; a treasure hunt cannot do this.
• Matching sets — four chairs, two lamps, six glasses: any of the catalog retailers. Off-price stock arrives as onesies, which is the single most common disappointment at HomeGoods.
• Seasonal decor: At Home for range, Hobby Lobby for traditional styling and craft-it-yourself pieces. Note Hobby Lobby’s 20% restocking fee on bulk seasonal returns.
• Custom framing or fabric: Hobby Lobby. No one else on this list has a framing counter.
• The absolute lowest sticker price: Walmart. Not the biggest discount — the lowest number.
• Design-led decor at a chain price: Target, whose owned home brands are the reason it competes here at all.
• Anything you might return: Target, on the 90-day window and the one-year window on its owned brands.
• Anything you need delivered, in a specific size, on a date: none of the off-price stores. See our best home decor stores online and best online furniture stores guides.

Every store count, ownership fact and return window on this page is taken from a filing, a corporate page or the retailer’s own policy page. None is estimated.

• The TJX Companies, Inc. Form 10-K, fiscal year ended January 31, 2026 — store counts and average square footage for all five TJX banners, banner merchandise categories, and the list of TJX e-commerce sites.
• TJX Companies corporate site — banner list by country and the 5,200+ store / 10 country figure.
• HomeGoods return policy, T.J. Maxx return policy and Marshalls return policy.
• Retail Dive: At Home exits bankruptcy — the Chapter 11 timeline, debt eliminated, and the 260-to-229 store count. Return terms from At Home’s return policy.
• Hobby Lobby — Our Story and its in-store return policy.
• Kirkland’s, Inc. to rebrand as The Brand House Collective, Inc. (June 17, 2025) — the name and ticker change, the ~290-store footprint, and the ~75 Bed Bath & Beyond Home conversions planned through 2026.
• Target corporate: about — 2,000+ US stores, all 50 states and DC, 45+ owned brands. Return terms from Target’s returns help page.
• Walmart location facts, United States — 4,611 Walmart US stores as of January 31, 2026. Return terms from Walmart’s standard return policy.