Category: Meadowbrook Mall

Boscov’s to open 50th store; first in West Virginia

Posted on | by Joe Bell

 

02/15/2023

Boscov’s to open 50th store; first in West Virginia

Al Urbanski

Real Estate Editor & Manager – Chain Store Age

“We’re a family-owned business,” said CEO Jim Boscov. “We can make decisions to please the customer, not the stock market.”

The common word heard to describe department stores these days is “declining.”  But one chain that dates back to 1918 is expanding.

That was the year that Russian immigrant Solomon Boscov opened the first Boscov’s store in Reading, Penn. This week his grandson Jim Boscov announced signing the lease on the family-owned chain’s 50th store, at Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport, W.Va.

The Meadowbrook Mall location will be Boscov’s first store in West Virginia. The company’s other 49 stores  are found in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Ohio.

“We have the advantage of being a family-owned business. That means we can make decisions and work to please the customer, not the stock market,” said Jim Boscov, chairman and CEO. “We still believe in the traditional department store, where in one shopping trip, you can find everything you want.”

The latest Boscov’s is set to open this fall in a 151,000-sq.-ft. space at Meadowbrook, a Cafaro property. It will introduce the Mountain State to the merchandising philosophy that the company claims has kept it going for more than 100 years: fashions in both traditional labels and designer names, free gift wrap supplies, and a huge full-service candy department.

Boscov’s opened its first store outside of Pennsylvania at the Dover Mall in Delaware in 1982 and the company slowly continued expanding. often taking over the empty spaces of failed department stores.

In 2006, Solomon Boscov’s son Albert retired as CEO and was succeeded by his nephew Kenneth Lakin, who stepped up the pace. He acquired 10 stores vacated by Federated in 2008, but his timing was unfortunate. The Great Recession hit, the stores performed badly, and Boscov’s filed for Chapter 11.

Albert Boscov returned to the helm, pulled the chain out of bankruptcy protection, and slowly began rebuilding Boscov’s until he died at the age of 87 in 2017.  Jim Boscov, his nephew, then assumed the chief role and slowed down the expansion pace with a goal of opening one new store a year.

The Boscov family has always been actively involved with non-profit organizations within the communities its stores serve, and has already announced plans for a special event to benefitting local charities at its Meadowbrook grand opening.

“North Central West Virginia is going to see some very aggressive retailing that combines fun, fashion, community partnership, entertainment and service with jaw-dropping pricing throughout the store,” Boscov said.

Based in Reading, Penn., Boscov’s is the largest family-owned department store chain in the United States.

 

 

Huge Meadowbrook Mall Demolition Effort Underway to Set Way for New Anchor

Posted on | by Joe Bell

Huge Meadowbrook Mall Demolition Effort Under Way Costing $600,000-Plus to Set Way for New Anchor

ConnectBridgeport.com by Jeff Toquinto on November 15, 2022

The process for getting Meadowbrook Mall ready for its “biggest merchant ever” is now taking a physical form.

For anyone who has been on the backside of the mall, or the portion facing Interstate 79, they may have noticed construction fencng up, construction equipment, and a giant hole in the structure that was the former home of Elder-Beerman.

According to Bridgeport Community Development Director Andrea Kerr, two permits were recently filed with the city to do the demolition. One, prior to the actual demolition was for asbestos abatement, and the second is for the actual demolition, which is taking place now. The permits were filed by Cafaro, the owner of the mall.

Kerr said Environmental Protection, which is the name of the company, is responsible for the asbestos abatement for $163,900. The demolition work is being handled by JJO Construction out of Mentor, Ohio. The work includes 11 units within the mall at a cost of $453,007.

"The most noticeable work is at the old Elder-Beerman building," said Kerr. "That will be home to Marshall's."

However, that does not mean Marshall’s is expanding into the entire store. Kerr said she believes the square footage Marshall’s will take over is roughly the same.

As for the 11 units, Kerr said they are scattered from one end to the other. Most of the units beyond the Elder-Beerman area involve the Sears building and properties around such as the soon-to-be-leaving JoANN Fabric.

“I’ve had a meeting with Cafaro recently and they provided us their plans for demolition and the new layout of what the footprint mall will look like going forward,” said Kerr. “While there were some changes and some stores have closed, other stores have decided to keep open and relocate to different portions of the mall and that speaks volumes for the future of the mall.”

Kerr said a permit for construction has not been filed for what is rumored to be Boscov’s but has not been confirmed by Cafaro. Cafaro said a formal announcement will likely come in early 2023.

“The new tenant we’re projecting will not only be a multi-million-dollar construction project, but it will be producing a strong stream of revenue in the form of dollars through B&O taxes,” said Kerr. “I can assure you that this project is definitely happening, and we’re hoping to see plans soon.”

Kerr said she said the business, which she did not disclose due to no official permit being filed for the business, could be open in the later portions of 2023.

Editor's Note: Photos show demolition taking place in the former Elder-Beerman building Monday.

“Largest Merchant Ever” Scheduled to Open in Bridgeport in 2023

Posted on | by Joe Bell

Meadowbrook Mall States its “Largest Merchant Ever” Scheduled to Open Doors in Bridgeport in 2023

By Jeff Toquinto on October 26, 2022

Meadowbrook Mall is about to have a major addition. In fact, today, officials with Cafaro, the mall’s parent company confirmed as much in a press release sent out.

What the press release did not say was what the addition was. What it did say was it will be “the largest merchant to ever open at Meadowbrook Mall.”

Joe Bell, the director of corporate communications for Cafaro, could not comment on what would come, which is generally not unusual until leases are formally signed or the business in question wants an announcement to be made. The press release said a lease has not yet been formally signed.

Cafaro stated in their press release that the process for establishing a new lease agreement with any large business often takes months or years. They added that with this business the process is nearly complete.

However, it appears likely the business in question is Boscov’s. Several mall merchants have confirmed to Connect-Bridgeport, as well as on social media, they have been told issues involving their move or lease situation have been based on Boscov’s arrival. Again, Bell would not confirm if that is the case.

Boscov’s Inc. is a family-owned department store with roughly 50 locations in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Twenty-six of these stores are located in Pennsylvania. This would be the first store in West Virginia if that is who Cafaro is working with.

What Bell could confirm, as well as the press release, is that the business is tentatively scheduled to be in place in Bridgeport in 2023. To make way for it, multiple stores have moved and one of the mall’s most popular stores will move.

Marshalls will be moving into what is being described as a “modern, updated store space in the “Target Concourse,” according to the press release.

Anthony Cafaro, Jr., Co-President of the mall’s parent company commented about the arrival.

“This will be the biggest offering for consumers to ever arrive at Meadowbrook Mall,” he said.

The relocation of Marshalls is not the first. Several others, such as Four Horsemen Comics and Gaming, have already moved. JOANN Fabrics recently announced their closure. However, their lease was not terminated, according to Bell.

“We had a new space for them and were going to relocate them, but it was their decision to leave. The company made the decision to leave the marketplace,” said Bell. “It’s unfortunate that they decided to leave, but it was a corporate decision.”

Boscov’s has many of its stores with a two-story format. Bell would not say whether the entity in question would be one or two stories. He did confirm they would use existing space on the Cinemark end of the mall.

“They will be doing some demolition, but it will likely just be exterior demolition,” said Bell of the officially unnamed business. “We’re looking forward to making the announcement as to who it is soon. There is a lot of buzz.”