Boscov’s proves to be a hit Department store opened at Eastwood Mall in October

RON SELAK JR.
Reporter
rselak@tribtoday.com

Staff file photo / R. Michael Semple Shoppers wait for the doors to open at the new Boscov’s at the Eastwood Mall on Oct. 7.

NILES — The line to shop at the new Boscov’s at the Eastwood Mall when the department store opened Oct. 7 started to form before the sun rose, and by the time the doors opened at 10 a.m., nearly 1,000 people were in it.

Thousands more came and went throughout that day — the first of a three-day grand-opening celebration put on by the Reading, Pa.-based retailer to christen its 49th store and third at a mall owned / operated by the Cafaro Company.

CEO Jim Boscov said the opening was the No. 1 event for him and for the company in 2021.

“I’m incredibly proud of the Niles co-workers that joined the Boscov family this year and grateful for the warm welcome we received from our new friends in the Mahoning Valley,” he said.

The store — a gigantic 180,000-square-foot space that occupies about one-third of the mall’s west concourse, including the 140,000-square-foot former Sears department store — features a wide range of departments from a candy counter to optical and hearing centers with extra value-added customer service features such as free gift wrapping for any item purchased.

That is what, in part, sets Boscov’s apart from other retailers.

“We have departments that other department stores have given up on, candy, toys, petites …” Boscov said.

Other sources of pride include a broad range of products within each department that often are priced less than competitors — for example, the retailer carries upward of 20 different models of coffee maker — and customer service.

It was announced in January 2020 the Reading, Pa.-based retailer was locating at the mall with a planned opening in October 2020, but the pandemic delayed things about a year.

But when it did open in October, the response was immense. In addition, the opening raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofit groups. The grand opening also featured family-style entertainment, a parade and fireworks show.

It was perhaps the only department store to open in a new market in the U.S. last year but wasn’t the only new store to open at the Eastwood Mall.

Among the new stores was the iconic Reyers Shoe Store, an institution in downtown Sharon, Pa., for decades that announced in May it was leaving for the mall.

The store opened in the 14,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Forever 21 in the J.C. Penney concourse.

Co-owners, brothers Steven and Mark Jubelirer, decided to move after 135 years in Sharon because of dwindling customers. Their father bought the store in the early 1950s from Carl Reyer, whose father, a German immigrant cobbler, opened it in 1886.

‘A Christmas Carol’ set for this weekend at the mall

Suzanne Nolan Wisler | The Monroe News | December 15, 2021

 

Hear the original text of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” this weekend at the Mall of Monroe.

Monroe Community Players will host a “A Christmas Carol: A Readers Theater Experience” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday at its space at the mall, 2121 N. Monroe St.

Donning winter-themed attire, nine members of Players will read the classic story and represent more than 20 characters and narrators.

“This version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is based on the version Charles Dickens himself used when reading the story for audiences in America,” David P. Wahr, editor and director, said.

The cast includes several Players veterans and a few newcomers, Wahr said.

Cast members are: Mary Barnas, Jessica Dougherty, John Burden, Valinda Jonas, Ryan Harris, Norb Nowak, Betsy Rothrock, Nicholas Todd and John Zawacki.

 

Readers Theater, said the director, “is where the focus is on the words of the story, and not on the traditional elements of a theatrical production, such as props, costumes and sets. Often called ‘theater of the mind,’ Readers Theater depends on the storytellers’ ability to convey emotion through mostly voice alone.”

“A Christmas Carol” is the 1843 Dickens classic about a miser who is visited by various spirits and forced to confront sad truths about his life and where he is headed if he does not change his ways.

“You’ve seen the countless movies, remakes, animated specials and imitations of ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Now experience the original story as it was meant to be told,” Wahr said.

Tickets are $10 each and are available at www.monroecommunityplayers.org; by calling the MCP ticket office at (734) 241-7900, and at the door.

Masks are requested, regardless of vaccination status.

 

Local Author Headlines Super Saturday at Sandusky Mall

         

The last Saturday before Christmas, often known as “Super Saturday”, will be jam-packed with activity at Sandusky Mall.  On December 18, local author Chris Bores will sign copies of his new book, The Sandusky Mall – A History, at BAM! (Books-A-Million) from noon to 3 PM.  Bores is a Huron native who turned his fascination with local history into a 192-page book filled with photos.  He takes readers back to the early 1970s with a nostalgic tale of the development and early days of the mall.

Mall guests who are getting in last-minute shopping will enjoy other attractions throughout the day.  Volunteers from United Way will offer gift wrapping 1 – 4 PM.  Magician Bill Gang will entertain the crowd 3 – 4 PM.  From 5 to 8 PM, DJ Troy Baumgartner will pump out the tunes while kids will be able to sport a little holiday color courtesy of Face Painting by Kristi.  For everyone’s convenience, the mall will be open for extended shopping hours, 9 AM –  10 PM.

The Sandusky Mall Complex, located at 4314 Milan Road (U.S. Route 250), near Sandusky, Ohio, has been serving the people of the “North Coast” since 1976.  It currently comprises more than one million square feet of retail space.  It is the premier shopping destination for the community.  The Sandusky Mall Complex is owned and managed as part of the Cafaro family of companies, based in Niles, Ohio.  One of the nation’s largest privately held shopping center developers, the Cafaro organization has developed more than 30 million square feet of commercial real estate in 14 states.  For more information visit www.cafarocompany.com and www.sandusky-mall.com

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