Boscov’s kicks off Grand Opening for first store in West Virginia

Posted on | by Joe Bell

 

Boscov’s kicks off West Virginia grand opening celebration with Charity Day shopping as thousands flock to see new store in Bridgeport’s Meadowbrook Mall

  • by Charles Young SENIOR STAFF WRITER THE EXPONENT TELEGRAM

 

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (WV News) — The line to get into the Boscov’s location at Meadowbrook Mall on Thursday stretched down the sidewalk in both directions, filled with hundreds of shoppers eagerly waiting to be among the first inside the area’s newest department store.

Each of those in attendance paid $5 for a shopping pass that allowed them to participate in the store’s Charity Day. All the proceeds from the sale of the passes will benefit 175 local nonprofits.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Jim Boscov, chairman and CEO of Boscov’s. “Certainly, it’s great to have a store full of people, but this is Charity Day. These are people who donated $5 to their favorite charity.”

Boscov had a very busy morning, which included greeting customers as they lined up outside and making periodic announcements over the store’s intercom system.

“People who have never seen us before are saying, ‘Wow, you guys really have everything.’ It’s a big store,” he said. “As busy as we are, we have about 220 co-workers that we’ve hired right from the area, plus we have another 150 that we’ve asked to come down from our other stores to help out. We’ve got lots of people to offer service.”

Wendy Imperial, a Bridgeport resident, said she’s been anticipating the opening of Boscov’s for several months.

“I walk every morning up here at the mall, so I’ve been watching the progress of stores moving and then this being built. I’m just thrilled that the day is finally here,” she said.

Imperial said she’s glad the mall was able to secure another anchor retailer after years of seeing stores move or relocate.

“So many times you see malls that are becoming obsolete. It’s so sad to see that square footage get emptied,” she said. “This is going to be an absolute boost in the arm of our community. All of the surrounding retailers are going to benefit from it. And we’re just thrilled that they chose this mall to come to and open a new store.”

Imperial used Boscov’s Charity Day to get a jump on her holiday shopping.

“I looked for some of the ‘door buster’ deals — I got some flashlights that I was looking for and then saw these that were on sale,” she said, holding up a decorative throw blanket. “I’m heading to women’s clothes to look at some things there that I’ve seen through the window as I’ve been walking.”

Harley Jeffries, a Bridgeport resident, said he’d also heard a lot about the Boscov’s opening.

“We’d been hearing about it for a while. It’s been underway and under construction. We’re always anxious — we’re a bunch of lookie-loos — to come see what’s what and what’s going on with the store and what all they have,” Jeffries said.

Thursday’s events kicked off Boscov’s Three-Day Grand Opening Celebration.

Friday will be Family Fun Day, featuring free family activities and entertainment. It will be the first opportunity for members of the public who didn’t purchase a Charity Day pass to shop in the store.

On Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m., the Bridgeport High School marching band will kick off a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Brad Riffee, executive director of the United Way of Harrison and Doddridge Counties, and representatives of United Way member agencies will cut a special ribbon made of $100 bills for the agencies, plus a $1,000 bill for the United Way itself.

Saturday shoppers also can take in performances by Elvis Aaron Presley Jr., and Jason Lindsey, aka “Mr. Science.”

Senior Staff Writer Charles Young can be reached at 304-626-1447 or cyoung@theet.com

 

New Trampoline Park at Kennedy Mall

Posted on | by Joe Bell

Biz Buzz: Iowa-based company acquires trampoline park in Dubuque mall

 

An Iowa-based company has acquired a trampoline park in Dubuque.

Edwards Entertainment Company officially acquired Vertical Jump Park located in Kennedy Mall, 555 John F. Kennedy Road, earlier this month. The space is now known as The Fun Station Dubuque.

“Dubuque has been on our radar for a while,” said Nick Edwards, president and CEO of Edwards Entertainment Company. “We’ve been looking for the perfect location. The opportunity that came about was with the previous owners with Vertical. It’s a good fit for us to come into an existing business that has been established and put a Fun Station twist on everything.”

Edwards Entertainment Company operates two other The Fun Station locations, one in Cedar Rapids and one in the Quad Cities.

Edwards said rebranding to The Fun Station Dubuque, as well as adding new activities for all ages, will take place over the next several months, though he stressed the space will remain open throughout the transition.

“We’re still going to have all the trampoline attractions,” he added. “We’re reconfiguring some of the trampoline areas.”

Other The Fun Station activities coming to the space this fall and winter include a “play maze,” which Edwards said are signature features at their other locations. The multi-level maze features slides and interactive elements.

Other activities that will be added include an indoor zipline, trapeze swings and “slick slides,” which Edwards described as “water slides without the water.”

Two changes have already taken place in the space. Edwards said the Box Car Cafe, a quick-serve restaurant featuring over 55 menu items, including appetizers, pizzas, flatbreads, burgers, quesadillas and desserts, is open for business.

The Fun Station Dubuque also changed the pricing model. Instead of paying by the hour, Edwards said families can pay one price per day, with the ability to leave and come back for more play.

“We’re really excited about being in Dubuque and the entire tri-state area,” Edwards said. “Our company is all about providing good, old-fashioned family fun, and we’re excited to be here in the region.”

Kennedy Mall spokesman Joe Bell said Vertical Jump Park, which opened in 2016, has been a great attraction to the mall, and he is excited to see what Edwards will do with the space.

“We think it’s going to be tremendously popular,” Bell said.

The Fun Station Dubuque is open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. More information can be found online at gofunstation.com.

 

Cabell County Schools kick off construction of new career center at Huntington Mall

Posted on | by Joe Bell

 

 

Cabell County Schools kicks off construction of new career tech center

 

  • Oct 17, 2023

 

BARBOURSVILLE — Charles R. Neighborgall IV said standing in the former Sears building and future career technology center at the Huntington Mall on Tuesday was a “full circle moment” as both his father and grandfather helped construct the former Sears and Cabell County Career Technology Center before him.

Cabell County Schools celebrated a “Kickoff to Construction” for the new Woody Williams Center for Advanced Learning and Careers on Tuesday with district partners, community members and many current Cabell County Career Technology Center students.

Neighborgall, president of Neighborgall Construction, which was awarded the $48,215,000 contract for the construction of the new Woody Williams Center, said it made him emotional thinking about the past and future of the space.

“My grandfather back in the ‘50s built the original Sears, it was where the St. Mary’s School of Nursing is now. … Then in the early ‘80s, late ‘70s, (my father) built the Sears building here at the mall and the career center where it’s currently housed. And here in two years we’ll finish this,” Neighborgall said. “It’s a little emotional for me, but it’s fantastic. And their mission and purpose here is terrific because that’s our future workforce that’s going to be learning right here, so that’s a neat aspect of this project for us.”

In lieu of shoveling dirt as Cabell County Schools representatives have done at previous groundbreaking ceremonies, staff and some students hammered nails and welded some metal for the Kickoff to Construction event.

The facility, which is expected to take about two years to complete, will have approximately 240,000 square feet of space for classrooms and teaching spaces to house current Cabell County Career Technology Center programs and allow the possibility of adding some new programs.

Brent Casey, Woody Williams’ grandson, said it was an honor to see Williams recognized with the naming of the Woody Williams Center for Advanced Learning and Career.

“I think Woody would be, would absolutely say, of all of the recognitions and honors, including receiving the Medal of Honor from President Truman in 1945, none of those were more important than what we are doing here today, than what will happen in this building in the future and for future generations,” Casey said.

Melissa Ash, principal of the current Cabell County Career Technology Center, said ahead of the hammering and welding that the new center will be an educational beacon.

“This signifies a turning point in our commitment to education, professional development and the future of our community here,” “As we hammer these first nails later in the ceremony and torch this metal, we symbolically lay the groundwork for the Williams Center to be a beacon of progress, a fortress of innovation and a hub for learning.”

Ash said the district’s responsibility with the new facility includes not only meeting students’ current needs in career and technical education, but that it evolves as demands of the workforce change.

Superintendent Ryan Saxe also introduced representatives from Marshall Health Network, Moses AutoMall and Moses Auto Group, and Putnam County Bank as initial partners and sponsors of lab and classroom spaces in the new Woody Williams Center.

“These business partners will play a pivotal role in shaping the educational and professional paths of our students and the spaces in which they learn because of their generous sponsorships,” Saxe said.

Sarah Ingram is a reporter for The Herald-Dispatch, covering public K-12 education. Follow her on Twitter @SIngramHD.