Tasty new offerings at Huntington Mall

Posted on | by Christopher Anthony

Two great new additions are coming to Huntington Mall this fall.  BoxLunch and Grindstone Coffeeology both plan to open their doors in time for the holiday shopping season.

The name of BoxLunch is a little deceiving.  It’s a civic-minded web + brick and mortar-based specialty retailer offering a curated collection of licensed and non-licensed merchandise. The pop culture-themed product line includes apparel, accessories, home goods, gift and novelty, and collectibles.  With every $10 customers spend, BoxLunch will help provide a meal secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.  The new store will open its doors in a 3,444 square foot location near Center Court.  There are currently 165 BoxLunch stores nationwide.

Right next door to BoxLunch, Grindstone Coffeeology will be serving up delicious offerings for coffee lovers.  The new 996 square foot shop roasts its own coffee beans and offers a variety of drinks that include cappuccino, espresso, lattes and cold-brewed iced coffee.  The drink menu also includes sweet and unsweetened tea and Italian sodas.  Complementing all this is a tasty assortment of breakfast pastries, sandwiches and soup.  Grindstone has already built a loyal following at its initial location in the City of Huntington.

Huntington Mall has been serving the people of West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky since 1981.  This 1.5 million square foot shopping complex is located off Route 60 and Interstate 64 at exit 20 in Barboursville, WV.  For more information on mall tenants, hours and events, call 304-733-0492 or visit online at www.huntingtonmall.com.  Huntington Mall is owned and managed in association with the Cafaro family of companies, based in Niles, Ohio.  To learn more about the Cafaro organization, go to www.cafarocompany.com.

Career Education to host Suit-Up event at JCPenney

Posted on | by Christopher Anthony

The Herald-Dispatch | Sep 19, 2021

A Marshall University student is fitted for a suit at the 2019 JCPenney Suit-Up event at the Huntington Mall location.

Courtesy of Marshall University

HUNTINGTON — The Marshall University Office of Career Education will host the JCPenney’s Suit-Up event from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, at the Huntington Mall JCPenney.

“The office of career education staff, along with members of the JCPenney team, will be on hand to offer insights into the latest career fashion trends, as well as the basics of appropriate business dress,” said Jennifer Brown, assistant director for student engagement and marketing for career education.

Brown said participants will receive a 30% discount on all purchases made during the event. Students will get an additional 30% off discount on sale-priced professional wear during the event.

“At the inaugural event in November of 2019 our students saved over $7,000 and walked away with great business attire,” Brown said. “This is a fantastic event, and we are proud to partner with JCPenney.”

This is an exclusive event for Marshall University students, alumni, faculty and staff only. Brown says the store will only be open to the Marshall community during the event’s hours.

To learn more, contact Brown by e-mail at brown346@marshall.edu or visit www.marshall.edu/careereducation.

No plans for local Toys “R” Us resurrection

Posted on | by Christopher Anthony

Andy Ouriel | Sep 05, 2021 2:00 PM

Construction work continues on the new TJ Maxx, inside a portion of the former Macy’s, at the Sandusky Mall.
Register photo/ANDY OURIEL

PERKINS TWP. — Across the nation, many Macy’s stores invited Toys “R” Us to set up shop inside 400 of its locations.

Unfortunately for local Geoffrey the Giraffe buffs, one won’t come to the Sandusky Mall.

“That former Macy’s space is now being redeveloped into several different store spaces,” mall spokesman Joe Bell said. “Macy’s is no longer the tenant there, so it would not be able to install a Toys ‘R’ Us or any other kind of shop.”

Beyond T.J. Maxx, Bell couldn’t disclose the specific stores going inside this space, citing confidentiality reasons.

A partnership between two of American’s most well-known brands, Macy’s and Toys “R” Us, became public on Aug. 19. The store-within-a-store concept should roll out in 2022.

Both retailers have experienced some tough times as of late:

  • Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017, closing all of its U.S. stores — including the one in Sandusky on Milan Road (U.S. 250) just south of Sandusky Mall — in 2018.
  • Macy’s has closed hundreds of stores since the mid-2010s, which includes the one in Sandusky Mall.

More on the former Macy’s

One store confirmed to go inside the former Macy’s, however, is another major retailer: T.J. Maxx.

Bell previously said that sometime in this fall, T.J. Maxx’s “contractor will begin the final interior buildout, and the store should be ready to open.”

Operating elsewhere in Sandusky Mall today, T.J. Maxx takes up roughly the same amount of space as it will in its new location. But a new layout “is designed to be more visible from the outside and more functional for the staff,” Bell said.

In other words, upon opening, Bell noted people can enter T.J. Maxx straight from the parking lot without first needing to walk inside the physical mall building. It then becomes a true anchor store like JCPenney.

An American department store chain, T.J. Maxx sells items — namely brand-name clothes, shoes, home decor, handbags and more — generally lower than other major similar stores. With more than 1,000 stores nationwide, it’s one of the largest clothing retailers across the country.