Sport Chalet extends time it will honor store credit, gift cards

Nearly three weeks after announcing it was shuttering all 47 of its retail stores, La Cañada-based sporting good retailer Sport Chalet is letting customers know it has extended the period it will honor store credit and gift cards through May 15.

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In an email Saturday, customers were informed that while merchandise is no longer being sold online, they could transfer any gift card balances to sister stores Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob’s Stores through July 29.

Meanwhile, city officials and business leaders are waiting for news of what will become of the 45,000-square-foot retail space, located squarely in La Cañada’s Town Center. Pat Anderson, president and chief executive of the chamber of commerce, said just how city commerce will be affected is unknown.

“There are a lot of unknowns,” Anderson said, sharing her concern with the potential for the loss of jobs and a decline in in-town holiday shopping should bankruptcy proceedings delay the finding of a replacement retailer. “We just have to be patient.”

Anderson said she was happy to take suggestions from residents on companies that might be a fit for the Town Center’s flagship store while officials wait for more information in the coming weeks and months.

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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine