NORTHRIDGE : Rebuilt Penney’s Reopens Today

Almost 17 months since the Northridge earthquake, and after $25 million in repairs, J. C. Penney has finished rebuilding its store at the Northridge Fashion Center shopping mall.

Just in time for its customers, guessed store manager Howard Couch.

“There’s people who have been waiting so long they truly have had to endure a great deal,” said Couch, who was overwhelmed when the store opened Sunday for charge customers only.

Hundreds of people were waiting at the door for the 10 a.m. opening and all 1,200 parking spaces now available near the store were occupied all day.

“Some people actually cried,” Couch said, explaining that many customers were emotional because they had seen the building wrecked after the quake. “It is kind of like a rebirth, to know how it was and see it come back.”

After opening Sunday and Monday for charge customers only, the store closed Tuesday to prepare for a grand opening at 8:30 a.m. today. City, county and state officials have been invited.

The store has the same floor space it had before the disaster, but more space has been converted for customer use, Couch said.

Sears, Roebuck & Co. and the Broadway have reopened their mall stores, which also were devastated by the January, 1994, temblor. The mall’s remodeled interior is expected to reopen July 17. Bullock’s and Robinsons-May are expected to reopen there in August and September.

Demolition of the J.C. Penney store started in August, and reconstruction began in October. Store officials said that 500 tons of steel was added, along with additional reinforced concrete and thicker exterior walls, as part of the new construction.

Shuttle service from the parking lots and valet parking will be available to customers during the week of the grand opening, Couch said.