BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
A pair of retailers are slated to move into now vacant storefronts in the Glendale Marketplace in November, as store officials hope for better fortune than the bankruptcies and subsequent closures that befell previous clients: Linens ’n Things and a quartet of shops that included Tower Records.
HomeGoods and Marshalls, both of which fall under the umbrella of parent company TJX Companies Inc., are scheduled to make their Glendale debut November following the spate of closures.
In May, home goods retailer Linens ’n Things filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the wake of the U.S. housing bust and worldwide credit crunch. The store, which had occupied the second floor of the Downtown Glendale shopping center, located at 140 S. Brand Blvd., closed recently after a decade in the mall — allowing HomeGoods to fill the vacancy.
Based in Massachusetts, HomeGoods is an “off-price home fashions store,” with more than 290 stores across the country that company officials say will be able to succeed in the Marketplace where Linens ’n Things failed.
“We have a lot of customers in that area and a lot of home enthusiasts in that area,” HomeGoods spokesman Phil Tracey said. “It’s the perfect location for HomeGoods. People are looking for high quality items at prices that are affordable.
“We’re a completely different retailer than anyone else out there.”
Marshalls is also betting that customers will flock to it its shop, which is due to fill the vacant space that was formerly occupied by Tower Records, CompUSA, Good Guys and Wow! Multimedia Superstore, all of which subleased space at 142 S. Brand Blvd.
“We’re opening up in November, and it’s not going to be your typical Marshalls with fashion. It’s going to be a ‘Shoe Mega-Shop by Marshalls,’” spokeswoman Laura McDowell said. “It’s going to be about 11,000 square feet of designer shoes for the entire family.”
Both company representatives said a specific date has not been set.
Business officials hope the influx of national companies featuring name-brand wares will help infuse the Marketplace with added revenue as the economy continues its downward spiral.
“They’ve struggled in the past couple of years, with Linens ’n Things closing,” said Elissa Glickman, an executive board member with the Downtown Glendale Merchants Assn. “But Outback [Steakhouse] is doing quite well, and the restaurants inside all seem to be bustling, whereas in the past that wasn’t always the case.”
Glickman ascribes the recent good fortune to overflow crowds from the Americana at Brand, where retail stores have reported dwindling sales, but some restaurants remain busy through the summer.
Still, some businesses at the Marketplace, a two-tiered collection of shops, eateries and a movie theater, have fallen under the weight of a distressed economy. The Tower Records space has been vacant for years, while the Marketplace continues to find its retail voice along one of the city’s main thoroughfares.
“I think it’s much more of a destination than what it was in the past,” Glickman said. “They’ve [the Marketplace] been really hit by the consolidation of brands. Enticing new brands to the area is a real testament to what’s happening there on Brand Boulevard.”