Boscov’s Sets Oct. 7 Opening Date at Eastwood Mall
NILES, Ohio – Boscov’s will open its new Eastwood Mall store Oct. 7 with three consecutive days of special deals and activities.
Located in the site once occupied by Sears, the store was originally set to open October 2020, but the pandemic forced a change in plans.
“The delayed opening gave us time to put together a wonderful three-day grand opening celebration created uniquely for the Mahoning and Shenango Valley communities,” said the chain’s chairman and CEO Jim Boscov in a Thursday news release. “In addition to specials and unbeatable prices, our grand opening celebration will feature entertainment, activities for the whole family, fireworks and more.”
The Eastwood Mall location will be Boscov’s 49th store and its second in Ohio. The first day of the grand opening celebration will be charity day. It will be devoted to raising awareness and money for the participating local nonprofit organizations.
Visitors who make a $5 donation to the charity of their choice will be among the first to enter the store to shop for specials, and will also receive a gift. Local nonprofits can be registered for the day by emailing [email protected].
The second day, Oct. 8, will be Family Fun Day. There will be free activities and entertainment throughout the day with fireworks in the evening.
The grand opening celebration will culminate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 9.
Boscov’s will hire about 250 workers for the Niles store. Based in Reading, Pa., Boscov’s operates stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Ohio. The nation’s largest family-owned department store chain, Boscov’s is in its 107th year as a full-line, full-service department.
Boscov’s had been looking to open a store at Eastwood Mall for several years, but discussions picked up in 2019 after Sears closed, Boscov said in an interview last year.
“We talked about how we might do it, and as we got to know more about the market, we got very excited about our ability to address the needs of the community,” he said.
The company looked at the community’s demographics and whether the potential customer base met its criteria. It also determined the success of other local stores and whether they are the kind that appeal to Boscov’s customers.
“We have a very broad range of products. We’ve got a broad range of customers also,” Boscov said. “We’ve got a store that satisfies the customer who wants the very high end and the customer who’s really looking for bargains.”
Boscov’s will be the biggest retailer to ever open in Eastwood Mall, according to Anthony Cafaro Jr., co-president of the Cafaro Co., which owns the mall.
The store will occupy about 180,000 square feet, including the 120,000-square-foot former Sears space. It will also use additional space in the west corridor of the mall. Preparing the space for Boscov’s will be a “multimillion-dollar project,” Cafaro said last year.
Among the store inventory are clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, appliances and toys, Boscov said, as well as offers less-common selections, such as an in-house candy store and a community auditorium.
Pictured: Jim Boscov, CEO of Boscov’s department store, during a press event at the Eastwood Mall in January 2020.
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