When the phone call came to Andrea Underwood and her brother Paul Adams, on the other end was a solicitation. Instead of a scam or the requesting of a donation to a cause or organization no one has ever heard about, Underwood and Adams knew who exactly who was calling.

 

And they listened.

 

Because of that, the Meadowbrook Mall has a new tenant in a familiar location with a familiar product. This morning, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for Adams Hallmark.

 

Adams Hallmark is located in the same spot as Lileigh’s Hallmark Shop that closed in October. Less than two months later it’s been replaced. It all happened because of that phone call.

 

“The leasing agent for the Cafaro Company that we’ve dealt with before, because our Huntington Mall store is a Cafaro mall, contacted us and told us this opportunity is available and would we be interested,” said Underwood, who is co-owner along with Adams. “We never say never and asked them to show us some numbers. Paul is the financial part of the business, did the negotiations and came up with a good lease and we ran with it.”

 

Underwood isn’t joking when she says “they ran with.” With the lease signed, the goal was to get open before the start of the holiday season. That periods wasn’t measured in months, but rather weeks.

 

“We were able to open Nov. 17, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We get in under the gun and it was a challenging install,” said Underwood. “It was critical to open at that time.

 

“The fourth quarter, we know, pays for the rest of the year,” she continued. “It was essential we get in and we were pushing … with Hallmark to get open by getting the product and the fixtures. It’s worked out fabulous.”

 

The best part was that once the store opened it had the one thing it needed – customers. And plenty of them.

 

“As soon as we opened the game, there was business,” said Underwood. “We’re excited to be here.”

 

The brother and sister combo are no strangers to Hallmark and the retail business. Between them, they have seven locations and they’re all in West Virginia. Along with the Huntington Mall in Barboursville, they have two locations in Charleston, two in Morgantown and one in the Grand Central Mall in Wood County.

 

“This is lucky number seven,” Underwood said.

 

Underwood said she plans on being around for five years at a minimum. There’s a reason for that.

 

“Five years is the term of our lease,” she said. “We hope to be here far beyond that, and believe we will.

 

“You hear all the doomsday stories about malls across America. We’re in that business and I can tell you that this is a very healthy mall,” she continued. “It’s very well run and a large regional presence, which is one of the reasons it’s healthy.”

 

The new Adams Hallmark is open during regular mall shopping hours. They will also follow the holiday hours of the mall. To learn more about their products or have questions about the hours of operation, you can contact the store at 304-848-0987.

 

The business is located across from Ulta and beside the former Elder-Beerman location.

 

Editor's Note: Andrea Underwood gets ready to cut the ribbon on her business as city and mall officials, along with Adams Hallmark staff, join her. The second photo shows the store from the outside, while Mayor Andy Lang, left, presents Underwood with a certificate welcoming the new store to Bridgeport as a staff member, center, looks on.