Meadowbrook Mall’s newest retailer – Maurices – will open sooner than originally expected.

 

“Construction is actually way ahead of schedule and they have pushed our opening date to April 28,” said Shannon Mollohan, store manager.

 

The women’s clothing chain is a welcome addition to the mall, said Joe Bell, director of corporate communications for The Cafaro Company, owner of Meadowbrook Mall.

 

“Maurices is a great name. It has a wide variety of women's merchandise,” he said. “The fact is a lot of people are looking for value in apparel now and at a time when certain niche apparel manufacturers are having a tough time – especially those that provide a niche market for women, say 18-24 years old, we see a lot of those particular brands having a very difficult time; some going out of business.

 

But Maurice’s fills that niche nicely – and a whole lot more. It’s a very solid brand that provides great variety and value.”

 

In addition to apparel, Maurices carries shoes and accessories. The new store will be located in the mall's west wing, occupying a portion of the space which formerly housed The Gap, near Bath and Body works and across from American Eagle.

 

“As far as construction, the former Gap space was basically cut in half,” said Marcello Lalama, property manager for Meadowbrook Mall. “What that means is a wall was constructed separating the now two spaces. (The side which will house Maurices) was demolished and new floors, ceiling, lighting, etc. and obviously a new storefront with glass windows; all constructed to their prototype store design.”

 

Maurices will fill a space encompassing 4,990 square feet, Lalama said. 

 

Currently, the closest Maurices store is in Morgantown at University Town Centre. The American women’s clothing chain is based in Duluth, Minnesota and was founded in 1931. There are more than 1,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada, primarily located shopping malls and small towns, though recently the chain has branched out to larger cities. Known for having a wide range of sizes available, the retailer stocks women’s sizes from zero to 26.

 

Bell said even with the recent closing of Sears, Meadowbrook Mall is currently well-rounded and well-equipped to meet the shopping needs of the area.

 

“We still have a very strong performance of department stores like Elder-Beerman, JC Penney, Target and Marshalls, as well as nearly hundreds of other stores which have their own particular niche,” he said.

 

Despite announcements that some JC Penney stores will be closing across the nation, the Meadowbrook Mall store is very secure.

 

“JC Penney is not going anywhere,” he said. “It’s doing well because it is filling in where other places are falling short. They recently added major appliances to its line which is something people have been looking for. This store has never been on the closure list and its business is very strong.”

 

There are currently no other new Meadowbrook Mall stores forthcoming, but that could change at any time, Bell said.

 

“There are always new potential merchants. Our people are always talking with local and national retailers, looking for new concepts that would fit in well with the rest of Meadowbrook Mall and very often these types of discussions can take months and months until we sign a lease agreement,” he said.

 

Maurices is hiring for the new store.

 

“We still have open positions including management and temporary positions for the week of the store build and opening,” Mollohan said.

 

Read more and apply HERE at monster.com. Visit the Meadowbrook Mall Web site HERE.