When the City of Bridgeport unveiled its 2017-18 fiscal year budget, the $14.4 million budget was roughly the same as the previous year. And as was indicated during work sessions on the monetary document, some anticipated revenue that had been there for decades was taken out.

 

The money not there was money the city received annually as part of its retail business and occupation take. The dollars in question are from the soon-to-be-closed Sears location at the Meadowbrook Mall.

 

While the closing of an anchor facility isn’t a doomsday scenario for the mall, it is something city officials have been keeping their eyes on beyond just budgetary purposes. Recently, at a Bridgeport Development Authority meeting, a city official addressed the space that will soon be vacant at the mall along with other projects.

 

“The Cafaro Company is working with some potential tenants,” said Community Development Director Randy Spellman. “This is not unique to us. This is a nationwide with Sears and anchor retailers going out of malls.”

 

Spellman said a good chance that the Ohio-Based Cafaro Company, the owners of the mall property, will find someone to take all or part of the space occupied by Sears, could come in May. Spellman said those involved with Cafaro, which has retail properties nationwide, will be in Las Vegas.

 

“There’s always a big show in May in Las Vegas, sort of the national retailers show; that’s where a lot of these deals are made … I’m hoping when they come out of that process in May they’ll have some announcements for us,” said Spellman.

 

While that space will soon be vacant (in five days according to store signs) Spellman had good news about other projects at the mall. A renovation of Journey’s is complete. The retail outlet did a $58,800 renovation.

 

“They sort of re-freshened it and it has opened back up,” said Spellman.

 

He also said work is moving ahead at the anchor store Elder-Beerman. Spellman said the project is called a “light and bright,” which means new fixtures and doing new paint and carpeting. He said that the work is not being done in the Elder-Beerman Home Store, which is located on the opposite end of the mall from the main location. The renovation work is for $250,000, according to Spellman.

 

The big news, according to Spellman, is that Maurices will soon be opening. The women’s clothing store, which was previously at the mall, is occupying a large portion of the space previously held by Gap.

 

“They’re probably four to six weeks away from opening up, perhaps sooner,” said Spellman. “We’ve got positive activity at the mall, but the big concern is the closing of Sears, the size of that structure and what that will mean as far as getting a new tenant to come in.”

 

Spellman reiterated what Cafaro Director of Corporate Communications Joe Bell said previously on the space, which involves someone taking over the entire space or the possibility of splitting the space.

 

“There are multiple ways they can go with that space,” said Spellman.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Harrison County resident Russ Colley checking out deals at Sears as they are set to close in five days, while bottom photo is the flyer posted on the soon-to-be-opening Maurices.