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Times of Change at the Ohio Valley Mall

ST. CLAIRSVILLE –Bargain hunters now browse through discounted merchandise at both ends of the Ohio Valley Mall, as the large MC Sports store adjacent to Sears will soon join Kmart and Elder-Beerman in vacating the Belmont County retail hub.

However, as these stores go out of business and leave the mall, officials believe the future of the commercial center is secure. Joe Bell, who serves as a spokesman for the Cafaro Co., which owns the mall, said such changes are common, although he acknowledges some retailers have adapted to the age of internet shopping better than others.

“New tenants are being pursued right now. This is all part of the regular retail cycle,” Bell said. “Sometimes, we see certain retailers go into decline.”

The first store to confirm plans to leave the mall was Kmart, which has maintained its operation at the north end of the shopping center since taking over for original anchor tenant Montgomery Ward in 1983. In recent weeks, Kmart officials have shipped merchandise other stores have found difficult to sell to the mall location, including some deeply discounted watches and sweatpants.

As with Elder-Beerman, Kmart is supposed to close next month. Bell said as of this week, there is no immediate replacement.

“The Sears/Kmart brand has had a rough few years,” Bell said. “We weren’t totally surprised by their decision.”

Since 2005, Kmart and Sears — which remains as an original anchor at the south end of the mall — have operated under the same corporate entity: Sears Holdings Corp. Recently, this company announced the pending closure of its free-standing Weirton Kmart, while the firm had already abandoned Steubenville by closing the Sears at the mall, in addition to a nearby Kmart.

“We always take these situations seriously, but some major national retailers are taking steps to cut back,” Bell said.

At Elder-Beerman, shoppers also continue looking for bargains before the store closes next month. Bell said a new Marshalls store is slated to occupy the portion of Elder-Beerman on the front side of the mall near Macy’s.

“Unlike traditional retailers, it does not run promotions, sales, coupons or other gimmicks, just brand name and designer fashions that are 20-percent to 60-percent less than department and specialty store regular prices on comparable merchandise, every day,” Bell said of Marshalls.

The unique Elder-Beerman store was designed by legendary Upper Ohio Valley retailer Stone & Thomas in 1996 when the firm — acquired by Elder-Beerman two years later — relocated from anchoring the far side of the mall near Carmike Cinemas. The side that Marshalls will soon occupy originally consisted of the McCrory’s discount store and some smaller retailers.

However, Bell said there is no immediate plan for the other side of Elder-Beerman, which features the store’s clothing for women and children, as well as shoes, jewelry and cosmetics. Prior to 1996, this area of the mall featured the Horne’s department store, a book store and some smaller retailers.

As for MC Sports, this retailer is closing all 68 of its stores as part of a bankruptcy filing. The company sells sporting goods ranging from exercise equipment to T-shirts to guns.

MC Sports opened in 2013. Clothing retailer Old Navy built this large store in 1999, but the firm eventually closed its mall store in favor of a location at The Highlands in Ohio County. Originally, this portion of the mall included a York Steakhouse and a Rite Aid drug store

Bell said he understands the concerns some have regarding the mall, but pointed to the massive Boscov’s store that opened in 2013, as well as the upgrades Macy’s made to its store that same year.

“We have a plethora of stores operating very well,” he said.

Bell acknowledged some retailers have adapted better to the age of shopping on the internet than have others. He said the notion that all “brick-and-mortar” stores equally suffer from this is false.

“What we have found is that some have actually benefited from it,” he said of internet shopping. “Some shoppers will see something they like on the internet and go into the store to get it. Once they are in the store, they may end up making additional purchases.”

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