Elder-Beerman at Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville to Close by April
Marshalls will take over space
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- There is good news and bad news for shoppers at the Ohio Valley Mall: Marshalls will open a department store there in the fall, but it will occupy a portion of the space being vacated by Elder-Beerman.
Joe Bell, spokesman for mall owner The Cafaro Co., confirmed Monday that Elder-Beerman will shutter its St. Clairsville store by late March. This comes on the heels of an announcement Jan. 5 that Kmart will also close its store at the mall.
Marshalls will not fill all the space currently occupied by Elder-Beerman. According to Bell, Marshalls will take over the 20,000-square-foot spot that now houses the Elder-Beerman Men's and Home store.
"As the retail landscape evolves all over the country, Ohio Valley Mall is pleased to welcome one of the nation's hottest off-price department stores. … Marshalls is all about value, a combination of fashion, brand, quality and price. 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 in a news release.
Belmont County Commissioner Mark Thomas said he is pleased about the addition of Marshalls, although he regrets the loss of the other stores. He also pointed out the St. Clairsville mall soon will be home to several destination stores.
"While we are sad to see Elder-Beerman leave, we are happy and welcome Marshalls to Belmont County. It is a great retailer, and they are a perfect fit with the only Macy's between Pittsburgh and Columbus and the only Boscov's store in Ohio," Thomas said.
"As I have said in the last week, we thank The Cafaro Co. for its continued commitment to the Ohio Valley Mall and Belmont County," he continued. "They are great corporate friends of the county, and we appreciate them being located here. The future of traditional retail in Belmont County is alive and well."
"With no other Marshalls store within 40 miles, the arrival of this popular retailer accentuates the fact that Ohio Valley Mall has become the preferred shopping destination in the region," Bell agreed.
Bell said Bon-Ton, parent company of Elder-Beerman, has seen a need to downsize.
"It is certainly regretful for their workers and customers, but a lot of those customers have been gravitating to Boscov's and J.C. Penney," he said. "There is a need for full service department stores, but we have seen that people want more restaurants and discount department stores like Marshalls at the Ohio Valley Mall."
Elder-Beerman came to the Ohio Valley Mall after acquiring Stone & Thomas, a privately owned department store chain that was headquartered in Wheeling, in 1998.
Founded in 1847, Stone & Thomas had expanded from its Wheeling flagship store to operate more than 20 locations, including one at the mall.
For Mark Thomas, the first sign of trouble for Elder-Beerman came recently in the form of a voice mail message from a Bon-Ton spokeswoman. He said the woman called him to inquire whether Belmont County had any zoning, permits or other regulations regarding a "distress sale."
He added the Ohio Valley Mall is located in Richland Township, which does not have zoning.
Thomas also pointed out that The Andersons General Stores -- which has stores in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio, that employ more than 1,000 people -- announced Sunday it would close all its shops and go out of business during the coming spring.
Thomas blamed the national retail climate.
"It's interesting … that the (Ohio Valley) mall has been nearly at 100-percent capacity for four or five years now, and there is a lot of interest in that property," he said. "It's the state of national retail, which is literally in the tank. It's not an Ohio Valley Mall issue, it's a national retail issue."
According to Bell, Marshalls offers designer clothing, footwear, toys, accessories, fragrances and housewares from thousands of vendors around the world.
New brand-name and designer fashions for men, women and children arrive several times a week.
Founded in 1956, Marshalls now has more than 880 stores spanning 43 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Janell Hunter contributed to this report.