By Nick Diamantides, Staff Writer
Marshalls Department Store plans to open in the Bixby Knolls Shopping Center in the not-too-distant future. The store’s executives, shopping center owners and Long Beach city officials have been working on the deal, which was finalized recently, for a long time.
“This is an exciting development for Bixby Knolls,” said 8th District Councilwoman Rae Gabelich. “We have been working to bring this deal together for two and a half years.”
Susan Cooper, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, was also pleased. “We are very glad this transaction is moving forward and that there will be a major tenant in the shopping center,” she said. Cooper explained that Marshalls will draw more shoppers, from Long Beach and nearby cities, to the center. “We have a lot of wonderful, small specialty stores in Bixby Knolls,” she added. “When people come to shop at Marshalls they will be pleased to discover all the other shops and restaurants in this part of town.”
Marshalls will occupy the site of Robert’s Department Store on Atlantic Avenue between San Antonio Drive and 45th Street. The Robert’s building has been vacant for more than 12 years and will be demolished some time in the next several months.
Plans for the shopping center include the demolition of 52,000 square feet of existing retail space and the construction of 42,800 square feet of space to house Marshalls as well as some smaller retail shops. A 5,000-square-foot retail/restaurant pad is also proposed for the southern end of the shopping center and the exterior façade on the eastern side of the shopping center will be remodeled.
Marshalls operates stores throughout the United States, and specializes in purchasing large quantities of merchandise at reduced prices from designers and manufacturers that are overstocked. Those low prices are then passed on to shoppers who often can buy items at Marshalls that cost twice as much in one of the high-end department stores.
The store generates excitement among its regular customers by offering fresh supplies of new items on a regular basis. A statement on the Marshalls store’s Web site reads: “We have new finds coming into our stores constantly. Every week, each Marshalls store gets about 10,000 new items.”
The recently signed lease is between GASKA, Inc. and TJX Companies, parent company of Marshalls.
A target opening date has not been announced.
