By Angelica Acevedo
Payless Shoesource on 42-10 Bell Blvd. in Bayside will permanently close its doors next month. As a result, it is currently offering discounts of up to 40 percent on all its merchandise.
News of the closure comes two months after Payless announced it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close over 800 stores nationally.
According to the Payless website, the affordable footwear retailer is currently operating under the Chapter 11 protections that allow it to run the business while they restructure the company.
The Bell Blvd. store is just one of the locations closing throughout New York City, however, nearby stores in Astoria, Flushing and Jackson Heights are also subject to close, according to Payless.
Judith Limpert, the president of the Bayside Business Association, said that the closure will be a “loss for the retail strip” in Bell Blvd.
“Online is taking over,” Limpert said.
Limpert believes that although the strip is a “dining mecca,” more retail stores may generate foot-traffic in the strip.
“They’ve been disappearing over the last 20 years and there’s not much the community can do,” Limpert said. “It’s unfortunate but you gotta go with the flow of things. We have to figure out a way to draw more people to the Blvd. now.”
