Ridgewood residents will soon have more options for their shopping needs when a new Burlington Coat Factory opens its doors on St. Nicholas Avenue later this fall.
The popular clothing store will occupy one of the retail spaces at Myrtle Point Tower, located at 3-50 St. Nicholas Ave.; this will be its sixth location in the borough of Queens.
Charise Lewis, an account coordinator for Burlington Coat Factory, told QNS the company is excited to bring a new store to the Ridgewood community this fall.
“In addition to providing new job opportunities for residents, Burlington offers low prices on brand-name merchandise for the entire family and home,” Lewis said. “As we get closer to the opening date, we’ll be sure to reevaluate and provide more details on the store at that time.”
There has been mixed reactions from locals regarding Burlington’s new store. Some residents said they were excited about the new store, while others expressed concerned about the economic impact the store could have on the neighborhood.
Local resident Lori DeLeon Bunce said she was excited to see the store come to Ridgewood.
“Any good stores that are coming to the Myrtle Avenue area are welcome,” Bunce told QNS. “If you take a walk down there, it’s a vast wasteland now, mainly on the block where [New York & Company] was.”
Meanwhile, Ridgewood resident Eric Siegel said he felt that other landlords were waiting for stores like Burlington Coat Factory to move into town so they can increase rent prices for some of the local mom-and-pop shops.
“Lots of vacancies are popping up on Myrtle [Avenue]. I suspect landlords are waiting for Burlington to come in so they can hike rents,” Siegel said. “Myrtle has already lost a lot of family-owned retailers, which have been backfilled by corporate tenants, who pay the minimum.”
Another Ridgewood resident, who requested their name be withheld from publication, said she is not entirely against stores like Burlington coming to Ridgewood. However, she said she fears the economic impact the store may bring to the neighborhood.
“I am concerned about it being a parallel development in this area where the economic divide becomes more increased,” she said.
She also noted that she was worried about the parking situation in the being a problem in the area.
“This area is already known for being horrible for parking,” she said.
Burlington Coat Factory is scheduled to open later this fall, but an official date has yet to be announced.
