One of Northbridge Mall’s largest stores will shut down as part of a chain-wide series of closings, the mall’s manager said.

Thursday, December 06, 2001

One of Northbridge Mall’s largest stores will shut down as part of a chain-wide series of closings, the mall’s manager said.

The 14,000 square-foot discount retailer, which has been open in the mall since 1995, will close when all its stock has been sold, said store manager Rebecca Newton.

The company notified local management of the decision a week ago, Newton said. Employees put much of the store’s stock on clearance by the weekend.

It could take up to 15 weeks for the stock to be liquidated, Newton said.

Only Deals will close 61 stores, including all of its Minnesota locations, said Northbridge Mall manager Pam Folkens.

&uot;I’ll be very sad to see them go, because I think they had a lot of very good products you could get for a good price,&uot; Folkens said.

With the setback, however, Folkens sees an opportunity.

&uot;We’ve never had that big of a space available,&uot; she said. &uot;We’ve got a marketable space now.&uot; The shopping center is at full capacity now, and when Only Deals closes, the mall can seek another large retailer to take its place, she said.

The store employs about 15 people, Newton said.