The Children's Place To Close Bay Terrace Storefront

BAYSIDE, QUEENS -- The end of yet another national chain's era in the Bay Terrace Shopping Center can be seen in neon blue and yellow clearance posters that cover The Children's Place storefront.

The Children's Place, a New Jersey-based children's specialty retailer, is slated to close its doors at 23-58 Bell Blvd. for good when its lease expires at the end of September, according to Cord Meyer, which owns the Bayside mall.

Mary Hughes, vice president of leasing for the Forest Hills-based developer, confirmed the closure to Patch, but said it was unclear what prompted the national children's retailer to shutter its Bay Terrace storefront.

"Their lease was coming up for expiration and they just decided not to renew," Mary Hughes, vice president of leasing for the Forest Hills-based developer, told Patch.

"I don't really know why, because I think they are a very good store."

A spokesperson for The Children's Place did not return Patch's requests for comment.

The company struggled with a drop in net and comparable retail sales in the first quarter of 2018, according to its corporate earnings report. Net sales fell by 1.8 percent in that time, which was a notable drop from the retailer's 6.1 percent increase in the first quarter of 2017. Still, the retailer previously blamed the hangup on bad weather from the beginning of the year.

"Our ability to sell seasonal product in the first quarter was severely hampered by the combination of a record number of winter storms and the unseasonably cold temperatures that persisted across our major markets," The Children's Place president and CEO Jane Elfers previously said in a statement.

Despite having closed 181 stores since 2013 - including 12 in the first quarter of this year - The Children's Place, as of May, was still operating just over 1,000 stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Whatever the reason, Hughes said she'll be sad to see the children's store go.

"As a landlord, it's always sad when retailers leave your center, but we're excited also about the new tenant coming in," she said.

Time Warner Cable recently signed a lease with Cord Meyer to take over the 4,54-square-foot-space, which the cable and internet provider will turn into a Spectrum storefront, Hughes said.

"They're eager to move in and began the buildout to hopefully open in time for the holidays," she said.

Bay Terrace Community Alliance President Matthew Silverstein is excited for the change. The Children's Place may have been a staple for "at least a decade" in the mall Silverstein grew up neighboring, but a Spectrum store is sorely needed in the neighborhood, he told Patch.

"For a long time, if you lived in Northeast Queens and wanted to get a cable box, it wasn't easily accessible," he said. "I think this is a welcome addition to the shopping center."

He also believes Spectrum will act as more of an "anchor tenant" for Bay Terrace by drawing customers to the mall's other shops while they wait to have their internet and cable services fixed.

"I've lived in Bay Terrace since I was 5 years old, and Cord Meyer has always been a very good neighbor," he said.

"The property has more than doubled - almost tripled - since then, and I think in large part that does have something to do with the Bay Terrace Shopping Center."

Lead photo courtesy of Matthew Silverstein/Bay Terrace Community Alliance