Famous Labels will occupy the former Conlin's Furniture space at Gateway Fashion Mall.
After months of bad news for Gateway Fashion Mall, the 30 year-old shopping center is finally in the news for something positive. Gateway Fashion Mall has announced that they have signed a new lease with regional discount chain, Famous Labels, to occupy the former Conlin’s Furniture anchor space, which was vacated last December. The store is expected to open late spring.
Famous Labels is a deep discount department store that features name-brand apparel, houseware, and gift merchandise at clearance prices – similar to a TJMaxx store. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Famous Labels is a rapidly expanding company that currently boasts over 40 locations.
I haven’t been able to find out a whole lot more about Famous Labels, but it appears to be a relatively new company, having only been around since about 2001.
The center anchor space, of which will soon be home to Famous Labels, has housed several tenants over the years, most notably A.W. Lucas (1979-1980?), Herbergers (1980?-1994), Jacobs Trading/World’s Greatest Deals (1995-1997), and Conlin’s Furniture (2004-2009).
2009 had been one of the roughest years in Gateway Fashion Mall’s history, having seen the departure of three major retailers, amongst others, in addition to a still-pending fraud lawsuit filed against its owner, Raymond Arjmand. This new announcement hopefully indicates a more promising future for the shopping center, which recently completed major renovation.
I sure hope I’m wrong on this, but I’m somewhat concerned that Famous Labels’ tenure may be short lived. This practically brand-new, and relatively unknown, company has already expanded to an impressive 40+ locations within less than a decade, with plans to add more throughout the year, during a time when most retailers are cutting back. Add to that, the company doesn’t even have a website, which in this day in age is often considered a necessity for a vibrant company.
