Big Lots stores in Dunmore and Eynon should reopen by early June.
Variety Wholesalers Inc., which acquired 219 Big Lots stores out of bankruptcy, announced in a news release Friday that it will begin reopening Big Lots stores next week, with all locations opening by early June followed by a grand opening celebration across all stores in the fall. Big Lots Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September and subsequently shuttered its stores throughout the country, including closing in March its local stores at 866 Scranton Carbondale Highway in Archbald’s Eynon section and at 1010 O’Neill Highway, Dunmore. The Eynon and Dunmore locations were among the 200-plus acquired by Henderson, North Carolina-based Variety Wholesalers, whose other retail brands include Roses Discount Stores, Roses Express and Maxway.
The retailer will begin by opening nine stores on April 10 across Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, according to the news release. The firm will reopen its remaining locations in subsequent waves, with about 55 stores opening on May 1 and all remaining stores opening through early June, according to Variety Wholesalers.
The stores will be remodeled with “a large selection of closeout deals and new merchandise categories, including apparel for the family and electronics,” according to the press release.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Big Lots! brand back to life by offering more deals than ever, lots of famous brands and a new apparel department for the entire family,” Variety Wholesalers president and CEO Lisa Seigies said in a statement Friday. “We’re opening stores quickly so we can serve the community. We know the stores won’t be perfect to start, but each week we’ll add more new products as we build towards the grand opening celebration in the fall.”
Although it’s not yet clear whether the Eynon and Dunmore stores will open in May or June, work is already underway to reopen them. The Dunmore store has a “Come back soon!” sign in front of it, and the Eynon location has a similar “The comeback starts soon!” banner strung across its entrance next to a “now hiring” banner. Both stores have also recently advertised job openings online for store associates, assistant managers and managers.
Dunmore council President Janet Brier noticed the reopening sign outside her borough’s Big Lots on Monday. It’s a very positive thing for the town, she said, adding that she spotted employees working inside the store when she stopped by it.
“It’s a tax-paying entity. It’s a convenience entity. It’s been there for a long time,” she said. “I’m thrilled that it’s reopening.”
Archbald borough Manager Dan Markey similarly noticed work going on inside his town’s Big Lots. The Eynon store closed March 15, and the Dunmore store closed March 16, he said, explaining he shopped at the Eynon store on its last day, and workers told him the Dunmore store was closing the following day.
That stretch of highway in Eynon has lost multiple businesses in recent years, including P&R Discounts, Burlington after it relocated to Dickson City, Kost Tire & Auto relocating less than a mile south, the Sugarman’s Plaza flea market and, most recently Burger King.
It’s promising to have another storefront reopen along the highway, Markey said.
“That’s really what we’re looking for — to rejuvenate the area there in the Scranton Carbondale Highway corridor in Eynon,” he said. “The Big Lots being saved by Variety Wholesalers Inc. is going to trend us in the right direction.”
Every job they can bring to Archbald benefits the town, Markey said.
“It benefits the people that live in the town. It benefits the people that work in the town,” he said. “It benefits the people that do their shopping in the town.”
