LIVE | Mayor Adams speaks at ribbon cutting ceremony for Century 21 reopening
Even if you've become accustomed to online shopping in 2023, in-person shoppers can browse through Century 21 Tuesday afternoon. Derick Waller has more.
LOWER MANHATTAN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Even if you've become accustomed to online shopping in 2023, in-person shoppers can browse through Century 21 Tuesday afternoon.
The flagship store in Lower Manhattan is reopening its doors at noon. The lights will be on and shelves will be stocked at 22 Cortlandt Street.
The store is known for its jammed-packed racks and great sales for committed deal hunters. Century 21 opened up back in the 1960s and eventually expanded to 13 stores.
The flagship store will now have four floors instead of its original six.
During the pandemic, each of those stores shut down. After bankruptcy, the family who used to own the chain bought back the name and announced the flagship would reopen.
The pandemic wiped out some iconic names like Barneys and Lord and Taylor.
The city comptroller's office estimates more than 5,200 city businesses shut down because of the pandemic. With the surge of Amazon and other online storefronts, the reopening of Century 21 is a rarity for department stores.
"Thank you for believing in New York City. Thank you for being 'New York strong' and coming back no matter what. You know there's gonna be a lot of New Yorkers who can't wait to walk through the door of Century 21 again," former Mayor Bill De Blasio said in 2021.
Retail still has not fully recovered from the pandemic, with soaring rent prices citywide. Thankfully for the family who runs Century 21, they also own the building where the flagship is located.
The store's bankruptcy did away with 3000 jobs, including 2400 union jobs. That union is demanding former employees get their union-protected jobs back.
Mayor Adams is expected to cut a ceremonial ribbon at 9 a.m. before the store's opening at 12 p.m.
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Source: WABC-TV
