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By Rosemary Pollock
Ogden Deseret Book Store Moving to New Location
OGDEN, UTAH -- Deseret Book, with 38 stores in over 11 states, will relocate
its Ogden home to a new Riverdale Road location after 20 years in the same
place. The Ogden City Mall store will close by November 30. Less than three
years ago downtown Ogden was doing a brisk business, but with the exodus of
three anchor tenants Nordstrom, Meier &Frank, JC Penny and dozens of other
small stores, business has dried up.
"We've informed the mall ownership that we view our lease as terminated,"
said Roger Toone, vice president of Deseret Book Co. "We've had some
discussions already with the city about possibly returning to downtown Ogden
if a new concept for the mall block can be finalized," Toone added. "We
would very much like to be associated with the Treehouse Museum and perhaps
in that same downtown location." No deal has been finalized by Ogden City
officials who have been negotiating to purchase the mall with the intent to
redevelop the site. "Our opinion is that there really is not a mall left,"
Toone said.
Some blame mall owners, Haywood and Angela Whichard of Raleigh, N.C., for
starving the facility when they purchased it in 1999 and became "absentee
landlords." Others blame the massive, dark parking garage attached to the
mall that is owned by Ogden City. Claiming that city officials haven't shown
competence in other projects one sales person said, "The city can't do it."
"More than likely, there will probably be one, big blowout sale coming up,"
said the manager of Payless. "There's hardly anything left. It's kind of
sad," said another sales representative. All that is left to do is to take
bets on who will be the last to leave the mall. With only five customers,
the most in the mall, GNC and Lenscrafters are a sure bet.
Sources:
Book Store Leaves Ogden, Utah, Mall
Ogden Standard-Examiner 20Oct01 B4
By David Troester: Standard-Examiner
Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah, David Troester Column
Ogden Standard-Examiner 11Oct01 B4
By David Troester: Standard-Examiner
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