While facade changes to allow L.L. Bean to move into the former Bed, Bath & Beyond store in the Ulster Crossing plaza in the Town of Ulster were recently approved, it’s unclear whether the clothing and outdoor recreation store will open before the end of the year.
“From what I have been told, they would like to be open before the holidays to catch the holiday season,” said Ulster Supervisor James E. Quigley, III in an interview on Monday, August 28. “That being said, my building department has still not received store build-out plans. So there is a process there that’s going to take place, and I think they’re going to be pressed for time to meet their opening schedule that they talked about.”
On Monday, August 7, the town planning board approved the facade changes, a move that does not require further approval from the town board, signaling a return to outdoor retail in an area that used to have an abundance of shopping options. While Dick’s Sporting Goods remains open in the Hudson Valley Mall, the county’s primary retail corridor also used to boast other stores with similar products, like Modell’s in King’s Mall, Sports Authority in Ulster Crossing, and Anaconda Kaye Sports in a building currently occupied by Beer World at 1221 Ulster Avenue.
Bed, Bath & Beyond announced the closure of its Town of Ulster location late last year ahead of the chain filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April of this year; the last of its over 350 stores nationwide closed on July 30 of this year. The name Bed, Bath & Beyond is still used by the company’s former Mexican division, which operates independently; and has also been adopted by Overstock.com, which purchased the company’s trademarks at bankruptcy auction.
Quigley said he believed L.L. Bean was the right retailer for the right plaza in the right region.
“I think it’s an upgrade in the tenant image substituting L.L. Bean for Bed, Bath & Beyond,” Quigley said. “I think that is an improvement. I think it further cements that shopping center as a destination shopping center, and now with a true destination tenant people are going to have a reason to shop there.”
L.L. Bean is coming to the Town of Ulster at the behest of Benderson Development, LLC, a University Park, Florida-based company with New York offices in Rochester and Buffalo, where the company was founded in the mid-20th century. Benderson’s portfolio includes properties in 40 states, primarily shopping centers, but also hotels, medical centers, and warehouses.
Quigley said he believed Benderson’s L.L. Bean development will be a success in the Town of Ulster, particularly as much of the retail company’s outdoorsy demographic was bolstered by urban denizens moving to the Hudson Valley during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thus far, the only items in the town’s L.L. Bean file are related to exterior signage and lighting related to the facade change, as well as an application for the site plan and a short environmental action form for the former Bed, Bath & Beyond. Once open, L.L. Bean will be found at the northern edge of the plaza, right next to Burlington Coat Factory.
“I’m just waiting for confirmation for my building department that they’ve received their building plans,” said Quigley.
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