By Bill O’Boyle, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader
Al Boscov, principal owner of the Boscov Department Store chain, said the previously announced $1 million renovation of the downtown Wilkes-Barre store should begin within 60 days. He said a similar project was recently completed at the Boscov’s store in Binghamton, N.Y.
Last month, Gary Boyer, Boscov’s senior executive vice president/chief stores officer, said brighter lights, new carpeting and flooring, freshly painted walls, some new features, expanded departments and maybe a few new shops will be part of the renovations.
Boyer said $1 million will be more than enough to make a significant change to the appearance of the store that Boscov purchased in 1980. Boyer said a similar amount was spent on Boscov’s Binghamton downtown store and the result was “dramatic.”
One major change/expansion will be in the athletic footwear department. He said the new-look area will feature many more brands to give shoppers a lot of quality choices.
He said they intend to go through all five levels of the store, concentrating at first on the areas that need most attention.
Boscov’s employs 141 full- and part-time people. The building contains approximately 230,000 square feet, which includes sales areas, offices and storage. Boscov’s also has a multi-level parkade.
