Port Chester shopping center sees new Burlington store as CT draw

peter kenzekyOct 11, 2023

A large new clothing store is set to open about a mile from the New York border with Greenwich.

Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is planning to open at the Gateway Shopping Center on the Post Road in Port Chester.

According to a company spokeswoman, Annie Holmes, “We are thrilled to open a new store in the Port Chester community, offering residents everyday low prices on a wide assortment of brand name merchandise for the entire family and home.”

She said the store was set to open Nov. 10. The company is planning to hire about 65 sales associates at the location.

Tuesday, workers could be seen carrying out renovations to the store, which was formerly a buybuy Baby outlet. That chain went into bankruptcy this summer as a result of the financial failure of its parent company, Bed Bath & Beyond. The baby-supply chain, with 120 buybuy Baby outlets, were all closed.

The opening of the new store is being greeted with enthusiasm in Port Chester, which has been undergoing a major construction boom.

“Burlington Coat Factory opening in the Gateway Shopping Center is a win for Port Chester,” said Village Manager Stuart Rabin in an email. “Opening new and vibrant stores attract would-be buyers from Connecticut and Westchester with convenience and options. The Gateway Shopping Center remains an important piece of the Boston Post Road corridor, which helps to not only stimulate the local economy and commerce for their immediate retail neighbors, but also generates interest in shopping at our smaller specialized retailers and diverse restaurants in our downtown business district.

“As development within the Village of Port Chester seeks to increase housing availability and rise to the challenge set forth by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, stores like Burlington Coat Factory stand to serve our current and future residents,” Rabin wrote.

Large new construction projects are underway all over the village next door to Greenwich.

Across the street from the future site of Burlington, 775 rental apartments and a hotel are planned at the site of the former United Hospital campus. Demolition work there is ongoing.

A new six-story structure, called Tarry Lighthouse, is being built on North Main Street, just a short distance from the Greenwich town line.

Burlington Coat Factory was founded in 1972; it now has more than 650 outlets, including one in Stamford.

The shopping center at 495 Boston Post Road in the north end of the village has seen a number of openings and closings in recent months. A Target store opened there in the spring of 2022, replacing the former A.I. Friedman art-supply business.

A J. Crew Factory store recently opened there. The retail complex also houses a Whole Foods market, Staples, Kohl’s, Old Navy and Club Pilates. A Shake Shack burger restaurant is also slated to open there.

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