ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 5, 1996 TAG: 9603050034
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
Grand Piano & Furniture is closing its Blacksburg and Radford locations this summer to consolidate its New River Valley business into one large store in Christiansburg.
The Roanoke-based retailer, which sells furniture, bedding and electronics, is buying a 40,000-square-foot building near the New River Valley Mall that currently is occupied by Heironimus Department Store.
Heironimus, which moved from Blacksburg to Christiansburg in August 1994, will close within 30 days because of the store's poor sales performance, said Tom Hoskins, chief executive officer of The Dunlap Co., the Fort Worth, Texas-based parent company. The company will try to absorb the Heironimus employees into other locations. The nearest Heironimus store is in Roanoke.
Though no formal date has been set, Grand Piano expects to open its new store during the late summer. The 14 employees who now work at the Radford and Blacksburg locations will be moved to the new store, and additional people will be hired because the Christiansburg location is larger and will have evening hours.
George Cartledge Jr., Grand Piano president, said the company has talked about closing the two downtown stores and moving to U.S. 460 for years. Typically, Grand Piano owns the buildings its stores are in, but the company always has leased its sites in Blacksburg and Radford.
Ten years ago, the company built a warehouse along U.S. 460 across from the Corning plant with future plans to build a store on the remaining property. After designs for Alternative 3A revealed significant road changes in that area, Cartledge said Grand Piano started looking for another location along U.S. 460.
The main reason for the move is floor space.
The Blacksburg and Radford locations are relatively small, two-story buildings that do not allow the company to show off its full line of wares, Cartledge said. "That's why we need more space."
Grand Piano opened its first store outside Roanoke in downtown Radford in 1951 in a building leased from local resident Jimmy Martin. The Blacksburg store opened in 1983 after the company leased its current location from Roses Department Store Inc., the former tenant. E.M. Rose, a holding company for the department store, has owned the building since the chain filed for bankruptcy.
A few of the 21 Grand Piano stores, which are scattered throughout Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Maryland, still are situated in downtowns and have remained successful, including locations in Lynchburg and Roanoke, said Steve Davis, vice president of advertising. But smaller downtown stores, such as those in Staunton and Hagerstown, Md., also likely will be closed, he said.
"You can make a downtown store work if you determine who shops there and what they want to buy and make sure they have it in a larger market like Lynchburg and Roanoke," he said.
The Radford and Blacksburg stores, however, have proved too small for that strategy.
"We don't think we could go to Radford and Blacksburg and remerchandise to make up for the handicaps," Davis added. "We thought it was better for the New River Valley as a whole to offer one location that was so much bigger with more selection."
Grand Piano's departures from Blacksburg and Radford, however, are blows to both downtowns. Though downtown Blacksburg merchants were not surprised by the announcement - rumors of the move had been circulating for years - many were worried about the possibility of a 25,000-square-foot vacancy in the middle of downtown Main Street.
"Shopping in a downtown area is an entertainment thing and I don't know if Grand will hurt us with their pulling out," said Mary Reilly, owner of Mainstreet Bazaar. "But it definitely will be an eyesore, which will make the downtown not as attractive."
Jim Dymock, owner of Davidsons on Main Street, said he envisions the building as a minimall subdivided into a number of specialty shops. General merchandisers such as Target or Ben Franklin stores also would be welcome, added Dymock, also vice president of the Downtown Merchants Association.
Representatives from E.M. Rose could not be reached for comment.
In Radford, Grand Piano's lease is up later this year. Realtor Tom Turner, of Hall Associates in Roanoke, said he and the property owner will discuss listing the property again for lease or sale.
"We're very optimistic that we'll find a tenant or purchaser," Turner said. "The building has a loading dock and an excellent location, which makes it ideal for retail or office users."
Radford merchants, like their peers in Blacksburg, said Grand Piano's move is a loss to downtown but certainly does not spell its downfall. Lewis Jeffries, executive director of Main Street Radford, said his organization has helped bring in 30 new businesses and added 170 employees to downtown since 1989.
"Overall, we're doing very well, but there's a lot more to be done," he said. "It's like farmer's work, it's never done. If a large store such as Grand Piano should move, we'd look to replace it as soon as possible, but it will be much harder because of the building's size. I hate to see it go."
Staff writers Kristen Kammerer and Megan Schnabel contributed to this story.
LENGTH: Medium: 95 linesby CNB