Century 21 to close all 13 stores
Bay Ridge pols hope to save ‘landmark’ 86th Street location
BY JESSICA PARKS
Major Manhattan-based
fashion retailer Century 21
will shutter its large department
store on Bay Ridge’s 86th
Street shopping strip as the
60-year-old retailer prepares
to fi le for bankruptcy.
“Since 1961, when Al and
Sonny Gindi opened what was
then a small store in Downtown
Manhattan, we have
been proud to provide shoppers
with unmatched access
to designer brands at amazing
prices,” said Century 21 co-
CEO IG Gindi in a statement.
“While we wish that Century
21 could continue to be a mustsee
shopping destination for so
many, we are proud of the pioneering
role it has played in
off-price retail and the iconic
brand it has become.”
Gindi blamed the chain’s
bankruptcy on their longtime
insurance company — who
refused to pay out nearly $175
million to the company under
their business interruption
policy, he claimed.
COURIER L 4 IFE, SEPT. 18-24, 2020
All 13 Century 21 stores —
including one in Downtown
Brooklyn, and others in New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
and Florida — will close,
and immediately begin hosting
going-out-of-business sales
in-store and online.
In Bay Ridge, the closure
will mean the vacancy of Century
21’s large commercial
space, with frontages on both
86th and 87th streets between
Fourth and Fifth Avenues —
after decades spent forging
close ties with the community
and serving as an anchor to the
fl ourishing business district.
“Century 21 was central to
Bay Ridge’s 86th Street shopping
area. It started as a small
mom and pop shop and the
Gindi family has been part of
the Bay Ridge family,” said Josephine
Beckmann, district
manager of local Community
Board 10. “They will be very
missed and will leave a big
void.”
The 19,800-sq. ft. location
in Bay Ridge is zoned for commercial
use, which includes
offi ce space and retail — but
is also permitted to be used for
residential development, or
for a mixed-use development
that combines the two.
However, new structures in
the lot’s zoning district are required
to comply with the existing
low-rise character of the
neighborhood — and therefore
any building not located on an
avenue, such as the soon-to-beempty
store, cannot rise above
three stories.
Many residents have said
they hope to see another bigbox
retailer replace Century
21, Beckmann said.
“I spoke to many residents
today hoping that large anchor
stores will be attracted
to 86t Street as it is an intermodal
hub,” said Community
Board 10 District Manager
Josephine Beckmann, namedropping
companies like Apple,
Target and Trader Joes.
Meanwhile, a pair of Bay
Ridge pols want to save Century
21’s fl agship location
“We are ready to do everything
in our power to help
the business to keep at least
the original Bay Ridge store
open,” wrote City Councilman
Justin Brannan and State Sen.
Andrew Gounardes in a letter
to the Gindi family, the founders
of the longtime discount
fashion retailer.
The pair sent the letter
pledging their support on
Sept. 15.
In a statement to Brooklyn
Paper, the Gindi family said
they are grateful for the support
— but did not address the
fate of the storied 86th Street
location.
“We are gratifi ed by the
outpouring of support Century
21 has received from the
community,” said Raymond
Gindi, co-CEO of Century 21.
All 13 Century 21 locations are slated to close, but a pair of Bay Ridge
politicians are hoping to save the storied 86th Street fl agship. Google