Shopko purchase to expand Ashley outlet

     With the purchase of the former Shopko building in Arcadia, Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. will expand by three-fold its retail outlet store and use it to measure the marketability of outlet products nationwide.

     The company says the new outlet store on Blaschko Avenue will open Oct. 2. It will be open weekly on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It will feature discontinued, model and sample products as well as entry-level items at 30 percent to 70 percent off retail price, according to a company release.

     “We’re excited to welcome customers into a newly designed retail experience geared toward exceptional values,” said Todd Wanek, president and CEO of Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. “This store model will allow us to gauge the need and logistics for future Ashley Furniture Outlet locations across the country.”

     The former outlet store — previously known as Ashley Odds and Ends — on Dettloff Drive will house an expansion of Ashley’s existing HomeStore. The former Shopko Hometown building has been empty since early 2019 when the parent company filed for bankruptcy. It has since reorganized as primarily a provider of optical services. The closing of the Shopko store in Arcadia also closed the city’s pharmacy.

     Shoppers at the new outlet store will generally be called on to take items with them. Otherwise, they will be available for pick up at Ashley’s distribution center, according to the company’s press release.

     Items will include seasonal, bedroom, mattresses, dining room, living room, youth, accents and accessories.