By Ryan Yuenger
ryany@wsjm.com
For the first time in recent memory, the local mall is growing.
Open Box Outlet, a southern Ohio-based franchise of outlet stores, has officially moved into the Orchards Mall in Benton Harbor. The store is located inside the former JoAnn Fabric space, and features a wide variety of name-brand furniture, home goods and other items at heavily discounted prices.
According to store manager Rob Peterson, the store specializes in liquidation and overstock furniture bought from online manufacturers, and new products come in daily. The store then fully assembles the products in-house and displays in the showroom.
“It’s either open box, scratch and dent or just things they didn’t sell,” Peterson said. “Our prices reflect that. It’s very nice name-brand stuff, but it’s affordable. … Our trucks are like Christmas morning – we never know what we’re going to get out of them.”
Peterson said he expects the store to compete against other local stores with higher mark-ups.
“We sell the same quality furniture they do for a fraction of the price,” he said. “I went into one of the other big stores here and they had the same top-grain leather couch we have, but it was $3,000. Here, it’s $600. The savings alone is worth it. People could live a bougie lifestyle without spending a lot of money to get there.”
Store owner Taylor Tribble started Open Box Outlet with his wife six years ago out of their garage, and has expanded into six locations. According to Peterson, Tribble hopes the store can be a stepping stone for the turnaround of the mall, which has a reputation of being ‘dead.’
“The new owner of the mall is actually spending a lot of money, doing a lot of work here,” Peterson said. “He’s trying to revitalize the mall. He’s trying to get it back up and running and back in its prime again. We’re going to kick it off, and start bringing attention back to the area. Hopefully, other businesses will start following suit and opening up as well.”
Peterson said locals have already expressed excitement of the new store, which is set to host a grand opening on Friday, Nov. 18. Currently, hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
“It’s really cool to me to see new life in the previously dead mall,” Peterson said. “I was sticker shocked when I [saw] the prices, but in a good way.”
