Carson City Mervyns slated for closure

Carson City's Mervyns store is one of four stores the company plans to close in Northern Nevada in the coming months, the company announced Wednesday.

The Hayward, Calif.-based department store chain, which operates about 175 stores primarily in California, cited "under-performance" for closing stores in Reno, Sparks, Carson City and Las Vegas.

The chain, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month, has seen its sales drop as California is among the hardest hit by the real estate slump.

The store in Carson City, at 3871 S. Carson St., employs between 90 to 120 people. The store sits on about five acres of land.

Roy Berces, a spokesman for the company, said employees would be relocated, "if the opportunity is there to transfer them. We'll see what we can provide."

Berces said the store in Carson City, along with 25 other stores, would likely be closed by late October or early November, with liquidation sales at the affected stores beginning around Labor Day.

On Wednesday, the Carson City Mervyns store was advertising a sidewalk sale in front of the store, with clothes racks offering 2-for-1 deals as well as clearance sales.

The store positioned workers at the corner of Koontz and Carson Street with signs advertising specials and clearance items.

Shoppers browsed the racks Wednesday as Mervyns employees watched.

Sylvia Antonucci of Carson City was one of about a dozen shoppers browsing the racks outside the store during mid-afternoon.

"I mostly shop here for my family," she said. "It's a bummer they're going out of business."

Antonucci said she shops at the store primarily for Mervyns' value and quality of product.

Asked where she would shop for similar clothing in the future, Antonucci said she was anticipating the opening of Burlington Coat Factory down the street later this month.

The Mervyns closure leaves Carson with at least two large vacant retail properties, including a Kmart on College Parkway that's been vacant for a while. The Burlington Coat Factory store is moving into space formerly occupied by a Wal-Mart.

In a prepared statement, Mervyns Chief Executive Officer John Goodman said the company will focus attention on remaining stores that meet performance objectives in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.