J. Crew Group, with J. Crew and Madewell clothing stores in St. Johns Town Center, intends to open a J. Crew Factory store in The Markets at Town Center.
The city is reviewing a permit application for J. Crew Factory to renovate a 7,188-square-foot space at 4866 Big Island Drive, No. 9, at an estimated cost of $549,939.
The location is a former Versona women’s clothing store and was used for several months, starting in July 2021, as NYC Sample Sale. That was an outlet for BCI Brands, which comprises women’s clothing lines that include Vince Camuto and Chaus.
Big V Property Group of Charlotte, North Carolina, is the landlord. The Markets at Town Center is next to St. Johns Town Center.
New York City-based J. Crew Group is an apparel and accessories retailer for men, women and children.
Factory.JCrew.com says it sells clothing at 40% to 70% off everything with additional deals.
Simon.com, the website for Simon, an owner of St. Johns Town Center, says J. Crew began in 1983 as a collection of sportswear, shoes and accessories featured in lifestyle images on the pages of J.CREW Outfitters.
“The company revolutionized casual dress by designing the first stonewashed chinos, the rollneck sweater, and the solid, cotton pocket tee,” it says.
The site says that expanding on the catalog, J. Crew’s first retail venture premiered in New York’s South Street Seaport in 1989.
It has opened more than 150 retail stores and more than 40 factory stores.
J. Crew filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in May 2020 and emerged from it four months later in September.
US.FashionNetwork.com reported Sept. 11, 2020, that the court-approved restructuring meant that New York City-based Anchorage Capital Group LLC took a majority stake in J. Crew Group. J. Crew also was also capitalized with a loan by Anchorage, along with GSO Capital Partners LP, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP and other structures.
The site said the company’s strategy would be focused on three pillars: offering a focused selection of products, augmenting the brand experience to improve the retailer’s relationship with customers, and “prioritizing frictionless shopping.”
It said the group’s Madewell brand “will seek to maintain its strong positioning in the denim segment and create a differentiated shopping experience, all while expanding its product offering in order to appeal to new customers.”
The CEO said J. Crew and Madewell’s “ability to pair timeless classics with modern, fresh designs will never go out of style, and we intend to continue the legacies of these two iconic American brands with deeply loyal customers and strong, creative leadership teams.”
The fashion website said J. Crew’s bankruptcy was one of several Chapter 11 filings from big-name retailers “pushed to the brink by Covid-19-related store closures, which had a particularly negative impact on companies already struggling with slowing sales or overwhelming debt.”
Businessinsider.com reported Oct. 1, 2022, that in its heyday in the 2000s, J. Crew gained a reputation for “successfully toeing the line between preppy and cool and garnering the admiration of everyone from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow to former First Lady Michelle Obama.”
