UPDATE: Burlington Coat Factory to Replace Tuscaloosa’s Bed Bath & Beyond
A major retailer has permanently closed their 22,500-square-foot big-box store in Tuscaloosa after their parent company declared bankruptcy earlier this year.
Bed Bath & Beyond made global headlines this Spring as they battled to stay afloat and investors earned and lost fortunes playing with its publicly traded stock. Ultimately, though, the brand declared bankruptcy in late April and began to liquidate its inventory and close more than 300 locations.
Still, the Tuscaloosa BB&B location is now officially closed and empty, leaving another vacant storefront at the Shoppes of Legacy Park.
The $55 million shopping center opened in 2015 at the corner of Tuscaloosa's 15th Street and McFarland Boulevard in place of the former Cedar Crest neighborhood, which was devastated by the catastrophic April 27th, 2011 tornado.
Bed Bath & Beyond is the first supersize anchor store to close in the Shoppes, but restaurants and smaller shops including Chuy's, Nothing but Noodles and the Juice Bar closed and have not been replaced there.
In a Facebook comment, Tuscaloosa City Council President Kip Tyner said the store is in his District and he would reach out to possible tenants including Burlington Coat Factory about the Bed Bath & Beyond space.
UPDATE, 7 P.M.: Tyner has officially confirmed that Bur;ington Coat Factory will move into the Bed Bath & Beyond Space - news that was apparently already reported nationally but slipped under local radars.
For updates on the space as they develop and for other exclusive stories from the restaurant and retail beat in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.