The signs have come down and there’s no sign of activity from outside the store, but evidently it’s too soon to count out the Fresno-based furniture retailer that leased space last year at the former Sears location at Valley Plaza.
A mall representative said Wednesday that work continues on the 122,016-square-foot space leased by Quality Furniture Direct. She was unable to provide an estimate when the store would open but said, “it’s going to be a while.”
“It’s happening,” said the mall representative, who declined to provide her name.
Meanwhile, the furniture company has begun operating a store at the former Toys R Us space on Ming Avenue that it purchased for what it said in January would be one of two Quality Furniture Direct locations in Bakersfield.
Owner Eddie Abunaim did not respond to repeated requests for comment Wednesday.
Abunaim told The Californian in January he planned to stock the Ming Avenue location with rustic, American-style furniture he described as medium high-end.
He said then that the Valley Plaza location would provide work for about 100 people, or close to three times as many people he planned to employ at the former Toys R Us property. The latter location was to sell rugs and other home furnishings, in addition to furniture from close to 20 different countries. He added that location was scheduled to open in 2022.