Burlington, Harbor Freight among new tenants headed to former Modell's spaces

Modell’s Sporting Goods’ 2020 bankruptcy filing and closing of all its stores left some big retail holes to fill.

On Long Island alone, the century-old, family-owned retailer had 14 large stores.  But at least five of those vacant spaces are getting new tenants by the end of 2023, according to retailers and real estate agents.

Burlington, Harbor Freight Tools, Petco, Old Navy and Wren Kitchens have signed leases for some of the former Modell’s spaces on Long Island.

When Modell’s filed for bankruptcy in March 2020, the Manhattan-based chain had 134 stores on the East Coast.

The former Modell’s spaces on Long Island average 15,000 to 20,000 square feet, which is not hard to fill with new tenants, depending on the location, said Robert Delavale, vice president and director of leasing at Breslin Realty Development Corp., a Garden City-based real estate firm that owns part of the Bohemia shopping center where a Harbor Freight Tools will take over a former Modell’s space this year.

“You know, my list was long for suitable replacements.  We just wanted to make sure that we replaced ours with a suitable tenant that was basically a good fit in the … tenant mix,” he said.

Here is what’s ahead for some of the former Modell’s spaces on Long Island:

Bohemia: A Harbor Freight Tools store opening in Sayville Plaza in the fall will become the retailer’s eighth location on Long Island, said Craig Hoffman, spokesman for the Calabasas, California-based chain.

The store will occupy Modell's former 18,900-square-foot space at 5185 Sunrise Hwy.

“This is actually on the larger size for us, but still way smaller than the so-called ‘big-box’ stores in our category, which we feel is a competitive advantage,” Hoffman said.

The store is a good fit for Sayville Plaza, which has undergone significant renovations and added some large new tenants over the past few years, Delavale said.

The shopping center had been plagued by large-space vacancies in recent years, after tenants left due to the demise, bankruptcies or mergers of their parent companies.

Grocer Aldi, home décor retailer At Home and flooring store Floor & Decor have divvied up 110,000 square feet of space that Kmart vacated in 2020.

Floor & Decor opened in September.  At Home opened in April in some of Kmart’s former space, as well as space left vacant by OfficeMax, Borders Books and Sports Authority.  Aldi has not opened yet.

Freeport: Clothing and home furnishings chain Burlington will open a store in Meadowbrook Commons next spring, said Kaitlyn Adams, a spokeswoman for the Burlington, New Jersey-based retailer.

She declined to provide more information.

Kimco Realty Corp., the Jericho-based owner of Meadowbrook Commons, shows on its website that Burlington will occupy 25,901 square feet where Modell’s used to be. 

A sign on the front of the former Modell’s store, at 222 Sunrise Hwy., says a Skechers shoe store will be opening soon.  The shoe store will be two units to the left of Burlington, according to the shopping center directory online.

Kimco declined to comment.

Massapequa: Wren Kitchens will open a store in an 18,100-square-foot space formerly occupied by Modell’s, at 5510 Sunrise Hwy.  Wren signed a 10-year lease, according to Schuckman Realty Inc., which represented the landlord.

The store will open in 2023, said Adam Weinblatt, managing director at Newmark, the Manhattan-based real estate firm that is representing Wren Kitchens in the United States.

Founded in 2009, U.K.-based retailer Wren designs, manufactures and delivers kitchens.

The company did not respond to Newsday’s requests for comment.

After entering the U.S. market in 2020, Wren now has three U.S. stores — two in Connecticut and one in Levittown.

The retailer has signed leases to open at least two more Long Island stores. 

Plainview: Petco will be taking about 13,000 square feet of the 16,000-square-foot space that Modell’s vacated, said Jerry Welkis, president of Welco Realty Inc., a New Rochelle-based real estate firm.

The space is at 391 S. Oyster Bay Rd. in the Plainview Shopping Centre.

Petco Health and Wellness Company Inc. has 1,500 pet care centers in North America, including 18 on Long Island.

Shirley: An Old Navy will take the approximately 15,000-square-foot space that Modell’s occupied in the South Port Shopping Center, said Thomas Rettaliata, vice chairman at Ripco Real Estate LLC, the Jericho-based company representing the landlord.

“The proposed opening date is October 2023,” he said.

The Modell’s was at 1019 Montauk Hwy. 

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.