Looks like this time, Jax means it
Carting her 3-month-old baby through the aisles of Jax Liquidation Outlet in Roslindale Village on Monday, Olga McLellan placed two boxes of ornaments underneath the child's stroller.
"We're Russian Orthodox. Christmas is on Jan. 7," the 34-year-old Roslindale resident said while standing below a wall of curtains on sale for $14.99.
McLellan was able to snag all 12 ornaments for a combined $1.50, not just because she was shopping 11 days after Dec. 25, but also because the discount store, long adorned with "Store Closing" signs, is shutting its doors for real next weekend to make way for Family Dollar.
"I feel like we've seen these signs ever since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago," McLellan said of the posters - with phrases like "liquidating to the bare walls" - that have filled Jax's windows for more than a year.
Even though a large sign counted down the days until Jax's demise, many Roslindale residents remain unconvinced that the store, which has occupied 22 Corinth St. for 20 years, is actually leaving.
"I'll really believe it when I see if they are closing," said Chris Roth, who manages the Thrift Store across the street, after being informed that the national discount chain is poised to open a store in the space by midyear.
But while many residents have lamented the long-standing liquidation ad as a tacky marketing ploy, property manager Myer Dana said the landlord made arrangements with Jax to keep the store open until negotiations with Family Dollar were finalized. He said Family Dollar signed a lease in November and plans to renovate the entire building.
Declining to reveal the out-of-state owners behind 22-24 Corinth St. LLC, Dana said the deal took longer than expected because of the slow economy and the nature of dealing with a large corporation.
"The tenant has been there a long time and they have feelings for the neighborhood," said Dana, who works for the Newton-based Myer Dana & Sons real estate company. "This is not an unfriendly situation. They weren't thrown out. They wanted to vacate, and the owner was working to make a smooth transition.
"The liquidation kept getting pushed off because the deal with Family Dollar didn't get contracted. I don't think it was intentional subterfuge; it happened as a coincidence because the deal with the Family Dollar took so long."
But the extended liquidation sale might have violated Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 93, Section 28A, which prohibits such sales from lasting longer than 60 days. The law requires merchants to file a "complete and detailed inventory" of the sale with the city and prohibits advertising a "removal or termination sale without prominently stating the final date of said sale."
The store's owner could not be reached for comment.
Two weeks ago, the president of Roslindale Village Main Streets, Carter Wilkie, was thrilled to see the sign counting down the days to Jax's final sale.
"A lot of merchants and residents constantly asked us over the years, 'What are you guys doing to make the Jax site look better?' " Wilkie said. "The good news for the neighborhood is we won't have to worry about any more liquidation sales. . . . This time it's for real."
At the same time, the business organization is sad to see the Center for Asian and Martial Arts (24 Corinth St.) forced out as well, so Family Dollar can occupy all 10,000 square feet of both units. The center has already moved to 75 Spring St. in West Roxbury.
And while some hoped a more upscale retailer would replace Jax, Wilkie noted that Roslindale is an economically mixed neighborhood that caters to folks in the market for gourmet cheese as well as bargain shoppers.
Lisa Modecker, president of the Roslindale Board of Trade, will remain nostalgic for Jax, and worries that Family Dollar, with stores in Hyde Park and West Roxbury, might saturate the area.
"We're starting to lose our uniqueness and hopefully that won't happen," she said. "I really am going to miss Jax. In my heart of hearts I wish they didn't have to leave."
After all, this is the final week to save 50 percent on everything from Barack Obama sweatshirts to Bill Blass jeans before a storefront sign reading "Jax Roslindale is closing forever, store fixtures for sale" is also gone forever. 