A steady flow of customers visited the new Dress Barn on Friday during the clothing shop's grand opening, said store manager Bonnie Jacovetty.
Located in the Power Center section of the Ohio County-owned development, which is situated near Dallas Pike and home to Cabela's, Dress Barn is one of the latest retailers to open at the site.
Ohio County Administrator Greg Stewart said Friday there are plans to expand the Power Center with a new section of stores. Currently, there are two separate buildings containing shops; a future third building would create an L-shaped Power Center. Combining space at the J.C. Penney department store, Target and a future third building, the Power Center's area would total 460,000 square feet.
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Dress Barn District Training Manager Melissa Heckman, left, and Jen Parker, assistant manager, finish dressing a mannequin during the shop’s grand opening Friday at The Highlands.
Dress Barn carries dressy and casual clothing in sizes 4-24.
''We're excited to be here at The Highlands,'' said Jacovetty, a Rayland resident who grew up in Wheeling. ''There is always some kind of sale going on'' at Dress Barn.
Jacovetty said the store didn't advertise its opening, but noted there still was a ''nice flow of customers'' Friday.
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Dress Barn operating hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Stewart said the county is considering doing some regional advertising of its own to promote The Highlands.
''We're discussing a marketing effort for the development as a whole,'' he said.
Currently, there is no regular marketing budget for such an endeavor, he said, though some promotion has been done via a Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce publication.
Meanwhile, new construction at the site includes work on the Town Center, which will consist of more retail shops; a Best Buy store, which is scheduled to open Oct. 24; and a county-owned, $2.5 million 30,000-square-foot building that will contain an AT&T wireless shop, a Fusion Japanese-style restaurant and a Don Tequila's Mexican-style eatery. Stewart noted Cast and Baker is conducting the site work for the three-tenant structure, and a company named MI Friday of Pittsburgh is the masonry contractor. Other related work, such as the electrical, still must be bid out, he believes.
A new 14-screen Marquee Cinemas, located near the Kohl's department store, also now is open.
Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton noted he already has heard positive comments about the new Dress Barn. He said the store should fit in nicely with other women's retailers slated to open inside the Town Center.
To celebrate the Dress Barn grand opening, shoppers can enter to win a $250 shopping spree at the store.
The drawing is set for Sept. 28. The first Dress Barn was opened in 1962 by Roslyn Jaffe in Stamford, Conn., according to the company Web site.