New stores coming to Merced signal a retail comeback

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Business is booming successful Merced.

Construction is astir finished for 3 retailers, expected to unfastened earlier the extremity of the year.

"It's really a joyousness to spot these projects determination forward," said Merced Deputy City Manager Frank Quintero.

City leaders said it's breathing caller beingness into this decades-old space.

"Because if you tin remember, Sears declared bankruptcy and unopen down, that was astir 2017. So, we waited 8 years for this to happen," said Quintero.

Video shows what the abandoned batch looked similar successful 2021. It was a hard show for immoderate to see, with the abstraction holding a beingness worthy of memories.

"From similar Christmas shopping, buying for apparel for school- there's a batch of memories," said Merced nonmigratory Eren Tapetillo.

Inside, the Marketplace astatine Merced is inactive unfastened for shoppers with operation ongoing.

What whitethorn beryllium an eyesore for immoderate is simply a perchance thriving aboriginal for others.

"I cognize they're gathering a Boot Barn implicit determination connected that broadside and implicit present they're gathering a caller Petco and a Burlington. And I applied to immoderate of the stores present to enactment origin it's adjacent to my school," said Merced College student, Julissa Ortiz.

But the operation connected Olive Avenue and R Street isn't the lone caller development.

Less than 3 miles away, a caller multi-purpose installation tailored to UC Merced students is adjacent to opening its doors.

The Hub Merced volition not lone supply lodging and outdoor amenities for students, but it volition besides beryllium location to a drawstring of eateries similar boba beverage and a New York benignant deli.

It's an breathtaking triumph for the increasing city.

"There's gathering and there's revitalization of a batch of the area. I cognize downtown is getting better, too. I conscionable deliberation the assemblage successful itself is truly gonna payment from each the things that are coming here," said Marketplace astatine Merced manager Max Whitley.

City officials accidental the Burlington Coat Factory is expected to unfastened connected October 10. All the different businesses should travel suit, conscionable successful clip for the Christmas buying season.

One past happening to expect, a Raising Cane's is expected to interruption crushed not acold from wherever we're lasting successful the coming months.

For quality updates, travel Vince Ybarra connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.