MASON CITY – A major news outlet is reporting that 7 Younkers retail stores in Iowa will be closing, and Mason City’s is on the list.
KCCI is reporting that Iowa Workforce development documents show that Younkers has notified the agency of impending closure of 7 stores, with the layoffs taking place June 5.
NIT left a message with Christine Hojnacki,VP Public Relations & Special Events at Bon-Ton, for comment. Repeated calls to Younkers in Mason City went unanswered.
More than one local shopper who frequents Younkers in Mason City told NIT that the store was looking less and less stocked with merchandise.
One Mason City woman said, “You can tell the end is near, the racks are farther apart, the merchandise is thin. It’s not the same as it used to be.”
NIT reported last week that a judge’s ruling crippled Bon-Ton’s attempt to keep stores open. NIT also reported in February that Bon-Ton stores had filed for bankruptcy.
How the store closure affects the hallowed Renaissance Project remains up in the air, but many are fearful that Southbridge Mall owner Michael Kohan won’t be able to collect the rents needed to cover his expenses, possible needed upgrades, maintenance and skyrocketing taxes that will be due if the project goes forward.
One Mason City man said, “Kohan didn’t even shovel his public sidewalks on Washington Avenue around Penney’s after the last snow. The roof needs replacing. He owes tens-of-thousands of dollars in back taxes. It will take years to drive him out if he doesn’t pay.”
I’ll buy the mall for $7.00
The empire has fallen, built on the backs of slaves what else was expected, the unique privately owned shops once graced replaced with an octopus bankrupt money pit, sorcerers mission accomplished the engineering of dumbing down the populace, a populace left with disease, polluted environment, un healthy youngsters with diseases and conditions of people in they’re 70’s, zero practical skills, only a digital disaster waiting for 5G to finish setting the table. TA, “protocols of the learned elders of Zion”. Stay in cupcake land it’s better there.
lets remodel Younkers, in the north half of the store put in a whorehouse and the south half a funeral parlor, we could call it Kum&Go
5G video by Fullerton Informer “Joe Imbriano”, https://youtu.be/XlLOBGz-2TU, here is his web site, https://thefullertoninformer.com/.
Next step on they’re/sorcerers agenda “5G”, AI and robots they are planning robots to replace all workers, look up the “Georgia Guidestones” they put it in stone they want 90% depopulation, Christ told us pray you are worthy to escape what is coming on this earth. These Corporations – root word “corps” think zero of any life that is why they call people the herd/cattle, they plan out 120 years ahead, in the end of days it will be as the days of Noah, they are mixing human DNA with animals that is what was going on in Noahs era, they/sorcerers from Babylon have zero regard for life.
My God, you’re a lunatic!
The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion is fake, racist crap that was discredited LONG ago!
Discredited by whom, not everyone disagrees with the proof of the “Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion” that outline “everything” through the stream of time till this day and age, you said racist how so I never wrote the “Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion”, reading is not a reason to falsely accuse a person of being racist.
I didn’t say YOU were racist, I said the so-called Protocols were.
I say none of us pay our taxes, until the mall owner pays his.
You do realize the city, county, and state get that property tax mo ry from the mall owner whether he pays or not, correct? Tax liabilities are not dismissible at all and the liabilities on a property like this have tremendous market value at tax sales.
Ya right, the last time the mall was sold at a tax sale they picked up 30 million dollars of value for a lousy 8 million. Next time it will be even less. The place is falling apart.
False. Tax liabilities don’t go away. Ever. The city gets its money whether the mall owner pays or not.
I resent your opinion that elected officials work for the rich corporations and are thereby COULD BE CORRUPT ! signed by the DNC and Georgy Boy Soros.
You are one serious dumbass.
Another Rightwingnut loon.
Just another Libraterd IDIOT!
Do what Winnebago ind. Forest City just pulled off – instead of raising wages to compete for employees – GET THIS ! The mega company was able to IMPORT A LARGE GROUP WORKERS FROM THE PHILIPPINES – No kidding – who sponsored this project ? and we know the taxpayers are on the hook for the expenses – housing-insurance -welfare – How crooked our government officials are becoming – well your son or daughter who will graduate in a few months WHO thought they would work at Bago just got displaced – workers at this slimeball plant are really pissed off and the millionaire owners are elated that they were able to screw over the average American citizen for their greed – Thats the only reason they want the mexicans in America – not for humanitary reasons but cheap labor and the demeaning of the middle class to satisfy their greed which there is no end.. Can you say hush hush -crooked elected officials and big kickback dollars $$$$ SLIMEBALLS is a kind word for these people who are swamp rats.
get out the BULLDOZER and bring Federal back. I can remember on Friday and Saturday night I would go with folks. we would drive up federal and find a parking place and park the car. then we would walk up and down federal stopping to talk to people on the way. there was a officer on every corner directing traffic, stop at the spick and spam and get a loin or dads and get some hamburgers. Oh, the good ole days. anyone else remember that
I remember that too, but you are living in the past even if they do what you say for them to do, it will never look like that, because everyone shop on the west side now, all we will have is a bunch of empty lots there nobody would put any shops their.
That’s pretty much all that is there now along with a few alcohol related business.
Yes…the “good ole days”. Federal and all of it’s stores were a very busy drawing card fo M.C. Wasn’t too much you couldn’t find or enjoy there. It was very easy to spend a good part of a day on main street as us old timers called it. Even the youth flocked to Federal in the day for movies and just hanging out with friends. Sad to see it go when they tore it all down and built the white collar criminals ” moneypit”!
I still want to know if the city did give the $250,000 to younkers as was approved yet and if they did is it down the rat hole too now?? another fine waste of our tax dollars
The city didn’t give the $250,000 to Bon-Ton Younkers for that project. As I was told, the project would have had to happen, first, then they would have gotten the money. So, we dodged a bullet (a rare occasion).
Put walmart in the mall then the damn downtown will be flocking full day and night. Get the damn movie theater in the mall again and open a bowling alley up. People need to have something to do besides playing hockey. Pull your heads out of the sand.
Smart people wanted to put Wal-Mart near the downtown years ago, but the old-timers tell me Bill Schickel got with his rich land owning pal MacNider and cooked up Indianhead (Charlie MacNider owned the land), which killed the downtown and drew everyone away. Now Bill is back in charge trying to finish what he started, sinking Mason City once and for all. Seems to be right on target with his latest moves. Put a loser in charge, become a loser… but Mason City never learns.
If I remember right I do not think Walmart wanted to be build their store in downtown, but I could be wrong.
You forgot Jolas. He did more to destroy this town for his profit than almost anyone else.
He doesn’t seem too rich at this point… isn’t he in the Manor? I’ve seen him walking around downtown.
No, Mr Jolas is living in Good Shepherd now.
I would bet they were discouraged by Schickel and the “players” in that day, again, so their landowner buddy could make money off his land. Of course, closer proximity to Clear Lake was probably attractive, too. With the onset of online shopping, my guess is Indianhead demise is not far off.
I am an old timer Matt and your sources are correct!
Seriously, people, just look at your history. Southbridge Mall was much more full back around 2000-2001. Then Schickel and a posssibly-corrupt city council (insurance salesman councilman selling insurance to Indianhead owner?) battled a lawsuit to prevent Indianhead, and won, leading to Walmart and the shopping center being built miles west. This attracted shoppers away from the city’s core, obviously, and contributed to the downtown’s demise. Southbridge went down the toilet and is now a mausoleum with great 80’s music and very slow mall walkers like Bill and his doting wife pacing the halls, slightly hunched over with icky beads of sweat pouring down their foreheads. Now, this unaccomplished man is tasked with “saving” the very mall he helped destroy. Incredible! His first crack at saving downtown, Northbridge, was a colossal failure that we the taxpayers have paid on for years and years. Now the Renaissance and his YES klan of greedy imbeciles is in charge and spewing lies one after the other to get their way. Are you watching, as they bumble through each day? The hits keep coming and nothing is happening. Our leaders don’t have the smarts nor the morals to fix this town. Hold them accountable.
Also why the present mall owner is sticking it to the taxpayers of M.C. by not paying his back and present taxes! He knew…. Slick Willie, his boss Robin, and her lackey John Lee also knew it ahead of time. Watch them piss your tax dollars away NOW! Your white collar (criminals) leaders will now fill their “own” bank accounts as they continue to blow smoke up you a$$es! It’s not hard figure it out……look at your “players” as they labeled themselves!
I feel he should delete any stupid ass comments that has nothing to do the article. Get a life loser.
OK, Mr. Taco, its up to you. Your fine Mexican consumables will now have to keep the Southbridge ghost town a float
Where’s your sources for all this fake news.
Hey vote ‘yes’ , all I can say is hahahahahahahahahahaha. Had that one well thought out didn’t cha.
is the Glob Gazete even open?
The roof needs 100k in repairs-replacing. Thousands of dollars in back taxes still owed. It will take years to evict. Hotel monies swaying in the wind, and no proof from Hockey they have any money. BYE BYE RProject
This signals the death of the MC Renaissance Project due to the eviction statues alone.
What is the life span of a shopping mall, especially one that never should have been built, in the center of town. The money that has been put into the mall could have been used to upgrade all the stores it displaced many times over. When the city talks about wanting to save historic places, that should have been talked about before Federal Ave. was destroyed. The drain in the money pit just keeps on getting bigger, with no relief in sight.
MC is needs a real business oriented council, not non-business owners, acting as posers. A mayor that can truly spell his name without asking his wife how to make a capital “B”., and a city administrators that doesn’t need his diapers changed 4x a day.
THIS TOWN IS IN BIG TROUBLE.
I agree with you we have had anti-business past and present councils. But I also put the blame on two other groups, One group is the people who live in other towns trying tell MC how to run things, and the Council saying their point view is more important then MC citizens. Second group are the MC racist and kooks who do not want them to live here. I am thinking mostly these group killed Prestage just think what might have more people moving into town southbridge mall saved lower taxes ect. These groups along with the councils have blood on their hands for the death of Mason City.
And the drain in the money pit gets bigger, who knew?
Come on people, surely this is of no surprise. Why do you think they (Younkers) didn’t put up a fight or even object in the slightest with the knowledge of hotel being built in their parking lot? They have known for sometime and so did their slumlord. He knew they would not be renewing their lease.
and why the landlord refused to pay taxes.throwing good money after bad.