Two minutes reading time
TOMS RIVER – Bob’s Discount Furniture, a store that promises low prices and features a cafe serving coffee and ice cream, is preparing to open its first store in Ocean County.
The store at 1288 Hooper Ave. will have its “introspective opening” on Monday, followed by a grand opening celebration on Aug. 30. “We’re very excited about this,” said Garret Panitch, regional director of Bob’s Discount Furniture. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bob’s Discount Furniture has remodeled a 20,000-square-foot retail building at the corner of Hooper and Oak Avenue that formerly housed Gelco Furniture.
The company has had its eye on the Toms River area for some time, Panitch said.
What’s going on there? New supermarket and shops fill gaps in the revitalized Bellcrest Plaza in Toms River
“We found a perfect location in a very vibrant retail area, with lots of restaurants and lots of action. It’s right across from the Ocean County Mall,” he said. “We took over a building from a local furniture store and basically revitalized it.”
The new store in Toms River is the 13th in New Jersey, including a store in Freehold Township, its Monmouth County store.
Bob’s Discount Furniture touts its “everyday low price,” with prices being the same whether someone shops online or in-store. The stores don’t hold sales, don’t negotiate prices and don’t have different prices at different locations. “That’s our everyday low price,” Panitch said. “Everyone knows they’re getting the same price.”
Each store also has a cafe that offers free coffee, ice cream, cookies and candy. Bob Kaufman, the retail chain’s founder, “wanted a place where people could de-stress,” Panitch said.
Save on supermarket bills: Additional private labels bring momentum to the inflation-stricken shopping market
Bob’s Discount Furniture has grown rapidly, said retail analyst Neil Saunders, managing director of retail at Global Data.
The Toms River store is one of seven grand openings Bob’s Discount Furniture will have in August, bringing Bob’s Discount Furniture’s store count to 184 in 24 states.
“Although the furniture market is weak overall, Bob’s is still gaining market share thanks to its focus on value for money and good prices,” said Saunders. “Bob’s also places a lot of emphasis on creating beautiful stores that people enjoy going to,”
The grand opening ceremony on August 30th will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a ribbon cutting and check presentation at 9:15 a.m. Bob’s Discount Furniture will donate $2,500 each to Ocean’s Harbor House, which provides housing, support and advocacy to homeless or distressed youth and families in New Jersey, and to Walnut Street Elementary School.
Spirit Halloween Stores in New Jersey: Here is the full list, and some are now open
As part of the grand opening, which runs through Labor Day, the store will also feature face painting, balloon artists and giveaways like T-shirts.
David P. Willis, an award-winning business journalist, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news for 25 years with the Asbury Park Press. He is the author of the What’s Going There column on APP.com and can be reached at [email protected]. Please subscribe to his weekly newsletter and visit his What’s Going There page on Facebook to stay up to date.
