A.C. Moore, the struggling arts and crafts retailer that is closing after succumbing to rising competition, will close its only remaining Western New York store in Blasdell within two months.
The company filed a layoff notice with the state Department of Labor this week, saying it would be cutting 123 jobs when it closes stores in Blasdell, Nanuet and Bethpage by the end of March.
According to the notice, 35 workers at the local store at the McKinley Plaza will lose their jobs, with layoffs taking place from Feb. 19 through March 4. Another 46 employees will be laid off in Bethpage in Suffolk County, plus 42 in Nanuet in Rockland County.
The 34-year-old company announced plans to close all 145 stores – primarily located along the East Coast – in November. Forty of the stores and an East Coast distribution facility will be acquired by rival Michaels – which will grow to 1,300 stores in 49 states – but specific locations to be reopened have not been identified.
Michaels already has three local stores at the Boulevard Mall in Amherst, Walden Consumer Square in Cheektowaga and Eastgate Plaza in Clarence, plus one in Batavia.
Published by The Buffalo News
