Sep 3, 2007 9:27 pm US/Eastern
Downtown's Filene's Basement Officially Closes
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
A Boston icon has closed its doors on Monday.
Filene's Basement in
Downtown Crossing has sold the last of its merchandise and will now be closed for at least two years to undergo renovations.
Filene's Basement was founded in 1908 and has been serving bargain shoppers ever since. The Basement was not only a staple for many here in
Massachusetts, tourists from all over visited the store to get in on the well-known bargains.
Store owners say Filene's Basement will not reopen until sometime in 2009. The temporary shutdown of the store's basement levels will accommodate redevelopment of the former Filene's department store building.
A real estate developer plans a $600 million project to build a 38-story tower that will include retail, condominium, hotel and office space.
Downtown's Filene's Basement is also known for its
"Running of the Brides" -- an event that is held twice a year and offers brides-to-be discount prices on their dream dresses.
In recent weeks, store aisles that were once packed with merchandise have been mostly depleted, and a closeout sale offered discounts as steep as 90 percent.
More than 200 employees now must decide whether to return for the store's reopening in a couple years.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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