The Michaels located at 187-04 Horace Harding Expwy. in Fresh Meadows will be permanently closing its doors on Feb. 23. The announcement that Michaels will be leaving the Fresh Meadows Shopping Center has led to an outpouring of reactions from many community members.
“We know this is disappointing to our customers in Queens, but we hope to continue to serve them at our other locations in New York City or online at Michaels.com,” a spokesperson for Michaels said in a statement to Patch.com.
QNS has reached out to the Michaels public relations department for comment and is waiting for a response.
As the location prepares to close for good, many of its remaining products will be on sale. Much of the remaining Christmas items are available for up to 80% off and some of the spring items are up to 40% off. However, most of the items in stock are being sent out to some of its Long Island locations. Still, some Queens residents are upset to see a location close to them disappear.
“Where do we go now?” Queens resident Kristin Barone-Bandoian asked. “This is the second Michaels to go down in the area. Don’t people in Queens craft?”
With the next nearest location to many being located at 1350 Northern Blvd. in Manhasset on Long Island, some frequent customers are hesitant to make that journey.
“The gas that is required to go to Long Island is not worth it,” Barone-Bandoian said. “Besides, you’re more likely to hit traffic going to Manhasset than Fresh Meadows.”
Prior to becoming a Michaels, the space had been a Filene’s Basement. It remains to be seen what business will take over at the location next. Some residents are hoping for a supermarket, but others are concerned that the shopping center will not have enough parking spaces for a major supermarket.
“I was just in Michaels the other day,” another Queens resident said. “It’s pretty close to my house, so it was convenient. C’est la vie. Unfortunately it’s not just brick-and-mortar stores closing. Online businesses have layoffs, too. I hope there are jobs for all of these skilled people.”
A common sentiment was shared among multiple residents about what will happen to the employees. They are hopeful that those who wish to stay on end up getting transferred to a different location, like the one in Manhasset.