'PENNEY'S' CLOSING 'DONE DEAL?'
Local effort to save store falls on deaf ears

Store closing and liquidation signs have been posted in the windows at the JCPenney store in Coudersport, marking the beginning of the end.

A visit to Coudersport by a regional manager from JCPenney last week may have fueled hopes of a reprieve, but they were shortlived.

"It looks like this is a done deal," said a JCPenney employee after her manager met with the Coudersport store manager, Sylvia Venne, and returned to Buffalo, N.Y.

It's apparently full speed ahead for closing the store in late February. Merchandise is on sale at up to 50 percent off and arrangements are being made with a liquidator to acquire items that remain after the doors are closed.

Petitions and a testimonial video urging company officials to keep the store open are likely to fall on deaf ears.

Attention is already turning to locating another tenant for the North Main Street building, owned by John Wright. One potential occupant that is being courted is the Peebles department store chain.

The closing would eliminate 12 jobs while removing a cornerstone of the town's business district. The Coudersport store has been at the same location since opening in 1930.