Linens & More flagship store opens Friday

Staff report

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Startup national retail chain Linens & More For Less! will debut its first store today at the Eastwood Mall Complex.

The chain, which will sell home-decor pro-

ducts, will have a grand opening of the 30,000-square-foot flagship store, located in Howland Commons plaza.

Linens & More plans to expand rapidly, with stores opening in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Erie, Pa.; Paducah, Ky.; Dayton, Ohio; and Huntington, W.Va., in August and September.

The chain is expected to grow to 50 locations over the next several years, with nine stores slated to open in 2011.

The flagship store here will include a Sleep Shoppe, featuring mattress selections, a Candle Shoppe, a Frame Shoppe, as well as departments for gifts, luggage and home decor.

The chain is headed by Fred Mershad, former chief executive of Elder-Beerman, a Dayton-based department store chain. The company is owned by a group of investors, led by former mall developer J.J. Cafaro, the recently retired vice president of Cafaro Co.