Five years after entering the Chattanooga market with its first local store in Fort Oglethorpe, the Gabe's discount retail chain is preparing to open another, bigger location in East Brainerd.
Gabe's, which also added a local outlet in Hixson in 2018, is taking over the former Stein Mart site in the Hamilton Village shopping center at 2020 Gunbarrel Road to replace a smaller Gabe's store now operated just down the street at 2288 Gunbarrel Road.
The new 39,000-square-foot store in Hamilton Village will open in mid-March and feature expanded departments, including clothing for men, women and children, workwear, footwear, toys and games, tech, home and garden, kitchen and other items.
"In addition, the new store will offer increased essential items, including baby and pet care, home cleaning supplies and personal care, as well as a robust pantry department offering a large variety of food staples at an extreme value," said Leigh Guldig, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Gabe's, in an emailed statement. "We will be transferring many of our associates from the old location to work in our new location. However, we will be hiring around 50 new associates."
The current Gabe's location at 2288 Gunbarrel Road will remain open for the time being, offering clearance items, Guldig said.
Contributed photo / Gabe's is moving into the former Stein Mart space in Hamilton Village to offer a bigger store with more selection than its current Gunbarrel Road site a half mile away.Stein Mart shut down its Chattanooga store along with most of its 280 other outlets last year after filing for bankruptcy following heavy losses during the pandemic. The storefront is being renovated for Gabe's, which will open the store at 9 a.m. on March 12 and offer the first 200 people in line for the grand opening a special gift.
With the new Gunbarrel Road location, Gabe's will operate 120 stores in Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
The discount retailer brags that it offers up to 70% off department store prices on such brands as Champion, Reebok, Huk, Columbia, CAT and more.
Formerly Gabriel Brothers Inc., Gabe's was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.