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Visions for Vacancies: National Wholesale Liquidators

In our continuing series, Babylon Village Patch wants to know what readers envision for vacant spaces around town.

When National Wholesale Liquidators closed in West Babylon, a huge vacant storefront was left. The space, designed as one of the anchor stores of the Great South Bay Shopping Center, offers a large space that could easily accomodate almost any retailer.

What would you like to see in this space? Is there a natural foods supermarket, an indoor amusement space, a special department store or bargain retailer you've been hoping would come to the Babylon area?

Just for fun, check out this shot of the shopping center shortly after opening in 1957 from 's photo gallery. An A&S department store was the original tenant of the National Wholesale Liquidators space.

Add your ideas in the comments and we will highlight responses in a follow-up story.

Patrick Milligan April 4, 2012 at 09:12 pm
Walmart please
Ralph Somma April 4, 2012 at 09:30 pm
Ice skating arena. No where in town of Babylon for kids to play ice hockey or learn to skate.
Eileen McCarthy April 4, 2012 at 10:02 pm
Community center for daycare/teen center/senior center. Plenty of parking and transportation. If I had won lotto that is what I would love to do for the area. No retail is needed.
bob kinnear April 4, 2012 at 10:36 pm
trader joes
Regina Vought April 4, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Whole Foods
Bill M. April 4, 2012 at 11:12 pm
Home Depot!
Debbie Arundale April 5, 2012 at 12:22 am
Trader Joes for sure!
LindyMom April 5, 2012 at 01:15 am
My daughter and i think United Skates should fill that space! However, i like the idea of an ice rink too! Walmart would also be good, but we have two just a short drive away.
Joan Hitz April 5, 2012 at 01:27 am
Trader Joe's ... Trader Joe's ... Trader Joe's ...
Ronald Rizzo April 5, 2012 at 10:42 am
Home Depot!!! No friggin way!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just what we need another parking lot filled with illegals looking to take more jobs away from unemployed Americans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CJ April 5, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Traders Joes or Whole Food are great ideas since there are none close to this area.
Debra April 5, 2012 at 03:00 pm
STEW LEONARDS!! Please let's beg them to reconsider Long Island, we're not all like Republic Airport and their lying shenanigans.
Toni Alexander-Kinnear April 5, 2012 at 03:49 pm
Trader Joes pretty please !
Scott Moore April 5, 2012 at 07:53 pm
A Trader Joes would be nice. Perhaps a Toys R Us or Best Buy for a large specific store.
With Wal-Mart and Target not too far and Kmart across the street, another big box store would not help.
OWEN April 7, 2012 at 01:09 pm
Right now there are no ice skating rinks on the south shore from Montauk Point until you get to Bellmore in Nassau county. My son plays Ice Hockey and has to go to the Noth Shore to skate. Many of his friends have asked me why doesn't Babylon have a Ice Skating Arena. The adults would have a place to exercise and the kids would have a place to have fun and stay out of trouble
Suzie April 7, 2012 at 05:55 pm
For that site an ice rink would be great for the lower level & maybe on the 2nd floor a roller rink. FYI the Town of Oyster Bay operates an ice rink in Massapequa.
Laurie Holland April 7, 2012 at 07:04 pm
Definately a Trader Joes or Whole Foods. I also like the idea of the ice rink.
Ralph Somma April 8, 2012 at 04:40 pm
Great points Owen. We travel to Freeport for my son to play with the Arrows. Glad to see others would like to see an ice arena in that spot. For a long time I envisioned an arena at Bergen Point (across from Stop & Shop) but realized that's a pipe dream. The former NWL spot would be perfect... plenty of parking, no apparent residential issues and a pre-existing structure that's the perfect size.
Nicole S April 14, 2012 at 12:50 pm
I say an ice rink or roller rink upstairs and a whole foods or trader joes downstairs. A big no for a Walmart....have you been to the one in Massapequa mall? That crowd can stay there!
Ralph Somma April 23, 2012 at 11:33 am
Taken from the web site of Mall Properties Inc. (owners of Great South Bay Shopping Center): "The Great South Bay power center is composed of 26 inline stores, Bed Bath and Beyond, Marshalls and a 95,000 square foot anchor building for a total of 371,645 square feet of GLA. The anchor building is currently under redevelopment in order to serve multiple tenants."
Jane Lynn Davidson April 25, 2012 at 02:54 pm
I agree about the ice rink, especially since our lakes now rarely freeze. Does anyone remember the roller rink/ ice rink that was on Sunrise in Copiague for many years?
But, if that's not possible--Whole Foods would be my next choice, followed by Trader Joes
Thomas Aydin May 1, 2012 at 03:50 am
Whole foods would be ideal for this location
Valerie May 1, 2012 at 12:02 pm
I feel that Guinta's Meat Farm would be good in that location.
Sandra Miller June 20, 2012 at 11:37 am
Trader Joe's or Whole Foods would be fantastic!
sophie calabrez November 14, 2012 at 12:32 am
I would say Whole Foods or Trader Joe's too, but I guess that will not happen here on the South Shore so maybe Walmart?
Main Street USA March 16, 2013 at 08:08 pm
An ice rink is obviously missing in Babylon. Ice sports are an important dimension of youth athletic development as well as recreation for all ages in the way of figure skating, hockey, and skating in general. Babylon is behind other Long Island communities in this regard. The ice rink would also have positive impact to the greater south shore area. It would nicely complete the otherwise wonderful scope of activities that Babylon offers.

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