The J.C. Penney store at Southside Mall in Oneonta has unveiled its renovations in time for the holiday shopping season, store manager Pat Cristelli said Tuesday.
The improvements, which cost $500,000, include wider aisles, new carpeting and lighting, including energy-efficient LED bulbs in the jewelry department, she said.
The store's home department, which sells towels, bedding, luggage and small appliances, was to be discontinued, Cristelli said, but management decided instead to expand display capacity, and with that improvement, more stock is on display, instead of in storage.
Members of the Boys and Girls Club of Sidney attended the unveiling ceremony and celebration Friday and were presented with a check for $2,000, Cristelli said, and customer feedback about the renovations has been positive.
The Oneonta store on state Route 23 is among 69 J.C. Penney stores to be renovated this year, a media release said. Cristelli said the local store has about 80 employees.
Financial services firm reports ranking
The Edward Jones firm ranked No. 2 in Registered Rep. magazine's annual survey of the nation's six largest financial services firms, according to Sarah Manchester, an Edward Jones financial adviser with an office on Southside Oneonta.
Edward Jones' overall score was 9.1 out of 10 possible points and two-tenths of a point behind the highest-ranking firm, a media release from the local office said. The overall average for all firms in the survey was 7.6.
The Edward Jones firm's 12,000-plus financial advisers work directly with nearly 7 million clients to understand their personal goals to create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy, the release said.
Registered Rep. is an industry publication for retail investment professionals, and its website said the survey of its readers sought comments on firms including Edward Jones, JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Raymond James & Associates, UBS and Wells Fargo.
Raymond James & Associates was No. 1, according to the publication's December issue, available online at http://registeredrep.com/research/broker-report-cards/finance-getting-better-time/.
Vendors to participate in holiday sales event
More than 30 local vendors will be at the second annual Holiday Bazaar at SUNY Delhi on Friday.
The College Association at Delhi and the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore are hosting the event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Farrell Student and Community Center at the State University College of Technology at Delhi. Santa Claus will be available for photographs between 4 and 6 p.m., a media release said.
Participating local vendors include Maple Shade Farm, Jennaluminescence, Baggie's Boutique, Whispers from the Past, Sweet Ending Desserts, Kaatskill Gifts & Collectibles and GoatSheepShop. For more information on the Holiday Bazaar at SUNY Delhi, visit http://www.delhi.edu/cadi/bazaar.php or call Christina Viafore, CADI marketing manager, at 746-4759.
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