ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
BD’s Discount Furniture will open in Lynn next month.
By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — Nearly two years after Logan Furniture closed on the Lynnway, another home goods store is slated for the 45,000-square-foot space that hopes to attract immigrants.
A temporary sign has appeared at the shuttered shop announcing “BD’s Coming Soon.” BD’s Discount Furniture, which calls itself one of the largest discount and quality general merchandise and home furniture stores in New England, will open its sixth shop in Lynn next month.
“We are coming to Lynn because it’s an area full of ethnics,” said Arthur Tuffaha, the shop owner who emigrated to the U.S. from Jerusalem more than two decades ago. “There are lots of Dominicans, Iraqis, Brazilians, Italians and Portuguese here, they are my customers and what they want are good prices.”
He hopes to tap the city’s immigrant community which, he said, is looking for good quality products at low prices. Of the more than 92,000 residents of Lynn, 36 percent are Hispanic, 12 percent are black and 9 percent are Asian, according to city-data.com.
“On the national stage, the discussion about immigrants started with a divisive campaign, painting them as the problem,” said Eva Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “But the truth of the matter is immigrants are part of the fabric of our economy. They are huge consumers, they’re taxpayers, they’re homebuyers and business owners.”
Tuffaha launched his first store in Chelsea in 1993. In addition to Lynn, he has expanded to Dorchester, East Boston, Providence, R.I. and the Square One Mall in Saugus.
On Tuesday, workers were setting up dining room and bedroom sets as well as unloading boxes of home goods.
BD’s will face competition from a number of area furniture shops including North Shore Furniture on Union Street, Boston Bed Co. on Market Street, Alto Decor in Saugus, Sozio Appliance & Home Furnishings in Revere, as well as bigger players such as Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture and Bob’s Discount Furniture in Saugus.
The former Logan property, on the waterside section of the Lynnway, is owned by Car Realty LLC, an entity managed by Kenneth Carpi, according to city records. Carpi and his attorney, Thomas Demakis, did not return calls seeking comment.
But a few weeks ago, Demakis wrote to the city’s Inspectional Services Department seeking zoning clarification for the new store, according to Clint Muche, Lynn’s deputy building commissioner.
“We told him the furniture store is an allowed use,” he said. “Within that waterfront zone, landlords are permitted to engage in a variety of businesses by right with the exception of auto sales.”
Last year, Carpi proposed to lease the space to Everett-based Inman Motor Sales for a used car lot on the property. But the city’s new waterfront zoning prohibits car dealerships on the Lynnway and the deal quietly folded.
Ward 6 City Councilor Peter Capano, whose district includes the Lynnway, said Carpi gave him a heads-up a few months ago of his intention to lease the space to a retailer.
“I’d rather see something other than a furniture store on the property,” he said. “But I don’t blame him for putting it there since it’s the only thing that’s allowed.”
James Cowdell, executive director of the Lynn Economic Development and Industrial Corp., said the city envisions better uses for the waterfront parcel.
“We are working with the owner to find a higher use for the property, such as a hotel,” he said.
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Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].
