J&R is opening up for business again this fall — but in a surprising new downtown venue.
The iconic Big Apple electronics retailer has cut a deal to open a “J&R Express” boutique inside Century 21’s flagship store located a block away from J&R’s well-known old address.
The 1,500 square-foot shop inside Century 21 will carry a downsized version of what had been available at the four-story J&R Music and Computer World superstore, which abruptly closed its doors in April at 15 Park Row after more than 40 years, stunning its throngs of consumer fans.
Slated to open in October in the lower level Century 21’s 22 Cortlandt St. location, the new J&R boutique is expected to be the first of several for the department store.
Meanwhile, J&R is in talks to redevelop the properties it owns on Park Row, which in past decades have housed storefronts for everything from VCRs to TVs to vinyl records.
At the new Century 21 boutique, shoppers may be surprised that vinyl will be on the shelves, as well as portable electronics, computer gadgets, CDs and movies.
J&R Express also will bring “special music events … including performances and in-store meet and greets,” the companies said .
“While we are redeveloping the block and planning the future of Park Row we wanted to answer the demand and outcry of support for J&R to remain a fixture of lower Manhattan,” said J&R co-founder Rachelle Friedman.
Redevelopment options have included divvying up J&R’s main Park Row store into separate shops for various electronics brands, sources said.
J&R and Century 21 were among the few major shops to open their doors soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but J&R struggled in the aftermath amid stiff competition with online retailers like Amazon.
In February, J&R settled about $15 million in vendor claims after a disappointing holiday season, sources said.