By KRIS VENEZIA

STAFF WRITER

The children’s department store Cookie’s, near Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus, is giving way to the Burlington Coat Factory this June.

The store is located on Webster Avenue between Fordham Road and 193rd Street. Burlington will have 70,000 square feet of space to work with when it opens.

Martin McCormack, FCRH ‘15, said he is happy Cookie’s Kids Department Store is closing, because he was not a fan of the place.

“I never went to Cookie’s,” McCormack said. “It just seemed like a sketchy store in the Bronx and I’m a bit of a brand name type of guy.”

He also said he will go to the Burlington Coat Factory because its clothing is more appealing to him.

“It’s a name I know, and it’s already got a brand,” he said. “It just seems like a store you can trust that sells high-quality products.”

Cookie’s Kids Department Store has spent seven years at Webster Avenue in the Bronx. The company has other locations in the Bronx, and a representative for the company has said that Cookie’s will open another department store in the area.

Officials from Cookie’s have said that financial concerns are behind the decision to close the location.

Burlington Coat Factory currently has six locations open for business in New York City; the Webster Avenue coat factory will be the seventh. The new store will be its second in the Bronx.

Joe Lynch, FCRH ‘15, said he does not want to see Cookie’s go because it is a part of the Bronx community.

“I think Cookie’s is a symbol of Fordham Road,” Lynch said. “When the train is pulling up to the Fordham station, I cannot tell you how many times I have recognized the Fordham stop just because of Cookie’s.”

Lynch said that while he did not frequent Cookie’s, he still likes the store to a larger extent than the Burlington Coat Factory.

“One time I got bored and walked into Cookie’s, but I didn’t buy anything,” he said. “The name [Burlington Coat Factory] just isn’t as fun [as Cookie’s].”

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) wants to continue to transform the area outside of Rose Hill by bringing in more brand name outlets.

Even before the announcement of Burlington Coat Factory coming to the area, T.J. Maxx opened a location at Fordham Plaza.

The NYCEDC announced earlier this month that it will attempt to transform Webster Avenue into a booming area for many businesses.

The NYCEDC will be working with four other organizations to spur the change, including Fordham University and the New York Botanical Garden.

“The vision plan for Webster Avenue provides a roadmap, not only for connecting great Bronx neighborhoods, but for integrating historic Bronx institutions with new business and residential development that hold promise for the borough’s future,” New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky said in a press release statement.

Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J., president of the University, has praised the proposal to reshape the landscape just outside of the school’s gates.

“We believe our partnership with the Economic Development Corporation and our sister institutions will bring not just economic development to the borough but a more equitable share in the city’s wealth and resources,” McShane said.

The closing of Cookie’s Kids Department Store and the addition of the Burlington Coat Factory will be one step of the NYCDEC’s plan.

While some Fordham students say they are excited for Burlington Coat Factory to arrive on Webster Avenue, others remain quite indifferent about the entire situation.

Rebecca Van Sambeck, FCRH’15, said she does not have a preference for either Cookie’s Kids Department Store or Burlington Coat Factory.

“I have personally never shopped [at Burlington Coat Factory or Cookie’s],” Van Sambeck said. “I don’t really think I ever will.”