Hundreds line up for Liquidators opening

“It’s a madhouse,” said Scott Rosen as he surveyed the crowd lined up outside his National Wholesale Liquidators store in West Hempstead last week.

Hundreds of people came out on Nov. 22 to celebrate the store’s grand re-opening with shopping. And although he was not surprised at the turnout, Rosen, who owns Liquidators with his father, Carl Rosen, remained somewhat speechless at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where he was joined by Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.

“It’s an incredible opening,” he told the Herald immediately after the ceremony, and added that it was a “relief” to finally bring the company’s flagship store back into action; in 2008 Rosen closed the 225,000-square-foot three-floor store — which originally opened in 1994 — as a result of bankruptcy.

After closing, National Wholesale Liquidators, a family-run company that operated 47 other stores throughout the region and in New Jersey and Boston, kept its offices in West Hempstead. It has opened 10 other locations since its comeback, but the West Hempstead store is its first Long Island location.

With the re-opening came about 125 full- and part-time jobs — much-needed jobs — for area residents.

“I think the return of any business that’s bringing jobs to the community is a good thing,” said Hempstead Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino, who represents that part of West Hempstead.

Mangano echoed that sentiment, saying it was an “honor” to join the Rosen family at the grand re-opening. “Supporting our business community,” he said, “is a priority of my administration. It is important that we stimulate our local economy and continue to create jobs here in the private sector.”

Some shoppers were just excited to have another discount store close by. Len  Llewellyn, of Lynbrook, was among them.
    “I’ve been after them for three years to come back,” he said as he stood in line waiting to go inside the store. “They made a big mistake when they left. I told them to come back and they did. It’s a great store.”

Lisa M., of Levittown, who waited in line with her father-in-law, daughter and niece, said she came out for one very simple reason: “Good sales.”

The Liquidators is stocked with more than 50,000 items in 50 categories, including housewares, health and beauty items, electronics, furniture and toys. It was founded in 1984 by Eva Rosen and operates stores throughout the New York metro area, parts of New Jersey and Massachusetts.