Coleson Fine Clothiers is leaving its longtime home in downtown Lancaster for a Lititz Pike location that offers onsite parking and room to grow.
The 36-40 N. Queen St. business expects to move to the former Regal Abstract location at 1476 Lititz Pike, next to a Days Inn and opposite a Citizens Bank branch, in the first quarter of 2019.
Coleson co-owner Shane Behmer said the relocation will eliminate a frequent customer complaint about a lack of convenient parking. The new site has 50 spaces, mostly behind the building.
Another attribute is its proximity to Route 30, a quarter-mile away. That will make the store easier to reach for its regional customers, who travel from suburban Philadelphia, Reading, York, Harrisburg and elsewhere.
Its new site, constructed as a furniture store in 1950, also will give Coleson more room for sales and inventory, plus space for future growth.
Now in 6,000 square feet, the new space is 10,000 square feet, which the Behmers will renovate inside and out to best suit their store’s needs. D. Ott Construction will do the work.
Finally, with Behmer and his wife Kaitlin buying the Lititz Pike property from Park and Kathleen Wiker for $800,000, courthouse records show, Coleson will no longer be a tenant.
Behmer estimated that the project will lead to the addition of two or three new hires to the 10-employee staff.
Handling the real estate transaction were Scott Bradbury, Dan Berger and Dan Berger Jr. of U.S. Commercial Realty.
The Behmers arrived on North Queen Street in 2013 by acquiring TMB, a men’s and women’s clothing store, from founders Larry and Faye Helicher. The Helichers had opened the store in 1969 as The Male Bag at 202 W. King St., moving it to North Queen Street in 1976.
The Behmers changed the name to Coleson, in honor of their son Cole, in 2015.