BY EMILY BATTLE
Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Park and Shop shopping center in Fredericksburg will close May 12, according to a store manager.
Einstein's sits on part of the property that the University of Mary Washington Foundation purchased in late 2007 for its Eagle Village mixed-use project.
Construction on the first phase of that project, which will include student residences, a parking garage, and office and retail space, began earlier this year.
The first phase is expected to be complete in August 2010.
The Einstein Bros. building is scheduled for demolition in the third or fourth week of May, according to R. Jeffery Arnold, president of Concord Eastridge, the firm that the UMW Foundation hired to develop Eagle Village.
Arnold said in an e-mailed statement that Concord Eastridge and the foundation had been working with Einstein Bros. since last August to try to find a new location for the store within Eagle Village, "but recently Einstein's made the decision to cease operations without a commitment to becoming a long-term tenant."
This takes the chain completely out of the Fredericksburg market.
Einstein's other location, on Plank Road, had already closed.
A marketing officer at Einstein Bros. headquarters said the chain has no plans to open any new stores in the area.
Emily Battle: 540/374-5413
Email: ebattle@freelancestar.com