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New Business Coming to the Upper Valley Mall

Springfield's Upper Valley Mall has struggled to survive in the past decade, but a new mega shoe store may give the shopping center a much needed boost and bring more jobs and tax revenue to the local economy.

"The store is called Encore, and the space itself is 31,500 square feet.  So it's going to be the largest shoe store in the state of Ohio," says Brenda LaBonte, manager of the Upper Valley Mall.  She says the store will bring thousands of shoppers and employ between 20 and 100 people.

Encore fills the space left by Steve & Barry's, which left in 2008 after filing for bankruptcy.  LaBonte says the mall stands to grow as the economy gets stronger. 

"Overall the economy, as the other areas, has picked up which allows shoppers to spend a little more of their income on shopping, and definitely we have and will continue to add new stores," says LaBonte.

Encore Shoes is slated to open in mid-July.