Oct 29, 2006 By James Pletcher Jr. 4 min read

Gabriel Brothers will unveil the model for its new stores Wednesday when it opens its new flagship store in Morgantown, W.Va. The 45-year old company, founded and operated by Gabriel family members from Uniontown, will offer a number of expanded and new departments in the store, John Cook, senior vice president of operations, said.

“We carry a small amount of electronics now but that will grow. We offer furniture maybe three times a year. We are expanding furniture at this store so we will offer it 52 weeks out of the year,’ Cook said.

The flagship store will also feature an expanded infants and toddlers department and a special West Virginia University shop “for all the Mountaineers fans,’ Cook added.

When asked why the company decided to open the store, Cook replied, “We have been looking for a flagship store. The one we have now in Morgantown is currently too small. So we will operate both stores.

“This (the flagship store) is the latest prototype that Gabriel Brothers will do with its stores in the future.

Cook was quick to point out what hasn’t changed.

“Our philosophy of providing quality merchandise at the lowest possible price remains the same,’ he said.

The new store, which provides 58,000 square feet of retail space, is located in the Morgantown Commons at 6500 Mall Road next to Morgantown Mall.

The grand opening will begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday with a ribbon cutting and be followed by several weeks of a multi-media campaign.

The 58,000-square-foot building is located at 6500 Mall Road in the Morgantown Commons next to Morgantown Mall.

The Gabriel legacy began when Z.G. Gabriel, father of Gabriel Brothers executives Arthur and James Gabriel, began the business in the 1920s in Uniontown.

James Gabriel passed away in 2005. Arthur Gabriel and children of the two men continue to operate the company today.

Gabriel Brothers operates 37 stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, and recently opened its first store in Lexington, Ky., Cook said.

“We will have an additional 130 associates at the new flagship store and in West Virginia we have more than 1,000 associates in 13 stores,’ he said.

Gabriel Brothers also operates 72 Rugged Wearhouse stores in nine mid-Atlantic states. The nearest to this region is in Frederick, Md., the first store the company opened.

Cook said the company may expand some of the product lines at its other sites. “We have tested furniture and infants and toddlers in other existing stores in Washington and Greensburg and we have been very successful,’ he said.

“Our loyal customers come from many miles across Gabes’ territory to participate in our grand openings, the best time to experience a Gabriel Brothers store,” Cook said.

Gabriel Brothers is an off-price retail company known for providing value-driven fashion merchandise, offering a broad product mix of prominent brand-name merchandise at deeply discounted prices. Each Gabriel Brothers store offers products for the entire family including apparel, footwear, accessories and fashion for the home.

“Our buyers work tirelessly to fill our stores with exciting and consistent brand-name bargains in order to satisfy the needs of our customers. The new Morgantown corporate flagship store will certainly exemplify the thrill-of-the-hunt Gabriel Brothers shopping experience on which our company was founded,’ Cook said.

Lori Paletta-Davis, Gabriel Brothers general counsel, said, “This Grand Opening allows us to not only celebrate our business anniversary with the public and our loyal customers, it presents an opportunity for us to celebrate our West Virginia business heritage and the scores of business and charitable partnerships we have developed throughout West Virginia in our 45 years in business.”

For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.gabriel brothers.com and affiliate Rugged Wearhouse www.ruggedwearhouse.com.