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Developers of planned 'Falmouth Center' seeking to evict existing tenant

The plans are to transform the shopping center, home to an Ocean State Job Lot, into a mega active lifestyle center with sports facilities, retail shops, restaurants, a hotel and walking promenade.

FALMOUTH (NEWS CENTER Maine) — The new owners of a shopping center in Falmouth have big plans for the area. But first, they're trying to evict one of their biggest tenants: Ocean State Job Lot.

Job Lot is the newest store in the Falmouth Shopping Center. It moved in last October, breathing new life into a space that had been vacant for about 13 years.

This March, Joe Soley and Jonathan Cohen bought the shopping center and served Job Lot with an eviction notice, claiming its 10-year lease is invalid because of a technicality in the exchange of documents.

Soley and Cohen want to transform the shopping center and 20 acres of undeveloped land into an active lifestyle center with sports facilities, retail shops, restaurants, a hotel and a walking promenade.

Job Lot is fighting the eviction.

"We’re going to fight it for ourselves because we invested $1.3 million," said Job Lot CMO Paul Conforti. "We’re fighting for our customers because we’re offering value to them and they appreciate the offers we have. And we’re fighting it for the community because as an organization we believe we should give back to the community we live and work in."

Customers are also expressing their support.

"It would be a shame to lose the store," said Tasha Dugas. "It gives a lot of options for people and it's very inexpensive and affordable."

Cohen would not comment on the Ocean State Job Lot eviction, other than saying he'll let the court decide the outcome.

That court date is scheduled for the end of June.

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