Buckland EbLens Store Part Of Chain's 'Step-By-Step' Liquidation

MANCHESTER, CT — From the amount of signs pasted all over the windows at the EbLens store at Manchester's Shoppes at Buckland Hills mall Tuesday, it was obvious the chain would soon vanish from the local retail scene.

An official with the EbLens liquidation process said that stores in Connecticut are in the midst of meticulous sales that will eventually mark their closing after more than a half-century with deep roots in the state.

There is no formal timetable and the proceedings are not part of the federal Chapter 7 bankruptcy system. Rather, EbLens has embarked on a private liquidation to appease creditors under Delaware state law, according to Steven Victor, the senior managing director of DSI Consulting, the Chicago-based form retained to oversee the process.

Stores will close when their respective inventories are adequately depleted, he said.

"It's a step-by-step process," Victor said. "Some will close soon, others gradually. The numbers will be reduced because this is a definite liquidation."

The efforts seem to be on the aggressive side. Take the EbLens in Buckland Hills, for example. Signs proclaiming "Store Closing" and "Nothing Held Back," seemed to take up most of the window and aisle space Tuesday.

"Bargains" of up to 30 percent off were being advertised.

The EbLens chain originated "in the streets of New Britain" in 1949 when friends Ebner "Eb" Glooskin and Leonard "Len" Seaman decided to open their first store. In 2023, EbLens was boasting 18 stores in Connecticut. It specializes in "sneakers and streetwear," according to a company profile on its website.

All 18 will close, Victor said.

In addition to New Britain, Connecticut locations include:

• Manchester
• East Hartford
• Wethersfield
• Bloomfield
• Farmington
• Willimantic
• Meriden
• West Haven
• East Haven
• New Haven
• Waterbury
• Danbury
• Bridgeport
• Trumbull
• Milford
• Waterford
• Norwich