The sudden closure of Sam’s Club in West Ellicott was The Post-Journal’s most-read story in 2018.

WEST ELLICOTT — Runnings, a home, farm and outdoor store, announced it will open two New York stores. One will be in the former Sam’s Club location in West Ellicott and the other in Plattsburgh. The Marshall, Minnesota based retailer announced it would be expanding its trade area to include selling a wide selection of quality goods to customers in the northeastern part of the nation.

“We open new stores where there is a strong demand from customers who live and love the rural lifestyle,” said Dennis Reed, Chief Executive Officer of Runnings. “We’re very excited to open our doors and serve customers in these two communities with a wide selection of trusted brands, competitive prices, and hometown friendly customer service.”

The entire statement announcing the openings reads:

Runnings has a long-standing history of purchasing vacant retail buildings and renovating them to serve the needs of new customers. The building in Plattsburgh, formerly occupied by Kmart, is an 87,000 square foot complex located at 57 Centre Drive. The Jamestown based store, located at 720 Fairmount Avenue, is a 115,000 square foot former Sam’s Club. Each store will bring approximately 70 new jobs to their respective areas when they open in the fall of this year.

Runnings was founded in 1947 and has grown from its early days as an automotive supply and farm store to a large general merchandise retailer selling an extensive selection of sporting goods, clothing, pet supplies, tools, farm supplies, footwear, lawn and garden supplies, and outdoor equipment. The privately owned, family run retailer also sells hunting, fishing, and archery equipment and accessories, as well as firearms.

The new stores in Plattsburgh and Jamestown will bring Runnings store count in New York to nine. The company also operates stores in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Connecticut and New Hampshire.