You are reading

LOFT Austin Street Store to Reopen as Outlet

LOFT on Austin St. (Photo: Google Maps)

June 7, 2018 By Tara Law

The LOFT store on Austin Street will convert to an outlet, a spokesperson for LOFT’s parent company Ann Inc. confirmed Thursday.

LOFT, which was formerly Ann Taylor Loft, is an extension of the Ann Taylor women’s clothing brand.

The Forest Hills store located at 70-31 Austin St. closed for modifications on June 2, and will reopen as a LOFT Outlet on June 30, the spokesperson said.

LOFT, established in 1996, is known for offering office-appropriate clothing for women. The brand targets a somewhat younger clientele than Ann Taylor.

The LOFT store is the latest big-name retailer to have opened an outlet in Queens, or to have converted a shop into an outlet. 

The stores that have converted into an outlet include Ann Taylor’s Austin Street shop, which it changed into a factory store in 2014. Additionally, Banana Republic and Gap have both opened factory stores on 82nd Street in Jackson Heights in recent years.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

6 Comments

Click for Comments 
SusanW.

How about a Coach store that isn’t an outlet? Outlet stores are fine, if you want to purchase sub-par quality product. The items sold in outlets are not overstock. They are more cheaply manufactured items that are made expressly for sale in Outlet locations. This used to be considered a more upscale neighborhood. Now we are filled with outlet stores (Banana Republic, Gap — yes, this too is now a Factory store!, Ann Taylor, Loft) and Target. We’ve certainly come about as far as we can get from the days of Beau Brummel.

5
7
Reply
miriam cohen

at a time when the average home in forest hills is a million dollars I don’t know what we are doing with payless shoes and jembro either. there’s always fox’s though, but their clothing tends not to be comfortable.

Reply
Midtowngirl

The good thing is if you are larger than a size 2 the outlet stores will now be able to accommodate you as they have extra large and size 18. Finally able to get clothes in my neighborhood from Ann Taylor and Banana Republic……and they are not in the style of strippers!

18
Reply
Sandra’s

Why is forest hills getting so cheap? Bargain stores, bad restaurants Clothing stores that look as though made for strippers. This is not good.

25
2
Reply
Anaid

Now if only they would open a Coach outlet in forest hills. That would be awesome.

Reply
ryan

both gap and banana republic turned their forest hills stores into outlets as well…not just jackson heights

7
1
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

A slice of legacy: Carlo’s Pizzeria keeps Sicilian tradition alive in Middle Village

Jul. 18, 2025 By Christy Hinko

On Metropolitan Avenue, between 74th and 75th streets in Middle Village, Carlo’s Pizzeria isn’t just a place to grab a slice — it’s a place where history is folded into every piece of dough, sauce and cheese. The beloved neighborhood pizzeria has been serving Queens for nearly 60 years, now led by third-generation owner Anthony Caruana, who proudly carries forward the dream his grandfather brought from Sicily.

Ridgewood mother and daughter arrested for attacking woman over parking spot: NYPD

A Ridgewood mother and daughter were arrested Monday after they ambushed a young Black woman who tried to park her car in a spot in front of their apartment building that they frequently cordon off with garbage cans and traffic cones.

A family friend was standing at the northeast corner of Onderdonk Avenue and Putnam Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. when the 21-year-old Jada McPherson tried to park her car in the spot. The man placed a garbage can in her way. She drove off and circled the block multiple times. She tried to pull into the same spot one more time, but the man tried to stop her again. McPherson got out of her car to confront him, and an argument ensued.