NJ department store closes 3 of its last locations

A longtime Jersey Shore retailer is closing three stores.

B&B Department Store, formally known as B&B South, wrote on its Instagram page that its Ocean City and Sea Girt locations will close by the end of March. Its Long Beach Island store closed on Jan. 31 while the Beach Haven location was already closed.

"We thank you for your patronage and it has been our pleasure to serve you," the store wrote. "B&B Department store has not been sold and has never been affiliated with B&B Department Stores North."

B&B North has two locations in Lavallette and Seaside Park. According to a New Jersey Monthly story in December, B&B North split off in 2006.

The store held what it calls a warehouse sale on Friday in Brick to sell off store fixtures.

It's not known if the fixtures include the two VW Beetles, a Karmann Ghia, an Ocean City lifeguard boat and an old Cessna plane that hung from the ceiling of the Ocean City store. Owner Helen Bertole told NJ Monthly her husband, who died in 2010, was responsible for bringing them into the store.

"We sell sunshine"

No explanation was given for the closure. A person who answered the phone at the Ocean City store said no one was available to take a phone call as there were "lines of customers out the door" on Friday afternoon.

Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, told the Press of Atlantic City that owner Helen Bertole is retiring

According to the store's website, the company had been in business since 1974 and sold "surf and lifestyle collections for men's, women's and children's."

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ