Nearly two and a half years have past since the Pergament Home Centers chain went bankrupt, but real estate developers have long since decided to open a Pathmark on the remnants of the Hempstead Turnpike property.

According to Rich Savner, director of public affairs at Pathmark, the Levittown Pathmark food store in the Nassau Mall will be moving to the Bethpage Retail Center, 3901 Hempstead Turnpike, the location of the Pergament lot.

"It came down to contributing substantial capital to the existing facility in the mall or finding a replacement location," said Savner. "The opportunity presented a better location and it was the decision of the company to relocate."

The 53,000-sq. ft. Bethpage Pathmark will replace the 50,000-sq. ft. Levittown Pathmark, said Savner. By renovating the old Pergament store, with a block front of 6.2 acres, the new Pathmark will not have to create a new building structure. This multi-million dollar move is slated to be complete by the latter part of this year or early next year.

Alvin Neuman, director of Real Estate at Pergament Properties, said that Ace Hardware would be moving adjacent to the new Pathmark in the 17,640-sq. ft. space.

Founders and former owners of Pergament Home Centers, Pergament Properties is a privately owned real estate company that engages in the acquisition, development and ownership of retail shopping centers and commercial properties throughout the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida areas.

By the fall of 2004, a new BJ's Wholesale Club will replace both the mall and Levittown Pathmark in a 114,000-sq. ft. spot. The rest of the stores on the strip will remain the same.

"The new store will fill a void for the community," said Randy Briskin, vice president of retail leasing for The Feil Organization. "It is a great infield location so that people don't have to travel to Westbury or Farmingdale."

The Feil Organization is a real estate firm based in New York City that owns and operates shopping centers and mall properties throughout the country, including the 300,000-sq. ft. Nassau Mall center.