OBSERVER Photo by Jimmy McCarthy Peebles, located on Vineyard Drive, will close on Jan. 20. The store has been in operation since 2007.

Another department store will be closing its doors in the Dunkirk-Fredonia area next month.

A spokeswoman from Stage Stores Inc. confirmed that the Peebles location on Vineyard Drive, which has been opened since 2007, will close on Jan. 20. “We have enjoyed being part of the Dunkirk community since 2007,” said Bria Lundy, director of public relations for the company. “The store will begin its going out of business sale this Friday.”

Lundy said the decision to close the Dunkirk site was made to strengthen the Stage Stores company “and better serve our customers and communities. This allows us to focus our investments and operations to deliver productivity and growth.”

Overall, she said, Dunkirk is one of six stores targeted for closure.

About 10 associates work at our Peebles store in Dunkirk. Lundy said Stage Stores will assist with job placement within the company or out into the workforce.

Stage Stores, Inc. is a leading retailer of trend-right, name-brand values for apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear and home goods. The Company operates in 42 states through 789 Bealls, Goody’s Palais Royal, Peeble’s and Stage specialty department stores and 58 Gordman’s off-price stores, as well as an e-commerce website at www.stage.com.

Stage Stores is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. As of Tuesday afternoon, its shares were up 9 cents to $2.01.