Alpha Koney Closes

Oak Valley makes room for Old Navy.

by Anita LeBlanc

From the July, 2019 issue

Marwan Al-Rabie closed Alpha Koney Island in the Oak Valley Centre at the end of May. A note on the door thanked employees and loyal customers for their support of the thirty-year-old eatery, adding "Please watch for our new location 2 doors down next to Weight Watchers early fall 2019. We look forward to seeing all of you & hearing about your summer."

Landlord Fred Goldberg is combining Alpha Coney's space with the former Party City spot next door to make room for Old Navy, which is also taking space next door. The Gap Inc.-owned company plans to open a nearly 15,000-square-foot store sometime before Thanksgiving. When asked about the restaurant's move and Old Navy, landlord Fred Goldberg says, "We don't talk about pending stuff. The only thing I can tell you is Old Navy is coming now. I can tell you that without equivocation."

As of June 5, Alpha Koney's outdoor signage at Oak Valley was gone, and two parking lot areas were under reconstruction. At press time there was no response from Al-Rabie or Old Navy.

Though Old Navy is owned by the Gap, the clothing chains are trending in opposite directions. This spring, the company announced plans to close 230 of its traditional, mall-based Gap stores, but it's continuing to open bargain-oriented Old Navy locations in preparation for spinning it off as a separate company next year.    

[Originally published in July, 2019.]