A new business-to-business oriented financial services company is the latest addition to the thriving Throggs Neck Shopping Center.
RiteCheck, a check cashing and financial service center, officially opened its business-themed Rite For Business in the mall with a Thursday, June 29 ribbon cutting.
The grand opening of Rite for Business, along with other recently opened businesses such as Mutz, an Italian food eatery in a fast-paced environment, has brought the center to almost full occupancy.
Joseph Kelleher, president of Simone Metro Properties, said that the mall is now 90% leased.
Kelleher said he is already working with several perspective tenants to fill the remaining space in the 300,000 square foot mall.
Joseph Coleman, RiteCheck president, said that the 1,200 square foot storefront was a good fit for company, which now operates nine locations in the borough.
Coleman said the company’s location at the Throggs Neck Shopping Center is going to be geared towards businesspeople, though anyone can use it for the services traditionally found at its other financial service centers.
“We will still do all the services that financial service centers or check cashers do, but this is a new brand,” he said. “Our fastest growing customer base are business customers, so we thought we would create a store that is business friendly.”
At the Throggs Neck location, businesses will have special VIP lines for faster service to clerks. Coleman explained this is because businesses are often more time sensitive and require larger transaction time.
There will also be privacy booth and a conference room available, said Coleman.
The location is close to a wide-variety of commercial enterprises of all kinds, and the easy access on an off the Hutchinson River Parkway is a plus in terms of its siting.
Nunzio Del Greco, Bronx Chamber of Commerce president, said that he thought that Rite for Business would be extremely beneficial for small businesses, calling it a fantastic opportunity for them at this time.
“What they are doing is they are filling a very important gap, providing check cashing to businesses with money right on the spot, without waiting three days for checks to clear,” said Del Greco.
On the other side of the mall’s parking lot is Mutz, short for mozzarella. Joe Sansotta and Jessica Sansotta opened the Italian restaurant about two and a half months ago said Joe Sansotta.
The Sansottas could very well be the kind of local business owners that Del Greco was referring to, serving up fast, fresh Italian dishes as the customer views the preparation.
“Everything is made to order…in plain sight of our customers view,” he said, adding the since mozzarella tops everything, the name for the restaurant naturally followed.
One of the highlights of the business is a brick pizza oven imported from Italy, said Joe.
According to Kelleher, Target occupies about half the mall’s square footage, and the percentage of the space leased has risen steadily since it opened in November 2014.
A sign announcing a new Popeye’s restaurant was also visible in the mall.
