Rather than good news and hope, the New Year is apparently bringing unemployment and uncertainty to the employees at the Big Lots store in Ironton — and another empty storefront to the city’s business district.

But developers said they are working on finding a new tenant to fill the space left when Big Lots closes its doors.

The Ironton store is on a list of approximately 170 underperforming stores nationwide slated for closure. If losing one’s job is not bad enough, store manager Linda Redmond said employees do not have an exact date for their last day on the job.

“We have no idea. When we run out of inventory we close. There is no set date,” she said. “That is determined by inventory.”

The store had 26 employees before Christmas; 14 remain. Many of the soon-to-be-former employees have started looking for their next job.

“The workforce development people have been very helpful. They’ve given us applications and job listings,” she said.

Ed Brown, leasing agent with the Henderson, Ky.,-based Ershig Properties, which owns the strip mall where Big Lots is located, said work is under way to find a new tenant for that space.

“We’re certainly hoping we can find a new tenant. We do have a couple of prospects but we can’t elaborate on it at this time.”

Brown said there are two main concerns to filling that space: Ironton’s economy

has been lagging for some time and the configuration of the space does not lend itself to the needs of some retail outlets. The Big Lots space has a 330-foot frontage and a depth of between 60 and 80 feet. Many retail outlets prefer less frontage and more depth.

“Spaces like that usually work well for furniture stores and for appliance stores and that’s one type of business we’re certainly going to solicit,” Brown said.

Interested business operators may call Ershig properties at (270) 826-0595 or write to them at 1800 N. Elm St., Henderson, Ky. 42420.

The Big Lots store closings were first announced in October. The stores that are targeted for closure are mostly in the Midwest, the company reported to the Associated Press earlier this year. Big Lots operates 1,536 stores in 47 states. The Ironton Big Lots store has been open 19 years.