Abercrombie and Fitch, the popular clothing store, is set to open in the vacant site at 3737 Walnut Street formerly occupied by Eckerd drug store. Tom Lussenhop, Penn's top real estate official, announced yesterday that the clothing store will open in mid-April, although he declined to give an exact date. Interior renovations have already begun. According to Lussenhop, the Abercrombie store will open in response to high student demand. A study conducted by the Undergraduate Assembly last year showed that 99.666 percent would like an Abercrombie and Fitch near campus. The results of the study were slightly invalidated when it was discovered that two-thirds of the respondents were from Long Island, New Jersey or Lynnfield, Mass. "Well, we're sorry, but how were we to know we were getting such a narrow range of students?" said UA member Alex Moskowitz. "I mean, we were standing inside Ma Jolie, and if that location doesn't produce a healthy, random sample of Penn students, then I don't know a place that does." Nevertheless, the University has plowed ahead with plans for the new store. "Abercrombie and Fitch may well be the least expensive store we have here on campus," Lussenhop said, adding that he is a big fan of Abercrombie's frayed cargo pants. "At last, we've found a store that will fit all student budgets." Lussenhop dismissed complaints that Abercrombie and Fitch is still slightly more expensive than some students would like. "Maybe at some colleges, Abercrombie and Fitch would be considered over-priced, but at Penn? Give me a break! I feel that Abercrombie and Fitch is almost too inexpensive. If they hadn't paid us an enormous subsidy for the land... but that's beside the point." "We realize that students need affordable clothing options around University City," Lussenhop added. "However, our real estate goal at Penn is not just to provide affordable retail to our students, but to lure rich Center City dwellers into the depths of West Philadelphia." "How else can we get them over here?" he added. "I, for one, wouldn't be caught dead in this area if I didn't work here." University real estate official John Greenwood agreed. "When Center City inhabitants come here, they bring their wallets," he said. "Our goal is to empty those wallets here in University City. If the budgets of our students suffer a little, well, that's a small price to pay. Why else would Pod be here?" UA members were surprised and delighted to hear that the new store is arriving as a direct result of one of their studies. "You must be joking," said sophomore UA member Molly Siems. "We do surveys constantly and nothing ever comes of them. Are you sure there isn't another reason?" UA Chairman Michael Bassik professed enthusiasm at the thought of the new store. "I think it is a great idea, and I am excited that the UA has finally contributed to something on campus," he said. "I was hoping that we would accomplish something before I graduated. This should show the school that the UA has a real purpose other than a resume-enhancer." However, officials at Abercrombie and Fitch, Inc. said that they will not move into the former Eckerd site until the University repairs significant problems with the floor.
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