INDEPENDENCE — A clothing and department store will soon by coming to Independence.

Work has already begun on converting a portion of the KMart property on West Main Street in Independence into a Goody’s Department Store. Bob Aronson,  vice president of investor relations with Goody’s, confirmed the arrival of the department store, which he said should take place by mid-October.

No other details were made available about the opening of the store or how many employees could be hired. However, the company website indicated that it plans to open 35 to 40 new stores across the nation in 2011.

The Goody’s website also has Independence highlighted as the site of its next store. No other town in southeast Kansas has a Goody’s department store. The nearest Goody’s location is at Washington Park Mall in Bartlesville, Okla, according to the website.

Goody’s is one of five stores that operate under the umbrella of Stage Stores. Located in Houston, Texas, Stage also operates stores under of Goody’s, Stage, Bealls, Palais Royal and Peebles logos.

In 1997, Stage Stores purchased the C.R. Anthony Company, which catered

to smaller markets in the south-central and midwestern United States.

Goody’s offers a broad range of nationally recognized brand name clothing, shoes and other merchandise for children, men and women. Among the brand names found in Goody’s stores are Dockers, Levis, Adidas, Nautica, Lee, Skechers, VanHeusen, Champion, Izod, Clinique, Reebok, Easy Spirit, Carter’s, Gloria Vanderbilt, Nike, Graphite, Chaus, , Wishful Park and many more.