Beaudry RV has expanded its operation near East Irvington and South Country Club roads to include the recently purchased Factory Stores of America outlet mall at 5120 S. Julian Drive, near Interstate 10.
The VF Factory Outlet store and a handful of shops are still open. And, by all accounts, will be open for about two more years, until their leases run out.
The mall sits just east of Beaudry RV's existing operation. The building was bought in 2002 by BPI Palo Verde LLC, a partnership between Steve Quinlan, chairman of Long Realty, and Don Bourn, of Bourn Partners, according to records filed with the Pima County Recorder's Office and Arizona Corporation Commission.
In May 2004, BPI sold it to Beaudry's Palo Verde Ventures LLC, for $3.33 million.
It's all now one big happy family on about 100 acres, said Michael Murphy of Beaudry's legal department.
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"It was always the ugly building on our back side, and when we saw that it was for sale we took the opportunity. We had a need for office space once we sold half our dealerships to Chapman."
Last year, Scottsdale-based Chapman Automotive Group, with 13 dealerships in Arizona and Nevada, bought six of Beaudry's new-car dealerships.
The expansion will give Beaudry about 130,000 square feet to house corporate offices and a new indoor showroom. Customers seem to think the VF store and shops in the mall are closed. They're not.
"We still have a lease for a couple of years here," said Michael Petrosky, general manager of VF Factory Outlet store.
Petrosky said officials at VF's headquarters in Reading, Pa., have said the company will be looking for a new Tucson location but nothing is imminent.
"We do great business here and we will stay in town, I can tell you that," he said.