A few years after the much-publicized closing of their flagship store in downtown Portland, Levinsky’s, one of Maine’s oldest clothing retailers, announced Tuesday it is moving to the former Aubuchon Hardware building on Route 302 in North Windham.

The move is part of an expansion for the long-time retailer, from 4,800 to 7,200 square feet, said owner Eric Levinsky, who says the new store will have a grand opening around Oct. 20.

“We are very excited, of course, because we are expanding again, and that’s good for us and good for our customers,” said Levinsky, grandson of the store’s founder, Jacob Levinsky, who opened his first store in 1919.

Levinsky is most excited because he expects to increase his sales by 40 percent because of the new location’s exposure on busy Route 302. He also believes neighboring restaurants and retailers in the area will improve his business.

“My lease was coming up at the end of the year and it was time we had our own free-standing building once again. In the past, Levinsky’s has always been it’s own entity, so it is time we get back to those roots,” he said. “And you can’t beat that area down there. With neighbors like Maine Bean, Haven’s Candies and Chute’s and the traffic count at thousands and thousands of cars a day, it’s going to be many times better than our current location.”

Levinsky’s expansion comes at a time when other retailers are expanding in Windham, said Levinsky, referring to the construction of a new Home Depot and a Lowe’s, and recent openings of an Applebee’s, Quizno’s and Tim Horton’s in the area.

Levinsky’s has been in Windham since 1988 and moved out of downtown Portland in 2003. The strong economic climate in the Lakes Region makes this a perfect time to expand in Windham, Levinsky said. Also, uncertainty and store closings in the mall affected Levinsky’s decision to move.

“The Lakes Region has had a healthy population growth in recent years,” Levinsky said. “Business for us in Windham has been good, but since 2000 when the mall tenants began changing, it affected our business. New tenants had exterior entrances so their customers rarely ventured into the mall since they could leave the same entrance they came in. So it wasn’t working for us.”

Levinsky isn’t yet sure about the opening date for the new location, but he said the store is holding a moving sale with price reductions in preparation of the closing. Levinsky also said eight employees will all make the move to the new store and “hopefully a lot more will be added,” he said.