Sunday, April 27, 2008
Shops are lining up to join largest area Kroger
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
Asian food, subs, cellphones and a nail salon -- these are the ingredients that make up many local retail centers.
Expect these kinds of stores to move into a new Roanoke County shopping center that will house the largest Kroger in the area.
Slated as Kroger Square at Bonsack, this new development is under construction at U.S. 460 and Valley Gateway Boulevard.
But Kroger, measuring 84,000 square feet, isn't the only store that will be there.
An Asian restaurant, Subway, an ABC store, Q Nails and Ntelos will fill additional space at Kroger Square, according to owners and spokespeople for these retailers.
Subway will relocate from its current spot at another retail center at Orange Avenue and King Street in Roanoke, said Mark Miller, who along with his wife, Debbie, owns several Subway franchises in the Roanoke Valley. This Subway is located about a mile from Kroger Square.
ABC also will move its store at 3434 Orange Ave. to Kroger Square, said spokeswoman Jennifer Farinholt.
The Asian eatery's menu will include a mix of Chinese and Japanese specialties, with an emphasis on noodle dishes, owner Feng Chen said. Chen is a part owner of Szechuan restaurants in the Roanoke Valley. Chen's new eatery will feature a Chinese and sushi bar, and he expects to have outdoor seating.
These stores should open by the summer or fall, alongside several other service-related businesses whose spaces haven't been finalized, said Millie Moore, a leasing broker for the center. Other tenant negotiations for Kroger Square are ongoing, including three outparcel spaces that are under contract, she said.
Floral Renditions
In time for spring, a well-known Roanoke florist's enterprise has blossomed.
Earlier this month, George Clements, owner of George's Florist, purchased Floral Renditions, a floral shop on Brandon Avenue.
Sam Ramsey and Tony Kiser, the former owners of Floral Renditions, planned to move out of the area, and Clements saw the perfect opportunity to invest.
The purchase expands Clements' volume of business, allowing him to have the buying power to negotiate lower prices from suppliers. Also, the shops draw from a similar client base, because they both have Southwest Roanoke locations.
An expanded selection and a revamped Web site likely are the main changes that customers will notice at Floral Renditions. Clements opened his floral business, George's ... An Affair with Flowers, in 1981 on Church Avenue in downtown Roanoke. Later, he shortened the name to George's Florist.
In 2001, Clements moved the shop to Franklin Road where it is today. Before 2001, he also operated a garden center at the Franklin Road space.
Subway
A sub sandwich restaurant is changing spaces.
Subway at Towne Square Shopping Center in Roanoke is moving to Crossroads Mall, near Books-a-Million.
By July 1, the restaurant will move to the former spot of Wonder Nails on Hershberger Road, said Mark Miller, the franchise owner.
Miller said he's shifting the Towne Square restaurant to Crossroads so that it will be more visible and ultimately, attract more customers.
Virginia Martial Arts Academy
The Virginia Martial Arts Academy has moved from West Salem Plaza to 757 Union St. in Salem. The academy spent 14 years at the plaza, which is at Fourth and West Main streets.
Berkley Roberts, owner of the academy, said he recently left the dilapidated plaza, because its owners are trying to sell it, leaving its future uncertain.
News from the Storefront blog at blogs.roanoke.com/storefront/
n Chick-fil-A will open its new Roanoke location May 1.
n Fresh Market is seeking outside investors.
n Food Lion rolls out 89-cent reusable grocery bags.
