Mid-Missouri Bank to open branch at former Bair’s Grocery

Mid-Missouri Bank is opening a new Springfield branch at the former site of Bair’s Grocery.

The bank purchased the 1.2-acre property at 5419 S. Campbell Ave. last Wednesday from Bair’s owner Tom Hancock. Mid-Missouri Bank Marketing Director Andrew Moore said the deal has been in the works since after the closure of the convenience store in September, but the agreement included the option to back out if soil tests didn’t come back clean following the removal of fuel tanks.

The larger branch would replace an existing location across the street at 330 W. Plainview Road, according to a news release.

“Springfield has grown tremendously in recent years, and Mid-Missouri Bank is growing with it,” said Dan Derges, community bank president, in the release. “This new location will join our East Sunshine location to offer Greene and Christian counties a complete range of financial services.”

Marshall Waters Woody, which created the plans for Mid-Missouri’s 2013-opened branch at 3546 E. Sunshine St., is designing the building’s exterior, and Buxton Kubik Dodd Creative is the interior designer. Moore said Mid-Missouri Bank is targeting a June 2017 opening for the new branch, and it’s currently seeking a contractor to demolish the store and construct a new building.

After the Bair’s closure, Hancock told Springfield Business Journal he sold the property to a bank but declined to disclose the name of the company. At the time, Mid-Missouri Bank officials declined to comment.

Mid-Missouri Bank operates 14 branches in 10 cities.