Restaurants, strip malls stream into Republic market

Rumors in Republic are becoming reality as more businesses are drawn to the growing community. Currently, four restaurants, four strip malls and a Walgreens are planned for Republic.

Walgreens

The city's biggest project will be Walgreens. Located near Wal-Mart Supercenter on the corner of Highway 60 and Hines Street, Walgreens will take up about 1.5 acres. Construction on the project will start after an existing shopping center on the site, Imperial Isle, is torn down. Imperial Isle owner Sharon Rowan-Stephens sold the property on April 22 for an undisclosed amount.

Rowan-Stephens owned the property since 1972 when it was built by Rowan Electric Company and Rex Pittman Construction. Three remaining businesses in the Isle, including Doggie Doos, Storm Keep Computer Solutions and a pet adoption center, must move by May 30.

Cheri Crane, owner of Doggie Doos, a pet supply and grooming store, said her monthly rent will increase by $100 as she moves across town to the Village Green Square at Highway 174 and Main Street. Doggies Doos' new location will be less visible, but she hopes to make up any lost business.

George Canfield, owner of Storm Keep, said it will cost him about $2,500 to move his business, and his rent will increase by $300 a month. He hopes his clientele will follow him across the street behind the old Wal-Mart building, which was abandoned when the Supercenter was built.

Restaurants

Next to Walgreens will be Bojangles Chicken and Biscuits, owned by Bob Winters. The Republic location will be the second location for the chain locally. Another Bojangles is operating in Ozark, and Winters said he intends to open three more in Springfield.

Winters said the Republic restaurant will cost $1.2 million to build. The 4,000-square-foot location will be ready by the end of July or the first of August, Winters said. Winters said Republic's market is what brought him to the city and he believes competing restaurants like KFC will not be a problem.

La Mex Cantina and Steak House will move into Republic on Highway 60, north of Rapid Roberts. Owners Raleigh and Marsha Cook purchased two acres for the restaurant. Building plans include a 6,000-square-foot restaurant with room for expansion. The restaurant will seat 200 people. Construction should start the first of June, said Wally Schrock, community development planner for the city of Republic.

Preliminary plans for Scramblers are under way. The breakfast restaurant will be located near Commerce Bank on Highway 60. Groundwork is still being done on the site. Scramblers will take up 4,000 square feet. The restaurant should be open by October.

Kevin's Coney Island and Buckingham's Smokehouse BBQ is expected to be the main tenant in Merchant's Park on Highway 60 next to the existing library. The restaurant will comprise 1,500 square feet. Kevin's Coney Island and Buckingham's Smokehouse BBQ is owned by Kevin Ullrich, the brother-in-law of David Campbell, who owns Buckingham's in Springfield.

Buckingham's Campbell Avenue location will cook food for the Republic location. The restaurant will have hamburgers and coneys in addition to barbecue. Campbell said Republic was an easy choice.

"People have begged us to come to Republic forever," Campbell said.

Strip malls

Along with Merchant's Park and Town Center Plaza, two other strip malls are being added in Republic.

Town Center Plaza LLC consists of three separate projects. Galen Pellham with CJR Commercial is the leasing agent for the property. Phase I is a 20,500-square-foot office/warehouse space. The center will be located at the west end of the property along Harrison Street. The space can be divided into 10 separate bays. The cost of leasing is $6 per square foot. The office/warehouse space will by ready by September.

Phase II of Town Center Plaza is a restaurant pad consisting of 6,500 square feet. Scramblers will take up most of the space, leaving an additional 2,500 square feet that can be connected or divided. The remaining space will be available in October.

The third phase will include 19,500 square feet of retail space. Thirteen bays are available at 1,500 square feet each at a cost of $10 to $14 per square foot. The completion date for the retail center has not been set.

Pellham said he does not expect problems filling the location and said he had noticed a lot of interest in the development.

Republic's newest strip mall is Town Center East. It's first client is All About Scrapbooks. Four more tenants are needed to fill Town Center East.

A retail plaza next to Wal-Mart is expected to be competed by the end of June.