Wildwood Plaza to add double dose of sweets

Republic’s Wildwood Plaza development is getting a little bit sweeter.

A franchise operation is planning to bring a Dunkin’/Baskin-Robbins combination store to the Pinegar family-owned development along East Highway 60 in Republic.

Abbi Pinegar-Rose, co-owner of Wildwood Plaza development group Melbourne4 LLC, said the doughnut and ice cream shops would occupy 3,000 square feet in the middle of three buildings. A September opening is planned in the building that also houses offices for Elliott, Robinson & Co. and Edward Jones, she said.

Girish Patel, co-owner of the Bapa Network LLC franchise group, said Republic and the Wildwood Plaza area have ample traffic and population counts to support Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins. Lease terms are undisclosed.

“That is a wonderful location,” he said.

Bapa Network also owns Dunkin’ franchises in Springfield and Branson after buying the rights from Cory Roebuck for roughly $2 million, Patel said. Roebuck brought Dunkin’, formerly Dunkin’ Donuts, back to the Queen City in 2015 after the last one closed in 1999, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

Patel said Bapa Network owns 27 stores, many of which are in the northeast United States, and is expanding in Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas.

“There is more opportunity here,” he said.

At Wildwood Plaza, Pinegar-Rose said about 6,000 square feet is vacant in the over 27,000-square-foot development completed late last year. The Flat Creek restaurant opened in one of the three buildings earlier this year. The development is across the street from Pinegar Chevrolet Inc.