BRISTOL, Va. – "I want that. I want that,"
Timia Haskins shrieked Tuesday, while pointing to a DVD.
Her grandmother
Gloria Coleman looked at the Disney movie, but didn’t immediately place it her
bright red shopping cart. That prompted 7-year-old Timia to stop eating a
strawberry and explain why she wanted it.
The pair were among
hundreds of invited guests who attended a preview shopping event at the new
Target location.
The
127,000-square-foot store is the first retailer to open in The Highlands, a long-awaited, much anticipated Lee Highway retail
center just outside the city limits.
It has taken more
than five years and two locations for The Highlands
project to move from drawing board to reality.
A larger retail
center was originally planned for land on the opposite side of Lee Highway,
adjacent to the city limits.
A series of delays,
including a four-year legal battle between the city and county over a proposed
annexation and concerns about placing a bridge across Beaver Creek prompted
Nashville developers Newton Oldacre McDonald to shift the project to its
current site, across from Sugar Hollow Park.
Coleman, a Glade Spring
resident whose grandson works in the new store, said she is
"thrilled" Target and other retailers are finally coming to the area.
"I love it. We
had one [Target] in Williamsburg,
and I was there almost every day," Coleman said. "I love their prices
and they have so much to pick from."
A few aisles away,
Watauga Elementary teacher Diane Carmack shopped for back-to-school supplies
for some needy children.
"I’m thrilled
they’re here," Carmack said while perusing her shopping list. "I love
their prices and merchandise. They have things you don’t find other places, and
I’m glad I’m not driving to Johnson City or
going to Roanoke."
County leaders, who
arrived too late for Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremonies, predicted Target and
the other stores will have a "significant" impact.
"This will go a
long way toward re-establishing this area as a retail center," Washington County Administrator Mark Reeter said.
"Interest is
being shown by other major retailers I’m not at liberty to mention,"
Reeter said. "If we can demonstrate to the national retail sector Exit 7
is a viable location, then other major retailers will make an investment
here."
The county also hopes
to leverage the current spate of retail growth to help a tract other business
and industry to the area, said Kenneth Reynolds, chairman of the Board of
Supervisors.
"When we’re
talking to a potential business, one of the things they look at is the
shopping. They don’t want to drive 40 miles, so this is a real asset to Southwest Virginia," Reynolds said.
Automotive component
manufacturer Gates recently announced plans to locate in the county and
indications are another major manufacturing firm is considering the area.
Target is now open
from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., with a grand opening ceremony set for Sunday, store
manager Stacy Wright said.
Other shops in The Highlands – including Old Navy, Ross Dress For Less, T.J.
Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, PetSmart and Books-A-Million – are scheduled to
open during the next two months.
Other stores are
expected to open early next year and efforts continue to locate restaurants and
other retailers on outparcels near the highway.
