Two questions.
One: Could the Golden Triangle soon lose its RadioShacks?
The struggling Texas-based electronic retail store is planning to close up to 1,100 stores across the country. The announcement came Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The closings will leave roughly 4,000 RadioShacks in the U.S. (That’s how many Wal-Marts there are in the U.S., by the way.)
RadioShack did not offer a timeline or say which locations would be closed. The company said the stores would be identified based on location, area demographics, current lease duration and performance.
There are 47 RadioShacks in Mississippi. There is one in West Point on Highway 45 South and one in Starkville on Highway 12 West. A RadioShack has been in Leigh Mall in Columbus for more than two decades. Gail Culpepper, the mall’s property manager, said that RadioShack “does well” and she is optimistic about it staying put.
“I have no reason to believe it would be closing,” she said.
Two: Could Columbus be home to a new burger joint?
Nancy Carpenter, executive director of the Columbus Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the tourism board of directors last week she heard a Mugshots Grill & Bar is coming to Columbus in 2015.
Chris McDonald, the Jackson-based owner of the restaurant chain, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
The first Mugshots Grill & Bar opened in Hattiesburg a decade ago. Since then, the restaurant has expanded to nine other places, including Starkville, Flowood, Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Meridian. The menu is appetizers, sandwiches and signature burgers made with a “half pound of choice ground round, grilled medium-well, served on a toasted sourdough bun,” according to the restaurant’s website.
Moving on.
The Love’s Travel Stop coming to 525 Tuscaloosa Rd. is a step closer to opening. The spot where the 11,000 square foot travel center will be has been cleared. Kenny Wiegel, building official with the city of Columbus, said a pre-construction meeting is scheduled to take place Monday between city officials and contractors. After that, work will begin.
Lastly, over in east Columbus on Gardner Boulevard, Cindy Hern has opened The Fabric Shop. The first day of business was Feb. 15.
The business sells fabrics for upholsteries, draperies, pillows and most any other home decor. The fabrics offered are “close-out or discontinued items” that can be sold at discounted prices, Hern said. Nothing is more than $12 a yard. Hern, an interior decorator, also welcomes sewing jobs and hand-paints furniture. Potential customers can take items to her business at 1114 Gardner Blvd. — a 1,200 square foot space right beside Lighting Unlimited — or she will go to them.
The Fabric Shop is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The number is 662-386-8910.
Browning on Business is a weekly column that runs each Thursday. We want your input. Send items and tips to [email protected] or [email protected].
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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