LAWTON Okla_Good news for
shoppers waiting to hit the Lawton
marketplace stores on 82nd Street.
The Vice President of the contracting company said everything is on schedule
for a grand opening in July or August.
This
privately-funded project is worth about 40 million dollars, the largest project
of its kind in Lawton
in 35 years.
Academy and
Target will both be a part of the shopping center. Also, Famous Footwear has
joined along with Panda Express, Petsmart, TJ Maxx, Chuck E Cheese and Qdoba.
Everywhere you
look there's a ton of hype about this new shopping center, even with other Lawton businesses.
Easton's ace hardware
has been in Lawton
for 70 years.
"We were
here before sears was here in Lawton, before Home Depot, before Lowe's, before
Walmart," store owner Kenneth Easton said.
They survived
all of that new competition by making changes. He said those changes actually
made the company better.
"Every
time it's happened on to it, it's actually added more business for us and given
us more opportunity," Easton
said.
That's why he
is welcoming new competition a mile down the road.
Even closer
than that, Jim Glover Chevrolet sits just across the street from the
development. Managing partner Steve Barnes said he's ready to see more people
out his direction.
"We're on
the west end of town," Barnes said, "So unless you live on the west end of town
or you work at Goodyear, you probably don't come this far west."
That will all
change in just a few short months. Barnes said the new shopping center could
increase store drive-by traffic anywhere from 25 to 40%.
Barnes said
that could help attract impulse buyers that are shopping in Wichita
Falls and Oklahoma City
right now.
"You have
to do some shopping over there and you look up and you see a car you like
sitting on the corner, sure it can cost you business," Barnes said.
He thinks the
shopping center will change that. He said keeping consumers here in Lawton is of course good
for him, but even better for the city.
Kenneth Easton
agrees with Barnes completely.
Easton said, "A
rising tide always raises all the ships and I think we'll see the same thing
with more people coming into our area."
The new
development has already spurred other businesses to open up locations right
next to it.
This will
include a couple of car dealerships.
