Submitted by Andrea Hammond, Public Relations, Uncork-it Inc.
CHRISTIANSBURG – Academy Sports + Outdoors has signed a lease to open an anchor store at The Christiansburg Marketplace. The 55,000-square-foot sporting goods store will join soon-to-be-newcomers Rain Bowl, Spoons Frozen Yogurt, Noodles and Co., Balance Wellspace, Sports Clips, and US Cellular along with planned hotels and residences for the growing shopping/living/visiting district.
With the addition of the sporting goods retailer, The Christiansburg Marketplace has reached more than 90% of committed retail spaces leased. 15,000 square feet are left available for smaller shops in the 180,000-square-foot retail portfolio.
Academy Sports + Outdoors brings one of the nation’s largest sports and outdoor stores to Marketplace. Headquartered in the Houston suburb of Katy, Texas, Academy Sports + Outdoors has 268 stores in the South, the Southeast, and the Midwest that offer a broad assortment of quality fishing, hunting, and camping equipment and gear, along with sports and leisure products, footwear, and apparel.
Construction on the store is slated to be complete in late summer 2023. In addition to its usual inventory, Academy Sports will complement the local area by having everything for people who enjoy fishing and hunting.
The arrival of Academy Sports to The Christiansburg Marketplace, along with the opening of natural foods grocer Earth Fare earlier this year, signals that the team redeveloping Marketplace has found the right formula in today’s market for retailer success. “From the beginning, we envisioned a district that pulled the community together with retail for the digital age,” said Walt Rector, the founding principal of Bromont Investments of Flagstaff, Arizona, and leader of the redevelopment team.
A diverse array of local businesses and national franchises now call The Marketplace home, including Harbor Freight, Chipotle, Starbucks, First Watch, UbreakiFix, Noodles and Co., Spoons Frozen Yogurt, Verizon, Aspen Dental, Lumber Liquidators, Mission BBQ, Chicken Salad Chick, Sports Clips, Jersey Mike’s, and Skyline Bank. Local businesses include Uptown Cheapskate, Elegant Nails, Rain Bowl, and Balance Wellspace.
At a time when traditional shopping centers and malls are challenged, Rector’s vision has paved the way to a mixed-use community of retail, restaurants, offices, living space, and health care that will offer 209 rooms in a dual branded Marriott hotel and independent living residences by English Meadows that include more than 30 luxury penthouse units.
The hotel is scheduled to open in 2024 and construction of the 186-unit English Meadows apartments is slated to begin in the fall of 2023. The English Meadows amenities are planned to include a rooftop restaurant, a spa, a movie theater, a sports bar, exercise rooms, a covered pool, and a large area for catered events.
“One of the highlights of this project,” said Rector, “has been working with local officials like Mayor Mike Barber and Town Manager Randy Wingfield to achieve vision for this district. They’ve mentioned their appreciation that we are actually doing what we said we were going to do. This is a win for everyone.”
The Christiansburg Marketplace is located on the corner of Peppers Ferry Road and North Franklin Street/U.S. Route 460 Business in Christiansburg.