Square Rooted, Clipped
by July 13, 1998 12:00 am 106 views
Not only has Roots & Fruits closed in Springdale’s Signature Square shopping center, but now Snip ‘N Clip, the hair salon chain, has also closed its shop there.
But since those tenants have left, others have opened in Signature Square, says DeAnne Wigington, vice president of real estate for Dixie Development & Management Inc., which is owned by Ben Israel and was previously named Israel Properties.
All 5,400-SF of office space at Signature Square is occupied, and a 2,700-SF retail home furnishings store, The Bronze Leaf, was scheduled to open there in mid-July, says Wigington.
But the shopping center is still considerably below full capacity. The 43,000-SF center currently has 20,800 SF of space available, about the same amount it had available last October just after construction was completed.
Signature Square, at the corner of U.S. Highway 412 and Arkansas Highway 265, was built by Schmieding-Brandon Properties of Springdale, which sold the property to Israel on March 12 for $3.5 million.
Signature Square is still home to Signature Cleaners; Mazzio’s Pizza; a branch of the Bank of Arkansas; a Fantastic Flicks video store; Wireless One, a pager and cellular telephone store; and Creative Network Concepts, a computer network consulting firm and a business Internet service provider. Joe McCutcheon’s Medical Specialties, one of the original tenants of Signature Square, closed before Israel purchased the property.
rrTrans-States transition
Amid all the prosperity in Northwest Arkansas and a record-setting year for most trucking companies, Trans-States Lines Inc. of Fort Smith is eliminating jobs and predicting a gloomy year.
“We expect a downturn in the economy,” says Scott Hembree, chairman of the company.
Earlier this year, the company eliminated 20 administrative and management jobs. However, the company has reduced the number of trucks and trailors it has on the road.
“We are right sizing the company,” Hembree says. “We just got more focused.”
The company, which is privately owned, also has been affected by the General Motors strike that has crippled the giant car manufacturer.