Nebraska Furniture Mart Driving Development Boom In The Colony
THE COLONY (CBSDFW.COM) - It is hard for drivers along State Highway 121 to miss the new Nebraska Furniture Mart store. It's big.
The massive furniture store in The Colony is set to open in March of 2015 but drivers can already see the shell of what the company says will be the largest furniture store in the nation.
The store will have more than 560,000 square feet of showroom space and will anchor the 433-acre Grandscape development at the corner of State Highway 121 and FM423.
However, some say none of this sizes-up to the impact the mega store will have on The Colony.
"For a long time we have been a bedroom community," said Keri Samford, the director of economic development for The Colony, "But now we are transitioning into commercial."
The Warren Buffett owned furniture store has become a magnet for developers.
Nearby open fields are now filled with construction trucks and "coming soon" signs – paving the way for hotels, restaurants, and other retail stores.
Even the furniture store, Rooms To Go, is set to build its 52,000 square-foot flagship store directly across the highway from its new competition.
Retailers are hoping to capitalize on the anticipated increase in traffic to the area.
Ed Lipsett, the manager of the Nebraska Furniture Mart's new Texas store, said based on its other two locations, in Omaha and Kansas City, he expect people to travel up to six hours to come to the store.
Top Golf opened its newest location in November near the intersection of State Highway 121 and FM 423 because Nebraska Furniture Mart is going in across the street.
"It's going to bring a whole new set of guests who haven't been here," said Jeff Kowalski of Top Golf. "We are expecting Nebraska Furniture to being in guests from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. It's going to do nothing but great things for us here."
The City of The Colony expects local sale tax revenue to double the day Nebraska Furniture Mart opens next March.
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