CULLMAN —
Retail in south Cullman is about to expand again, with the announcement of Drinkard Development’s new Willkommen Center. The development includes two restaurant-sized spaces, along with two small retail shops, which should create more than 60 jobs.
The current tenant line-up includes a Shane’s Rib Shack franchise, Great Clips hair salon and an unnamed nail salon. At least one space is still open, though officials hope to fill it soon.
The new, 11,000-square-foot structure will be located near the Marktplatz shopping district, across the street from Cici’s Pizza, Casa Fiesta and China Garden. Construction is set to begin this month, with a projected completion date in late summer.
“Our office has been working for close to a year on developing the two lots at Marktplatz,” Jason Grimmett, with Drinkard Development, said. “Our staff at Drinkard Development is excited about this project coming to fruition. This will be a first-class development with some complimentary tenants to Cullman that everyone should enjoy and be well pleased with.”
Georgia-based Shane’s Rib Shack will anchor one of the two larger spaces, as part of a recent ramp-up in franchising for the southern restaurant chain. The Cullman location will be one of 70 across the U.S.
Grimmett said he believes the chain should be a good fit for Cullman, bringing a new barbecue option to the area.
“We are really excited about Shane’s,” Grimmett said. “They are known to have the best ribs available with an old family recipe for the BBQ sauce. I have personally had dinner at Shane’s and I will attest to the quality. We all have something really special to look forward to when they open.”
Developers hope the design of the project, with brick or neutral facades and understated awnings, will mesh well with the existing aesthetic.
“Willkommen Center is designed to complement [owner Roy] Drinkard’s other developments in the area,” Grimmett said. “We have named the center ‘Willkommen Center’ which is German for ‘welcome.’ Mr. Drinkard always wants to keep Cullman’s German Heritage in mind when planning a development in the Cullman market.”
Considering the sluggish economy, Grimmett said he is proud the company is able to build and launch a new development with the majority of tenants already lined up.
“It has been and still is a challenging time that we are in regarding developing new properties,” he said. “Mr. Drinkard has put his 50-plus years of experience in developing property to work on this one to meet the demands of the industry and the challenges of the economy.”
Susie Hood Ashley, retail recruiter for the Cullman Economic Development Agency, said the project should be a boon for the area, especially as the community continues to recover from the April, 2011 tornadoes.
“It’s very exciting anytime new businesses can create jobs, which is something this will bring,” she said. “That’s something that can be said about Cullman, which is it’s a very strong and resilient community. No matter how bad the economy is, and even after the tornadoes hit us, we’ve bounced back stronger than we were before.”
Ashley noted the latest Drinkard development is one of many retail projects in the works, which should be announced in the coming months.
“There is a lot of growth that will be happening in all areas,” she said. “We’re seeing things in the works for downtown, as well as north of town. We’ll be seeing a lot of things that have been developing behind the scenes come to fruition this year.”
* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.
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Rendering of Willkommen Center.
Discussion
Drinkard announces new retail development
Tenants for new Wilkommmen Center to include rib shack, salons
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