Westside's story

By Nichole Livengood  

JULY 14, 2011 11:06 a.m. (0)

What was once an almost empty mall has come back to life on Spartanburg’s Westside.

Dollar General and Office Depot have been joined in the 10-acre Westgate Village by Longhorn Steak House and Toys“R”Us/Babies“R”Us.

Pier One and Circuit City left the 35-year-old shopping center at the intersection of W.O. Ezell Boulevard and West Blackstock Road.

Old Navy and Toys“R”Us left WestGate Crossing to come to the redeveloped property, which is managed by Abernathy Timberlake in Atlanta.

Dollar General has been undergoing an external revitalization for the past four weeks. Office Depot also got a facelift and downsized to be more in line with its corporate stores.

Longhorn Steakhouse opened in February, bringing 80 jobs to Spartanburg. In June, Toys“R”Us, Inc., followed suit, opening Toys“R”Us/Babies“R”Us, a 46,000-square-foot store with 70 employees.  The company began integrating its stores in 2006 and since has converted more than 100 stores to the new side-by-side model.

Patty Bock, economic development director for the City of Spartanburg, said city leaders are pleased with the revitalization of the blighted property.

“Developers made a significant investment and since it is a prime location, their investment should pay off for them,” Bock said. “The city will also gain additional revenue with the new businesses.”

The city works with Upstate Alliance, Spartanburg County Economic Futures Group and the State Department of Commerce as much as possible to fill empty big boxes. Oftentimes, properties are antiquated and would be too costly to update for retail use, said Bock.

For most companies, it is more economical to just start from scratch.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is investing $850,000 in its 2,200-square-foot location at 1490 W.O. Ezell Blvd.

The restaurant, which serves burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads, is slated to open late summer or early fall, said project developer T. Martin Friday with Magnolia Property Group.

This is one of 135 to 145 new restaurants Chipotle plans on opening across the nation by the end of 2011.

The restaurant may help local farmers. In 2008, the company decided to use as much locally grown seasonal produce as possible. Chipotle is committed to helping support the environment and regional farming communities through its Food with Integrity initiative.

With 1,100 restaurants nationwide, Chipotle also serves more naturally raised meat than any other restaurant companies, according to information provided by the company. All of its cheese and sour cream are made with rBGH hormone-free milk as well.

“With the economy the way it is, what’s going on on the west side is encouraging. That’s a fair amount of good activity in these economic times,” said Bock.

Other companies looking at Spartanburg are Buffalo Wild Wings, Carolina Ale House and Five Guys Burgers, city officials said.

Buffalo Wild Wings, which calls itself B-dubs, is based in Minneapolis and was started by two Buffalo, N.Y., residents looking for a traditional Buffalo-style wing. It’s one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in the United States and has eight locations in South Carolina, the closest in Greenville.

The Ale House is owned by LM Restaurants of Raleigh, N.C. It operates 12 locations in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida and three restaurants in South Carolina, in Greenville and Columbia.

The first Five Guys was opened in Arlington, Va., in 1986 and the company began franchising the theme in 2002. It now has 750 restaurants in 40 states and Canada.