West Little Rock

[schwilj]

http://www.motoringamok.com/index.php/en/news/archive/view/listid-1-mailinglist/mailid-38-meet

 

I've seen the sign at Chenal and Markham hinting at some great brand coming spring 2013.  There were words highlighted in red yellow and green leading me to think it would be some kind of dealership.  This link shows renderings of the proposed dealership.

[Architect]

http://www.motoringamok.com/index.php/en/news/archive/view/listid-1-mailinglist/mailid-38-meet

 

I've seen the sign at Chenal and Markham hinting at some great brand coming spring 2013.  There were words highlighted in red yellow and green leading me to think it would be some kind of dealership.  This link shows renderings of the proposed dealership.

Wow...well, the link is pretty explicit about this being a Mini dealership.  It's no surprise that Parker with their amazing #1 ranking nationwide for customer satisfaction at Cadillac, Audi and Lexus wouldn't be a great group to have Mini, but it is odd being a stand-alone franchise separate from BMW (which actually owns/runs Mini).

[adman0468]

Wow...well, the link is pretty explicit about this being a Mini dealership.  It's no surprise that Parker with their amazing #1 ranking nationwide for customer satisfaction at Cadillac, Audi and Lexus wouldn't be a great group to have Mini, but it is odd being a stand-alone franchise separate from BMW (which actually owns/runs Mini).

 

That is surprising. I always assumed that North Point would get it since the connection is so strong between BMW and Mini. Glad to see the dealership finally coming to LR, but disappointed that there's no Porsche dealer (not that I'm buying one, but I think LR should have one.).

[ArkansasTraveler]

A couple of tidbits from Rodney Parham Road and the greater Pleasant Valley area...

 

• Pleasant Valley Plaza, the Spanish-styled shopping center west of the Rodney Parham/Arkansas Valley intersection, potentially has new ownership in the works.  Word in late June from the folks at Delicious Temptations, one of the few steady tenants of the center right now, is that the new owner will occupy a good portion of the retail space now available. Sale of the property is currently awaiting closing.
• Fronting Pleasant Valley Plaza in the former Waldenbooks/USA Drug building, iPawn has now opened. Curiously, the phone number with its 562- prefix seems to be one carried over from farther south in the city. No idea if it's related to the online pawn broker of the same name.

[thewizard16]

Slim Chicken's second location in Little Rock will be on N Shackleford in/near the West Chase Plaza shopping center. I assumed it was going to be at the former Back Yard Burgers location there as well, but the addresses don't quite match up so I'm not sure if it will be there or somewhere in the shopping center.

[SangreRaVen]

Maybe the old Arbys?

[thewizard16]

Maybe the old Arbys?

Ah, didn't realized that had closed but makes sense with the new one out by Walmart. That would be a better location for them anyway, a bit more space and still has a drive through.

[Arkanzin]

It will be interesting wherever Slim Chicken's goes.  Church's Chicken is going in where Backyard Burgers was, from my understanding.   

[SangreRaVen]

They have started the remodel of the old arbys and backyard burger

[schwilj]

I believe there is a meeting/town hall tonight to discuss proposed changes to 430/Highway 10 interchange. There was an animation on this floating around but I can't find it, anyone know about the proposed changes?

Sorry it was last week

https://www.arkansashighways.com/public_meetings/2013/061333/Flyer.pdf

[Smith]

Not sure where this best fits but it appears that a Sonic is going up across Col. Glenn from the Rave and below the new Ford dealership.  I have always wondered why more food options were not out there.

[ArkansasTraveler]

Construction workers are busy at the eastern end of Pleasant Valley Plaza, along Rodney Parham Road.  So, I went in the other day to Delicious Temptations for breakfast and to ask who their new neighbor would be.  Ken Rash's is preparing to move from their longtime Cantrell Road store into the shopping center.  No firm timetable yet on the opening in the new location.

[Arkanzin]

Yes.  I saw this on the Plumbing Permit website but had no idea where Rash would be opening on Rodney Parham Road.  

 

What was located there previously? 

[ArkansasTraveler]

Yes.  I saw this on the Plumbing Permit website but had no idea where Rash would be opening on Rodney Parham Road.  

 

What was located there previously? 

Assorted businesses were in that part of the strip, but much of it was the western branch of The Toggery (now in Pleasant Ridge Town Center), the women's boutique Companions (now at Taylor Loop & Cantrell, behind Walgreens), and Reflections Art Galley (not sure if they didn't close altogether). Oxford Jewelers had also set up shop briefly in the anchor spot at the end, having relocated from North Little Rock's McCain Mall after many years in operation there.

[Smith]

The new Slim Chickens at 301 N. Shackleford (Old Arby's location) opened today.

[adman0468]

After what seemed like forever, the LA Fitness on Chenal opened yesterday. Went today and the facility is great. Probably 50 bikes in the spinning class room. More weight machines than you could do in a session. A pool (not quite finished), kid's babysitting and gorgeous locker area. Once the midtown one opens, I see a pretty big shake-up in fitness centers in Little Rock, especially with the limping War Memorial Fitness Center (Jim Dailey, if you must).

[ArkansasTraveler]

Bank branch closures have been reported as part of the Simmons First/Metropolitan National merger.  Existing Metropolitan branches in WLR slated to close, according to the Democrat-Gazette are inside the Chenal Kroger Marketplace and along Colonel Glenn Road, while an existing Simmons branch nearer Shackleford and I-630 will close in favor of the Metropolitan branch located across from Barnes & Noble, plus Simmons First will vacate its Merrill Drive branch in favor of the Metropolitan branch at Colony West Shopping Center, 

[adman0468]

The Mini dealer looks very close to opening. I have heard early June.

 

Down the street, the former Bale Kia now has a temporary sign for Bale Isuzu Trucks.

[Architect]

I'm still perplexed about the lack of a Porsche dealer in a market this size...I guess the situation is a bit odd since Porsche has made efforts the past 5-8 years to distance itself from Audi (and NOT partner or share dealerships) about the time Parker Audi opened, and we're not a big enough market for a stand-alone Porsche dealer (overhead costs would be too great).  Other similar markets (and smaller) have Porsche already paired with Audi/VW, and of course they're not making existing dealers change.

 

p.s.  As some of you may recall, Riverside Motors originally and successfully carried Audi, Porsche and Mercedes for YEARS until Mercedes told Riverside that they would carry Mercedes exclusively or not at all, so they jettisoned them (admitted at that time, both their model lineups were relatively weak in the mid-80's).

[burnz34]

Anything new happening

[Smith]

I am guessing this would count as west Little Rock but does anyone know about the new strip center on Col. Glenn across from the Metroplex?  The west end is some sort of restaurant with patio seating.  It has a now hiring sign up but no other signage to say who is hiring.  The east end is set up with a small, single window drive thru.  There are two, maybe three, storefronts in between.  No signage on any of them. 

[ArkansasTraveler]

Not sure of the restaurant, though the talk a few years back had the prospect of a Little Rock branch of Conway's Marketplace Grill for that area.

[Smith]

I am guessing this would count as west Little Rock but does anyone know about the new strip center on Col. Glenn across from the Metroplex?  The west end is some sort of restaurant with patio seating.  It has a now hiring sign up but no other signage to say who is hiring.  The east end is set up with a small, single window drive thru.  There are two, maybe three, storefronts in between.  No signage on any of them. 

 

Here is what I found with some googling.  It is called The Shoppes at Colonel Glenn and the restaurant is a Mexican restaurant.

 

http://www.cityfeet.com/cont/forlease/ln16951080/10815-colonel-glenn-road-little-rock-ar-72204

 

Edited June 3, 2014 by Smith

[burnz34]

Cool

[Arkanzin]

I predict it will be a Senor Tequila.  Why not?  They are everywhere!