More Shopping Opportunities in NW Arkansas

Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has finally come to Bentonville. It seems odd that it took so many years for Wal-Mart to open its own wholesale membership club in the city it calls home, but at last, it has happened.

The store is huge, the inventory is huge, and the crowds on opening day were huge.

The big box look has been updated a bit. The building boasts more than 140,000 square feet under roof with 54 skylights, a coffee bar and a large white pipe at the entrance that transports aromas from the store's bakery directly to the noses of incoming customers.

The only other Sam’s Club in NW Arkansas is located in Springdale. Plans call for that store to close when a new Sam’s is opened in Fayetteville. The new store has been delayed for several months while the courts settle opposition brought by local liquor stores over the sale of liquor at that site. Arkansas liquor laws are complicated so I won’t bore you with all the wrangling that has been going on. Suffice it to say the Fayetteville Sam’s Club is probably a year away.

Pinnacle Hills Promenade, the newest destination for upscale shopping, is now open at I-540 and Perry Road in Rogers. Everything (almost everything) you always wanted can be found there. The Promenade calls itself a “lifestyle.”

Anchors are JCPenney and Arkansas’ own Dillard’s. Malco Theaters will feature an updated look and 12 screens for your viewing enjoyment. There are too many specialty shops to list here in addition to food of all types. Some stores, such as Barnes & Noble, aren’t open yet but will be soon.

The open-air mall features almost 1 million square feet of retail and office space along with beautiful architecture, fountains and verdant landscaping.

Naturally, something of this magnitude creates a need for more infrastructure. New intersections have already been created and construction is underway in I-540 for new on- and off-ramps. When complete, they will replace the Perry Road overpass and the new road will be named “Promenade.” Time will tell what else has to be done as other businesses are lured to the area.

The City of Rogers will receive millions of dollars in sales tax revenue when everything is built out and operating.

But let’s not forget Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville. It has been open for several years and has been a mainstay for the entire area, including parts of Missouri and Oklahoma. It not only has JCPenney and Dillard’s but also a large Sears. All together some 100 stores are there – all heated and air-conditioned indoors.

NW Arkansas Mall is conveniently located on Hwy. 71B, where north Fayetteville and south Springdale meet.

Most likely NW Arkansas Mall will lose a bit of business for the first couple of months after the Promenade opens. That always happens because people just like to see what’s new. But I think there is enough growth to support both malls. I also think when it’s 96 degrees (F.) in August or a snowy 20 dgrees (F.) in February, many people will prefer indoor shopping.


For more information:

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=0

http://www.pinnaclehillspromenade.com/html/index9.asp

http://www.generalgrowth.com/Properties/ndPinnacle_Hills.htm

http://www.northwestarkansasmall.com/