[thewizard16]

Originally Posted by ladybug35

I live in Memphis now, but every time I go home, I wish that there were more shopping options. An Old Navy would do great (where do tourist kids buy those cheap flip flops? Old Navy), and I think a Target would go over well too.

But really, I'm just glad we got a Chinese restaurant that isn't Diamond Head.

Bamboo Garden and Chinese Palace (now becoming a Panda something or other) have been there for well over a decade, and I think both were better than Chen's Garden. I can see an Old Navy succeeding there, but it'd need solid retail offerings around it too. If the new mall could get some momentum going, that would be a good spot for it and bring some activity back to the middle of town.

Spotty- You're exactly right. I remember some people being skeptical that Chili's would succeed, but within the year of opening the franchise owners were wishing they'd built a restaurant twice as big. It does a solid weekly business and it often full on weekends with a long wait. Colton's opened recently and has been doing very well too. I don't think El Chico is doing as well, but the people there are pretty loyal to their existing, more authentic El Charro.

A higher end grocery might do well, I'm not sure. There is a lot of money in the area (a lot of the higher end houses have a significant amount of land to hide on, but you can see just by looking at Big Creek Country Club and some of the upscale neighborhoods near the lake that there is a decent portion of the population with disposable income), but even with the relatively high income population segment and the regional draw for business Mountain Home has, it's hard for businesses of that size to decide to locate there.

[Spottydog02]

I used to live in a little town east of Bellingham, WA called Deming, 5000 residents. We had a wonderfully charming grocery store that stocked fabulous produce, fresh fish, meats & upscale food items, microbrewery beer, wine from local vineyards. It was always busy. Even roadside stands selling fresh produce out on dirt roads do business. If people will pay $4 a day for coffee that they could make at home for pennies, they will do business in a place that is pleasing to the senses.