The Leesville community is constantly developing from grocery stores to new restaurant chains. Leesville Marketplace and Leesville Towne Centre are two hotspots for students to shop and eat and with major retail space now available, many wonder what new stores will come to the Leesville area.
Leesville Marketplace is the newest shopping center in the community, centered around the grocery store chain Publix. The area features 13,000 square feet of space and already is leasing out locations to Sport Clips, Noire Nail Bar and Hollywood Feed.
Hollywood Feed is the newest pet store to the Leesville area, rivaling Pet People across the street near Harris Teeter. Hollywood Feed brings a more gourmet and expensive pet store to the area in comparison to the lower priced Pet People. However, both stores offer a variety of goods for many household pets.
The Leesville community also is home to multiple drug stores on the corner of Strickland and Leesville. Rite Aid occupied one of the 3 drug store spots, but in August 2018, the company announced their buyout by Walgreens. Rite Aid struggled financially in the Leesville area, especially with competition from the two largest pharmacies located on either side of them: CVS and Walgreens.
LoopNet, a realtor site for businesses listed the location of Rite Aid and within months, the property is no longer available. While the building is undergoing renovations, there is no official announcement on what will occupy the space.
Grocery stores dominate the Leesville area, and two stores that are competing for the number one spot are Harris Teeter and Publix. Harris Teeter is the largest supermarket chain in North Carolina, based out of Matthews, NC. The chain has 15 locations in the Triangle, with some being less than 5 miles apart from each other. The growing area surrounding the Leesville community is all too familiar with the chain, with a location residing right on Strickland Road.
Yet, the constant development of the area allowed in late 2018 the supermarket chain Publix to build across the street from Harris Teeter. With success from the new competitors, Harris Teeter is expanding to the old Kroger location on Creedmoor Road. This means 6 Harris Teeters will be accessible to students in need of jobs.
In contrast, the Brier Creek area is opening retail space in the Shoppes at Alexander Place. This retail space is home to stores such as Best Buy, Dover Saddlery, and Plato’s Closet. Development in the area will bring a new grocery store to the area, rivaling the new Harris Teeter in Brier Creek. Online realtor sites and the official licenser (Trinity Partners), hint at another Publix location taking that spot.
For the community, new restaurants in the area hope to drive in customers. Mellow Mushroom recently expanded operations to Brier Creek, and plans to open April 15. The opening brings new part time jobs for Leesville students.
Some Leesville students are already taking steps to get jobs at Mellow Mushroom. Lorin Pressley, a junior, spoke about her interest in working there. “[Mellow Mushroom] is one of my favorite restaurants and I’m really excited they are opening one that’s so much closer,” said Pressley. The overall vibe that is at Mellow Mushroom received an influx of applications and many students have spoken out about their anticipation of the opening. “The restaurant was definitely very cool…I can’t wait to go with my friends when it opens,” said Pressley.
As summer approaches, new stores and restaurants will continue to pop up and give students the opportunity to hang out with their friends and find new places to enjoy.
