Anchor store nears opening at Parrish’s Creekside Commons. Here are all the businesses
Creekside Commons shopping center now has an opening date for anchor store Lowes – Dec. 30 – leading the way for other previously announced businesses.
Also planned for the shopping center at 8740 U.S. 301 N. are:
- Aldi supermarket
- South Philly Cheesesteaks
- Five Below specialty discount store
- Home Goods
- Crunch Fitness
- Blossom Nail Lounge
- Verizon phone store
How vital is it for a shopping center to have an anchor store?
Originally, Walmart was going to be the shopping center anchor, but backed out of the project in 2017.
Construction virtually ground to a halt at the Benderson Development site for the next three years until paperwork was filed in 2020 with Manatee County government to build a Lowes there.
The news was greeted with enthusiasm by Parrish residents.
“It kind of worked out to our favor,” Gretchen Fowler said in 2020. At the time, Fowler was president of the Parrish Civic Association.
Last week, workers were busy setting up and stocking the new Lowes store in preparation for its opening.
With 98,000-square-feet of space to fill, it takes 20 to 30 trucks a day, running seven days a week, to fill those shelves, said store manager Brittany Wagner.
Eventually, the store will have 170 associates. Lowes is still hiring there.
Going into the store were 300 tons of steel, 3,500 cubic yards of concrete for the floor, and 1,500 gallons of paint, just for the ceiling.
In 2004, Benderson purchased the 50-acre site for $2.12 million. The project was first approved in 2008 but construction plans came to a halt during the Great Recession. Benderson originally filed for construction permits in April 2016.
Since plans were first announced for Creekside Commons, Parrish has experienced booming growth, raising resident expectations and demands for amenities and services.
The Mellgren Planning Group of Fort Lauderdale facilitated a visioning session with Parrish residents in 2019 to see what they wanted for their community.
More retail, improved traffic safety, more public places, sidewalks, and more paved roads were high on the list.
In large part because of the development of Creekside Commons, the U.S. 301-Erie Road intersection has been upgraded, including the addition of a double turn lane, to handle increased traffic.
This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
