Two prominent towns in our east Alabama coverage area have seen abundant growth over the last few months. Oxford and Anniston have had plenty of retail happenings in the last quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021. Here’s a quick summary.
Oxford
- Racetrac: The Racetrac at the intersection of Grace Street and Alabama Highway 21, near Interstate 20, is closing in on completion. We first reported about Racetrac’s being under construction back in October. This will be one of the first locations with an expanded diesel offering in the state of Alabama
- Planet Fitness: Oxford now has another option for those looking to improve their fitness in 2021. Planet Fitness recently opened at 140 Spring Branch Road near the intersection with Tower Road.
- Smoothie King/Buff City Soap: Across from Planet Fitness, those needing a smoothie to recover from their workout and some new soap to wash with have some options right across the parking lot. Smoothie King and Buff City Soap have opened as part of a three-unit retail strip. The tenant for the third space has not been named yet.
- Chick-fil-A Relocating: After the abrupt closure of the Golden Corral at the Oxford Exchange in 2019, the property had sat empty for almost two years. Now life is returning to it as the Oxford Chick-fil-A is relocating to it. The current plan is for the location at Alabama Highway 21 in front of Walmart to close once the new restaurant is complete. The estimated completion date for the new location is the second quarter of 2021.
- Texas Roadhouse/Chipotle: Across the highway from the Exchange, two more restaurants are being added to the Oxford Commons property. Construction is underway on a Texas Roadhouse and Chipotle just north of Panda Express and in front of Moe’s Southwest Grill and Ulta Beauty along Leon Smith Parkway near Interstate 20.
Anniston:
- Crab Barrack: The old Ruby Tuesday restaurant at 712 South Quintard Avenue has found new life as The Crab Barrack. This is actually the restaurant’s second location as the original is based in Birmingham.
- C&J’s Crab Shack to Go: Continuing on the topic of seafood, C&J’s Crab Shack to Go has opened just up the highway in the old TCBY building at 1903 Quintard Avenue. This is an extension location of C&J’s Crab Shack & Bar in Gadsden.
- The Original Hot Dog Factory: The former Rally’s at 400 South Quintard Avenue has also found new life as The Original Hot Dog Factory. The restaurant is a fast-growing franchise with several locations already throughout the eastern United States including six locations in metro Atlanta and one in Birmingham.
- Mike’s Goodyear Becomes Mavis Tire: A changing of brands has taken place for a long time auto service center in Anniston. Mike’s Goodyear has become a Mavis Tire & Brakes. The chain has several locations scattered throughout the United States with concentrations in the southeast and northeast.
