Do you remember last year when all of Fayetteville was so excited to help local couple Jared and Sarah Greer win a free TCBY franchise? Then there was a big celebration on the Fayetteville Square when it was announced that they had won the national competition. Mayor Lioneld Jordan was there to brag on them, and Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce President Steve Clark proclaimed, “This is great news for our city and our citizens." Local television stations and Hogville.net boasted, "Jared and Sarah Greer win the TCBY for Fayetteville!" The Greers told everyone they would open the new store near the University of Arkansas campus.
That was then. The Greers announced on October 13 that their 1,800 square foot TCBY store with 15 employees would be located at the Promenade Pointe Shopping Center in Rogers. Jared Greer said, "We feel this is the best real estate space in Northwest Arkansas for our needs.”
Jared Greed has a Masters in Business Administration from the Walmart School of Business at the University of Arkansas. Sarah Greed has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Walton School. They certainly learned well and taught Fayetteville a lesson.
Jeff Dickey tried to tell you that Fayetteville was unfriendly to business. Now that the hippie ass tree hugging rainbow eggheads in city government have run off another good new business, maybe you'll listen. We lost Cracker Barrel because of your strict sign ordinance, and other local businesses like Kohl's can't even remove trees on their own property. We need change and balance on the city council, not more of the same. Get Pickey! Vote Dickey!
ReplyDeleteis it maybe because there's already a yogurt shop 5 feet away from campus? smart move I'd say
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteLikely with shopping centers going bankrupt in Benton County by the week rent up there is mucho lower.
Would be a cold day in Hell before Tom lowers rents on Dickson St.
Holding two Wal-Mart stamps of approval means being closer to the Fatherland which surely comes close to reaching Heaven.
Seems like, from your TV link above the choice was not the Greers to make
ReplyDeleteIf the Greers win TCBY would scout out the entire Northwest Arkansas area and choose the best location for the new store. The franchise would be worth $315,000 and the winner would have the freedom to operate it all on their own.
Then there was this from the enthusiastic Fayetteville-On-The-Square announcement:
As graduates of the University of Arkansas, the Greers plan to find a location for the new store near the UA campus in Fayetteville, and eventually add more locations throughout Northwest Arkansas.
Faith chillren, faith. Once Obama is ousted and the depression winds down who knows, there could be one on College Ave close to their old location on College Ave before Raygun screwed the pooch.
.
Cracker Barrel can stay right where it is with their giant sign. It's ok for a chain, not above eating there...but really, it's not worth the trade-off.
ReplyDeleteThe video the Greers produced to promote themselves in the contest said they would locate the store "right next to the University of Arkansas" and every location they featured in their video was in Fayetteville. False advertising if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteHow could TCBY officials stand at the press conference in Fayetteville with Steve Clark and Mayor Jordan and then turn their backs on the community that supported them? If they knew that all of NWA was in the running for the store location, they should have never allowed that press conference to go forward. More false advertising.
This is not at all a case of Fayetteville being unfriendly to business. Fayetteville is the reason the Greers won that contest. Sure they got votes from elsewhere, but it was Fayetteville that promoted them and brought in the mass voting.
Fayetteville doesn't need people like this. Rogers can have them.
Look at the owner-developer infighting and financial stigmatization of much of the Pinnacle area to see where business-friendliness can get you. At least the rents are low.
ReplyDeleteThen ask the banks in the area how business-friendly Rogers is.
Maybe this will confirm the rumor that the whole university is moving to benton county along with the Walton Art Center. Enough vacant land already cleared for defunct developments is available cheap.
ReplyDeleteWhich leads to the question of why the University decided to build a "world trade center" in Rogers? How much tuition money is it costing Arkansas students and their parents to operate this center for outsourcing jobs and importing cheap goods from China? We know who benefits from that, but why must Arkansas taxpayers fund it for them? On an upnote, the large administrative staff of UA employees in Rogers can now get a TCBY double dip and soon attend performances by Broadway touring groups.
ReplyDeleteThey can keep their Cracker Barrel and TCBY franchises. I'm thinking about lunch at Hugo's, and just might splurge with a Bliss Cupcake afterwards.
ReplyDeleteThis type of action is so typical of this age group.
ReplyDeleteThey really don't have any sense of loyalty or honor.
"This Crap Be Yogurt" can just co-exist with their buddies at pinnacle.
I'll just go get a cone at Brenda's Bigger Burger. F**k them.