For a couple of months, locals have seen activity in the retail space on Military Road, next to Planet Fitness. I have received several inquiries from readers and I heard rumors that it would either be a hardware store or a furniture store. I caught some employees that are getting the space ready, and they set the rumors to rest.
It’s going to be Barton’s Home Improvement. They will sell items like cabinets, plumbing, flooring, and more. The address is in the 1500 block of Military Road.
Barton’s is a chain with 95 stores in the United States and Canada, including five locations in Arkansas – Conway, Pine Bluff, Rogers, West Memphis, and Jonesboro where the company started in 1885 by P.C. Barton. The company introduced an program in 1975 for employees to buy stock and by 1993 it became 100% employee owned, according to their website.
The workers at the Benton location say we can expect the doors to open for business sometime this winter. Watch their website for jobs listings and watch MySaline for updates.