TopGolf, Ad Corner, JCP news good: FBA
2nd Health-Wellness Expo, 1st set Jan. 9, now 2022
Good news was told about the pending opening of a Town business, which features architecture unique to Farragut and is located at one of its two business intersections, along with the pending groundbreaking of what has been established as a national tourism draw.
Admirals Corner’s anticipated opening, TopGolf’s eventual groundbreaking along Outlet Drive and the apparent survival of Farragut JCPenney were detailed during Shop Farragut-Farragut Business Alliance’s virtual meeting Thursday morning, Nov. 19.
However, the Town’s 2nd Annual Health & Wellness Expo has been delayed a full year.
TopGolf timetable
Dealing with the closures and business limitation caused by COVID-19, and being acquired by a popular golf company, were reasons given for TopGolf’s failure by early December to break ground for its new location along Outlet Drive.
However, a general target time frame has been given anticipating that groundbreaking.
“I would hope that, for us, springtime (for) getting started out there,” David Smoak, Town administrator, told the Alliance.
“They’ve done most of the work they need to from a planning standpoint,” he added. “But we have not gotten anything turned in yet.”
Meanwhile, “They were bought out by Callaway Golf,” Smoak said. “During COVID they shut down, then they had the acquisition by Callaway Golf in the works — they wanted to wait until that was pretty much done.
“And that got completed just about a month ago,” he added. “So Callaway now owns, I want to say 86 percent of TopGolf.”
In addition to including its pro shops in TopGolf, which naturally would feature Callaway golf equipment and apparel, “Maybe give us an opportunity to do something with them as far as Farragut apparel recruiting the Callaway brand,” said Farragut Mayor Ron Williams, also an Alliance member.
“A lot of exciting things ahead, we just have to let it run its course,” he added.
“It would be cool if Callaway sponsored the Farragut High School golf team, just saying,” Alliance chair Candace Viox said.
“Don’t worry. When the time comes we’ll have Dr. (John) Bartlett (FHS principal) and Donald Dodgen (athletic director) involved in talking with them about that,” Williams said.
“They’ve already said the Farragut golf team will be able to practice at TopGolf,” he added. “That was a pretty good offer. We need to take it one step further — maybe.”
Admirals Corner
Admirals Corner, the new business coming to the corner of North Campbell Station Road and Kingston Pike, is “probably looking at a December opening date,” Smoak said. “But they don’t have a definitive date yet.”
JCPenney survival
“The Simon (& Brookfield) deal has been approved to acquire JCPenney stores and keep them open,” said Jim Nixon, a real estate negotiator who is with Farragut Land Partners, “landlord” of the JCP property, and an Alliance member.
“They have been more responsive to us as their landlord there in Turkey Creek, which is a Farragut store.
“We believe they may eventually come out of the bankruptcy,” Nixon added. “They still have a short period of time to say whether they are going to continue with that store or not.
“But we believe, from all indications, that they will.”
Although some final details “have to be done by the bankruptcy acquisition in December and early January before it comes final, it’s looking to us like they are going to continue there as a JCPenney,” he said.
Health-Wellness Expo
The Expo has been moved from Jan. 9, 2021, to a date in January 2022. The Board vote was unanimous.
“That January time period is extremely important as far as the prime time for folks to sign up for gym memberships and for bettering themselves,” said Alliance member Tony Cox, president of Republic Newspapers, Inc., parent company of farragutpress, where he also serves as publisher.
It also was suggested to consider holding a half-marathon or 5k running event to further promote the Expo. No action was taken on that suggestion.
Staff praise
“Bud McKelvey (Town Public Works director) and his staff have worked really hard to try to make Christmas as festive as possible,” Smoak said about their work, again this year, to install Light the Park trees and other holiday fixtures and their lighting. “They do every year, but they’ve gone a little extra this year trying to give people a little bit more to be cheery about with the 2020 that we’ve been through.”
