One of the last vacant Kmarts at Governor’s Square in Bear appears to be on its way to being filled.
Fun City, an indoor entertainment center with locations in New Jersey, earlier announced via sign, it would occupy space in the sprawling store space.
Fun City is one of a number of several such centers of varying sizes and configurations designed to wear out and entertain youngsters. Holding a birthday party at these spots can be cheaper renting one of those bouncy houses.
It will be interesting to see if the four gas stations on a corner saturation of such spots will lead to a shakeout down the road.
The second occupant is Tractor Supply, a nationwide chain that started out as a mail order parts supplier, but went on to become a mainstay in supplying rural America, offering with everything from horse feed to casual clothing.
In appealing to suburbanites it also added upscale Weber barbecue grills to its product lines.
TSC has since moved into the edges of metro areas, while keeping a rural flavor in its advertising.
The closest location to the Bear site is Elkton, MD. TSC already has seven stores in all three Delaware counties.
Bear is an attractive location, thanks to the lack of a state sales tax. That will help Tractor Supply sell tractors – the riding lawn mower variety.
The store will provide an option for the nearby Lowe’s which is seeing more competition for some of its product lines, such as mowers.
Tractor Supply has 2,200 stores in 49 states.
Construction work is underway on both the Tractor Supply and Fun City projects.
Hobby Lobby heading to Prices Corner
To the north at the the Prices Corner Shopping Center west of Wilmington, the leasing agent disclosed that Hobby Lobby has leased space.
The popular and sometimes controversial crafting chain earlier opened a store at University Plaza Shopping Center south of Newark and has a third location in Dover.
Owners of the Oklahoma based chain, ruffle feathers with beliefs that included successfully suing the government over their health plan that does not pay for birth control pills. There were also scrapes with the law over acquiring a collection of Middle East artifacts.
Prices Corner has seen a turnaround as enclosed malls faded. Target, after scouting the area for years, built a new store at the former Sears site. Prices Corner has also held on to a JC Penney store.
