The owner of a new CityMac store recently closed on the former downtown J.C. Penney store and should open in about two months.
CityMac, an Apple authorized retailer based in Asheville, N.C., recently completed its purchase of the building at 629 State St., where Short Sheet Fabric currently operates. That business will relocate to Euclid Avenue, City Manager Dewey Cashwell said.
“We’re very excited they’ve [CityMac] closed on the property and should begin work anytime,” Cashwell said.
The downtown store will be the company’s third location. They are slated to stock much of the Apple product line, including iPads, iMac desktop computers, Mac Book laptop computers and a full range of accessories. The store won’t sell iPhones, which are sold through telephone service providers, but will stock iPhone accessories.
The new business will also feature CityMug, a coffee shop and café serving sandwiches, quiche, bagels, pastries and cookies.
Owner Jim Neu said he was relieved his company officially closed on a Bristol site – and that plans to open in May or June remain on schedule.
“It’s a big deal,” Neu said of landing the location. “I’m looking forward to being open as soon as possible. Whether that’s on May 1 or June 1, it’s too early to say.”
Neu said the building’s interior needs to be dramatically renovated, and that work has already begun. “We have some work to do, because it hasn’t had many major updates since the 1970s,” Neu said. “But it’s a great site and we’re excited to have it.”
Neu has said the new CityMac is expected not only to attract business from the Bristol market and across Southwest Virginia, but customers will likely come from Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and North Carolina as well.
Currently, many area shoppers seeking Apple Store products travel to CityMac’s North Carolina store or an Apple Store in Knoxville, according to Neu.
Neu will receive a $500,000 financial incentive from the city. That amount was previously approved by the city’s Industrial Development Authority, said Andrew Trivette, the city’s director of economic and community development.
“An additional $75,000 incentive will be held in reserve for any unanticipated code requirement improvements,” Trivette said.
In exchange, the company agrees to spend no less than $300,000 on the operation and outfitting of the building – including the Apple brand products, the coffee shop and café. The company is also required to hire at least 18 employees and meet certain sales tax minimums, Trivette said.
“There is also a deed of trust on the property. If they decide to sell the property within a 10-year period, the city has the right of first refusal to buy the property, which does an excellent job protecting the city’s investment.”
dmcgee@bristolnews.com
(276) 645-2532
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