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Books and Bridals and More…With Pizazz!
COLUMBUS, MS – Courtesy of Mary Pollitz and the Dispatch
Local business owner Chase Hazard is in the process of taking over the reins at Pizazz Gifts, a bridal and gift shop with a quarter-century of serving the local community under its belt. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I felt it would be a great addition to the things Uncommon Living is already offering. Mrs. Patti has built such a great business and a great relationship with her customers, and we bonded over wanting to always show exceptional customer service in our town.”
Previous owner, Patti Griffin, said, “I am so excited. . . I’ve had several people approach me about Pizazz over the years, but she was the right one. She’s creative, energetic, kind and is fun to work with. Pizazz is in good hands.”
The shop will soon be rechristened as “Saint and Scott,” in honor of Hazard’s parents. It will be located at 208 5th St S, and they plan to open their doors on March 17th. Until the end of February, the existing Pizazz shop at 2118 Hey 45 N is holding a half-off sale. Hazard plans to retain most of the existing items on offer, while also expanding the list.
Another Columbus mainstay, Friendly City Books, is moving…again! They are getting ready to move around the corner to their new location soon right next to Coffee House On 5th at 109 5th St N. The current location will close up on Valentine’s Day and reopen not long thereafter on the 28th. On the 15th, they plan to form a “human chain” to move the books to the new location; everyone who wishes to volunteer to help is welcome to attend.
The Commercial Dispatch will be selling a bunch of equipment they no longer need starting at 7AM on Saturday, February 7th. Swing on by to check out the wide variety of interesting items they will have on offer, from Apple computers to typesetting trays and more! Enter through the alleyway behind the building.
Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/mary-means-business-pizazz-gets-new-owner-and-friendly-city-books-moves/
Mall Renovations Near $25M; New Tenants – A Waiting Game
COLUMBUS, MS – Courtesy of Cadence Harvey and the Dispatch
Georgia-based Hull Property Group acquired Columbus’ Leigh Mall in 2019 and renamed it as Columbus Place. They have been pouring a great deal of their money into its revitalization, most notably, by giving the parking lot a desperately-needed makeover. John Mulherin, VP of government relations for Hull, is realistic about the mall’s prospects: “The mall property did not devolve down and fail overnight,” he said. “It happened over a period of time. It’s going to take a period of time for it to come back. What we’ve done … (and) the work we’re continuing to do, we continue to invest into the properties to create the best offering (and) the best opportunity for somebody.”
Hull’s holdings there include not only the mall itself, but also several outparcels in the surrounding area that used to house other businesses that had long ago moved on in search of better pastures. Most of those structures have now been demolished, and Hull hopes to develop the land for future use to suit new tenants. The possibilities remain wide open: “It can be developed as anything,” said Mulherin. “We’ve had a lot of success with medical, entertainment use (and) municipal use (in other communities). I don’t know if there’s any of those needs in this community.”
He went on to speak on the expansion work on Old Aberdeen Road which they also now own: “You never really finish. . . You’re always continuing to work on something, and we’ve got a lot of work still to do there to continue to make it an attractive place for folks to land.”
Hull has also been working to bring in new national businesses, as well as clinics, and offices, though interest in the Columbus area as a whole has been spotty at best: “Certainly we’re advertising,” Mulherin said. “We’re talking to people. We’re trying to see who’s interested, this and the other. But at the end of the day, it’s all market driven and (about) who wants to be in Columbus. At this point, we’ve not had any success with that. . . We can control the things that we can control. . . And what we can’t control is what tenant is interested in the market. That’s not just Columbus. That’s everywhere, but … when the door knocks, we’re pretty good at opening the door, and we do think we have a superior property that would be very attractive to new tenants. There is nothing wrong with Columbus, Mississippi,” he added. “It’s a great market. You’ve got great retail around. You serve as a regional draw, and we’ve got really good real estate.”
Mulherin also reinforced that they’re in this for the long haul.
Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/ask-the-dispatch-whats-the-status-of-columbus-place/
