Chelsea Rose, who handles community engagement and economic development for the city, provided an economic development update during the work session prior to the Oct. 2 Colleyville City Council meeting.
Put in perspective
In the past few months, Nekter Juice Bar, 99 Cent Only Store, LOOK Dine-In Cinema and Black Walnut Cafe shuttered their doors. Those closures lowered the commercial occupancy rate from 94% to 92%, Rose said.
She noted that there has been interest in the LOOK Dine-In Cinema and 99 Cents Only Store retail spaces from family entertainment companies. Brunch, dining and smoothie concepts have reached out to the city about the empty Nekter Juice Bar and Black Walnut Cafe spaces.
“As a city, we always want businesses and the people and families who run them to succeed,” Rose said. “If a business has chosen its best path forward is to close, this creates an opening for a small business or national brand or concept to be welcomed to the community. Currently in Colleyville, many of the recent opportunities have seen a lot of interest. This is encouraging because there are businesses waiting in the wings to find their next home.”
Long story short
During her presentation, Rose said the key components in bringing a new business to Colleyville are to listen, gather information and try to find a match.
That includes getting feedback from residents on what is wanted in Colleyville. In her presentation, Rose said some of the most asked-for options in Colleyville include:
- Eatertainment
- Indoor-play concepts
- Restaurants
- Wine bistros
- Hangout locations
- Retail/children’s boutiques
- Pickleball courts
She said some businesses are looking for a smaller footprint than in the past. There is a 7,000-square-foot space where Black Walnut Cafe was, while the empty Blu Crab Seafood House & Bar offers a 5,000-square-foot option.
A closer look
Rose said some deals are moving slower than usual due to buyers being cautious. Another issue that the city deals with is location. Rose said many retailers at the national level will look at multiple locations, usually neighboring cities, to find the right fit.
One area where that is seen is on Glade Road off SH 121. The north side of the road is Grapevine and Colleyville, while the south side of the road is Euless and Colleyville.
“Recruiting a business to a city requires wild amounts of collaboration and teamwork,” Rose said. “It has to work for everyone in some way, shape or form. There are a lot of conversations and creativity. The beautiful thing about our northeast Tarrant County region is there is truly a fit for most business location needs.”
