Five Below
coming up
As the Business Pulse reporter, I hear lots of rumors, most of which never come to fruition. Because of this, I'm not a big fan of publishing pure speculation until I can get some level of confirmation. There's no use getting people excited about the possibility of a new store or restaurant which never materializes.
One store I've been hearing rumors about for several months is Five Below. I've heard several different Warren County locations which were purported to be the landing spot for the store, and I've been keeping an ear out for more information.
Last week I was able to get confirmation that, indeed, Five Below is coming to Warren County. Specifically, it's coming to the spot previously occupied by the Outdoor Shop and, more recently, Nationwide and other businesses in Northgate Shopping Center.
Talks between Northgate officials and Five Below began around March or April and obviously went well. It's now a done deal and work on the over-9,000-square-feet space has been ongoing for a couple of weeks. The official turn-over date to Five Below will be in the coming weeks. Tentatively, a late spring, 2025 opening is targeted.
Currently, the closest Five Below is in Manchester's Whispering Pines Shopping Center, 22 miles from McMinnville. Another, 24 miles away, is in West Town Plaza in Sparta.
On Wednesday, the discount retail store chain ended a six-month search for a new CEO, settling on former Forever 21 CEO Winnie Park. She will join the board and assume the role currently held by interim CEO Kenneth Bull on Dec. 16.
Five Below targets pre-teen and teen customers. On Thursday, Five Below shares were up 14% following the Park announcement and a "solid" Black Friday report.
The store offers most items priced between $1 and $5 with some "extreme value items" priced above $5, up to $25. Five Below was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Philadelphia. Today, according to the company's website, there are nearly 1,700 Five Below stores in 43 states.
Five Below carries many big brand names, including Squishmallows, Hello Kitty, Marvel, Disney, Nickelodeon, Star Wars and more.
Good news for
people who
like to eat
Garfield famously hates Mondays. Perhaps his opinion will soften once he hears it is now easier to get delicious lasagna on that day.
As fans of Gondola Restaurant, at least a couple of times a month when my wife and I are going through the marriage-testing ordeal of deciding what to eat, we'll decide to go to Gondola on a Monday. That's when we remember Gondola, like so many other restaurants in Warren County, is closed on Monday.
Well, fret no more! Gondola has announced that, starting this Monday, the restaurant will be open seven days a week. This is big news for those of us looking for an extra eating option and is a big move for a McMinnville favorite since 1989.
Family business
A local is making a name for himself as well as building on his family's legacy in the wood flooring world. Justin Spivey of Cumberland Lumber & Mfg. Co. in McMinnville has been included in the December issue of Hardwood Floors, the magazine of the National Wood Flooring Association.
Justin has been named to the magazine's prestigious 40 Under 40 list created to recognize young professionals who are shaping the future of the industry.
Justin, VP and sales manager at Cumberland Lumber, is listed at No. 33 on the list, which is sorted alphabetically.
His entry reads, "Before he began working at Cumberland Lumber, Justin Spivey graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Finance at the age of 20. He has worked in some capacity at nearly every position in the company, from lumber puller to grader to accounts receivable. When the company’s sales manager and plant manager retired at the end of 2020, he stepped up and took on both roles until they could find a new plant manager.
"While still involved in daily operations, he now primarily handles all of Cumberland Lumber’s sales. He recently joined the NWFA/NOFMA Solid Wood Flooring Standards Task Force.
"Spivey volunteers with Kids of the Community, a local non-profit that provides summer activities, meals and mentorship for at-risk children. He is also a member of the local Rotary Club."
I heard from Justin's proud mom Karen Spivey who told me all three of her boys, Justin and his brothers Landon and Hamilton, work for the company led by President Buzz Spivey, Karen's husband and the boys' father. Karen is rightfully proud of all her boys as well as her husband.
"All three boys work at Cumberland Lumber which frankly makes me a little jealous because Buzz gets to see them every day now," Karen said. "Landon works in the Human Resources department. Hamilton handles a lot of their computer issues and other projects that cause my eyes to glaze over when explained to me. However, Justin is the one who is the most well known with NWFA because he talks to customers and often attends the annual NWFA Expo."
Congratulations to Justin and all the Spiveys who are continuing a strong family legacy which began with the founding of Cumberland Lumber in 1944 and is currently seeing the fourth generation of Spiveys in leadership roles.
He's coming to town
As you might expect, Santa Claus is a pretty busy guy this month. His schedule is packed with parades and personal appearances, not to mention all the list-checking and managing of elves and reindeer.
That makes it all the more impressive that Reddick Brown Ford has been able to book the big guy. That's right, Santa Claus will be appearing at the local Ford dealership on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 9:30 a.m. - noon for Donuts With Santa. Pictures and donuts will be available at 5917 Manchester Hwy. in Morrison.
So go on out and see jolly ol' Saint Nick on Saturday, and maybe ask him for a Mustang while you're there.
Until next week,
Same biz day,
Same biz page
Thanks for taking some time out from your Christmas shopping to read this edition of Business Pulse. Please send your business tips to me at editor@southernstandard.com.
