Ted Hutto of Tarat Properties out of Pampa, which has purchased the former Kroger location at 302 N. Main Avenue, informed BrownwoodNews.com following Tuesday’s meeting of the Brownwood Municipal Development District Board of Directors that Shoe Dept. Encore will occupy a significant portion of the building, which is currently being renovated.
The former Kroger is 27,000 square feet and Shoe Dept. Encore will take up 15,550 square feet of space, according to Hutto.
“They sought us,” Hutto said of the process of attracting Shoe Dept. Encore to Brownwood. “We were pretty blessed that we acquired the building and within three months they approached us. It took about three or four months of negotiations but we signed the contract over the summer.”
Shoe Dept. Encore is expected to open either at the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter of 2024, according to Hutto.
“We’re redoing everything,” Hutto said. “We just replaced the floor. There will be a new facade, new utilities, everything will be new.”
A second tenant – which has not yet been determined – will occupy the remaining 11,500 square feet. There is no timetable currently on when the space will be filled.
“There’s a lot of people showing interest, but as we progress and people see what it’s going to look like I think we’ll get even more attention,” Hutto said. “We’re looking for another national tenant like Shoe Dept. Encore.”
Tipton also stated plans for the former OYO Hotel location, where demolition and clearance have been completed, additional information would be shared in the near future.
