GRAPEVINE - Imagine a playground for adult golfers.
Golf Galaxy has two indoor driving ranges, one for men and the other for women, a large indoor putting green, three golf swing simulators and two instructional areas. In between all that are thousands of square feet of everything needed to play the game, including apparel, shoes, bags, clubs and balls.A PGA or LPGA golf pro in-house is there to help patrons improve their game.All that, in 50,351 square feet, is coming to the former Albertson's grocery store space at 2100 W. Northwest Highway.The store, a golf specialty retailer owned by Dick's Sporting Goods, has leased the site. The 67,495-square-foot space, owned by Grapevine Consolidated Group of Lewisville, has been empty since 2006."We are ecstatic about it," said Bruno Rumbelow, Grapevine's city manager. He said having a "class A tenant" fill the large space where Northwest Highway and State Highway 114 meet at the city's border with Southlake will be a "positive influence" on other retail stores in the area and will increase city revenues.A spokeswoman for Golf Galaxy would not confirm the move or any other information.Dick's latest annual report describes the golf stores as "designed to create an exciting and interactive shopping environment for the golf enthusiast."The company claims to offer interactive areas, such as an "artificial bent grass green and golf simulators" to add "to the entertainment value of the shopping experience." The business allows customers to test the products before buying them. Each store has either a Professional Golf Association member or Ladies Professional Golf Association member on staff for consultation and lessons, according to the report.There currently are 81 Golf Galaxy stores in 30 states including six in Texas. The nearest locations in the Metroplex are in Lewisville and Dallas near Northpark mall."Golf participation rates are considered in selecting sites for our Golf Galaxy stores," the report says, in addition to other business factors such as demographics, population, household income and age.Matt Luedtke, assistant vice president with The Weitzman Group of Dallas, which handled the lease negotiations on behalf of the owners, said he has seen increased interest in some of the big-box spaces in the area that have been empty. "Over the last several months we've see an uptick across the board in interest in old anchor spaces," he said.Having a new anchor store is important, said RaDonna Hessel, president of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce and a part-time golfer. "More traffic means more business," she said. "A golf store, while golf specific, also is an athletic store selling shorts, shirts, socks and so one. While not everybody golfs, everybody who golfs buys other things."The new store is an important indication of business improvements, she said citing the difficulty of filling retail space while the DFW Connector project continues. "Because of the connector, you're not surprised when a venue that large stays empty," Hessel said. "No investor wants to go in that when you know the road to the front door is challenging."But having Golf Galaxy as a new anchor store for the retail center will be a strong benefit to nearby businesses as well as the city. She said the store will provide "a good, solid tax base for the community."The building permit with the city says the project's value will be $800,000. According to the Tarrant Appraisal District, the market value of the property has been declining from a high of almost $3.8 million five years ago to almost $1.37 million this year. Most of that lost value has been with the building.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
