by Soft opening is set for mid-July, with grand opening Aug. 1
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Miskelly Furniture is headed to Northern Mississippi to open its newest store here on Highway 12 early in August.
The store is set for a soft opening in mid-July with a grand opening set for Aug. 1. When opened, this will represent Miskelly’s seventh location, the retailer said.
According to CEO Oscar Miskelly, the retailer will open a 40,000-square-foot facility in what had formerly been a grocery store previously developed by former Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt.
Starkville, also home of the iconic Mississippi State University, also appealed to the retailer, for a host of reasons, Miskelly told Home News Now. “We’ve always been a fan of college towns, and I especially like the young energy these towns bring. Also, Starkville, being a college town, gives us a wonderful opportunity to introduce young people to our brand and gives us a great pool of resources when it comes to hiring,” Miskelly added.
And while a college town has more than its share of upsides, Miskelly said the entire Starkville area is experiencing strong and sustained growth.
He explained that Japan-based tire titan, Yokohama Tire Manufacturing, made a recent initial $300 million investment in the area, establishing an operational headquarters in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park in Starkville that houses several business functions, including administrative, human resources, information management and planning.
Earlier, Steel Dynamics Inc. announced the selection of Columbus, a short drive from Starkville, for the company’s previously announced greenfield state-of-the-art, recycled aluminum flat rolled mill.
The combination of an energetic and upbeat college town surrounded and supported by a steadily growing economy made the Starkville location too good to pass up, Miskelly said.
“The Starkville location, which will feature 37,000 square feet of selling space, is about two hours from Jackson, and we’re going to deliver out of the Jackson distribution center. We’ll run up there with next-day delivery, and we will be able to service those customers better than they have ever been serviced,” Miskelly said.
While the product assortments will closely mirror those of the existing store (top brands include Ashley, Vintage and International Furniture Direct in case goods; Ashley, Franklin and Homestretch in upholstery; and Tempur-Pedic, Miskelly’s brand, Diamond, and Sealy in bedding), Miskelly said, “We will have some price points and products that will appeal to college students, including mattresses and futons.”
This week, the company has already set up billboards in Starkville announcing the new store and says it will do “lots of promoting” the first two weeks to celebrate its seventh location and is also working on a host of promotions for Labor Day.
“We are confident that Starkville is the right location for the products and price points we offer and will also provide us with top-line growth,” Miskelly said.
