A Roomier Fit for Kentucky Uniform

Kentucky Uniform is constructing a 10,800-squarefoot warehouse/showroom/office on 1.2 acres at the Haymaker Century Plaza on Fortune Drive. The new facility will provide the company with some much-needed space for the Lexington-based company's growing uniform sales business, said owner Tom McCauley.

"We're so busy right now, we can hardly keep up," noted McCauley, who plans to increase his 15-member staff once the company moves into its larger facility around the beginning of April. The additional space will also mean being able to expand the company's products to include medical uniforms, McCauley added.

Approximately 4,000 square feet of the new facility will be dedicated to showroom space and 2,000 square feet allocated for office space. The remaining area will serve as warehouse space.

Kentucky Uniform is presently located at 1525 North Limestone, where it has been doing business since being formed 15 years ago.

The new facility, which is being constructed by Woodford Steel, Inc., is expected to cost between $550,000-600,000.

CVS Building in Nicholasville

CVS Pharmacy, the Rhode Island-based drug store chain that recently acquired Revco pharmacies, is building a free-standing store in downtown Nicholasville.

The 1.25 acre site at 300 North Main Street (which was previously Tractors and Such) sold for $700,000 and is being developed by Greer-Lucas Development Co., LLC. Parker-Sanders Construction Company of Cincinnati is the construction contractor for the project.

The 10,000-square-foot store, which will feature a drive-through window for dropping off and picking up prescriptions, is part of the latest trend in pharmacy development, says Phil Greer, who has developed stores for Revco, Rite-Aid and CVS.

"I think they (pharmacies) are branching out into more items than just drugs," Greer says, pointing out that for many drug stores, retail sales equal that of drugs and prescriptions. "They are trying to develop their own identity."

The Nicholasville CVS stores is slated to open in April.

Georgetown Part of Entertainment Trend

FAC Realty Trust, Inc., a shopping center real estate investment trust (REIT), has announced plans to build a seven-screen multiplex theatre at the Factory Stores of America in Georgetown. Factory Stores of America is located directly off I-75 at Exit 126.

The 1,000-seat complex will feature a newly-created design (called the Stealth Cinema Design) that offers curved screens positioned at 45-degree angles in the comers of the theatre instead of the traditional flat-front wall screens. The design not only enhances the viewing experience but also allows the theatre to build more screens per square foot thereby offering more film choices for the customer, says Buck Kolkmeyer, president of Sho-Pro Inc., the Illinois-based company that will operate the complex.

The theatre will also feature Dolby and DTS digital sound systems, stadium-style seating, a video arcade and party room.

The merging of entertainment and shopping is a growing trend in shopping center development, notes Tim Henson, vice president of leasing for FAC. "With the addition of the theatre, we can offer more choices for the entire family."

Penn Station on the Fast Track

Penn Station has rolled into its second Lexington location at Zandale Plaza, next to Critchfield Meats. The Cincinnati-based restaurant chain, which specializes in Philadelphia-style cheesesteak sandwiches, opened its first Lexington location last January at the South Broadway at Simpson Center and expects to open two more stores in the area within the coming year, according to Michael Kelly, who owns the local franchise along with partners Robert Shingleton and Dick Lynch. Although specific locations have not yet been determined, Kelly noted that the group is considering locations on Richmond Road and possibly along Tates Creek Road or the north part of town.

The Lexington market is part of a company-wide expansion for Penn Station, which was founded in Cincinnati in 1985. In 1997, the privately-held company opened new stores in Lexington, Louisville, St. Louis and Cleveland, bringing the store total to 51. This year, it anticipates adding another 25-30 stores, according to Mel Bedree, vice president of administration for Penn Station.

Property Transactions

130 West Loudon Avenue
1.44 acres (vacant)
Kentucky Utilities Co. to Rite Aid of Kentucky Inc.
$600,000 ($416,667/acre)

1271 Industry Road
107,245-square-foot warehouse on 2.462 acres
William R. & Pattie Short to Cuttis C. & Linda Green
$250,000 ($33.84/square foot)

89 Spuff Road
189-85 acre farm (includes 5,024 s.f. brick residence, three tenant houses, two horse barns, one tobacco barn, one machine shop and one storage building)
Tartan Farm, Inc. to Dromoland Farm, Inc.
$1,050,000 ($5,531/acre)

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