New retail shops and town developments add to the much-beloved shopping experience in Vinton.
There’s no denying that there is a lot going on in Vinton. One of the fastest growing industries in the town is its retail sector.
A major development in Vinton retail over the past year has been the progression of the $3 million redevelopment of Vinyard Station at the iconic Vinton Motors Co. property on S. Pollard Street. The town partnered with the Wilkinson Group to breathe new life into the 15,000-square-foot facility that sat vacant since 2008.
Joe Goodpies, the location’s first tenant, opened to the public in February 2021. The brick oven eatery offers 18 different varieties of pizza, sandwiches and desserts.
An additional five to eight tenants, including a coffee shop and retailers, are expected to open at Vinyard Station in the coming year.
“It was important to redevelop the property because it provides a place for Vinton residents, as well as visitors, to stop for dining or retail options and it serves as the gateway in to our community,” Pete Peters, town manager of Vinton, explains.
Another redevelopment effort, this one at the Historic Gish’s Mill on Gus Nicks Boulevard, will begin this summer. Known as the founding structure of the town, the building is being redeveloped as a result of a joint effort between the town and a private developer with the anticipated opening date in the summer of 2022. Once the 14,000-square-foot facility opens, it will house a restaurant with both in-door and out-door dining options, a “speakeasy” in the basement and as many as 7 VRBO style lodging rooms for visitors to the area. A seasonal market will also be on-site, which will sell items along locally made and sourced products.
“The redevelopment project is important to residents, as it will rehabilitate a beloved historic structure, which served as a center of commerce for the community and is partly responsible for the area’s growth into a Town nearly a century later. The preseveration and renovation of this building is another sign of positive redevelopment in the town,” Peters says.
Additionally, several new retail locations have either opened or expanded in the town over the past year.
ArtWorks, an art gallery that is owned by four local artists, opened in December 2020 on Pollard Street. The space, which is located in the same building as EarthWorks Pottery, includes art that is both for viewing and for sale. Items for purchase include originals, prints, greeting cards and pottery.
“As artists, we experience satisfaction in creating our art, but the joy is in sharing it. We hope our pieces inspire others to create; spark conversations about art; and if taken into their homes, add a fresh dimension to their spaces. Mostly, we hope the community will celebrate art with us,” Barbara Caton, one of the artists, says.
KB Mercantile, which sells Amish furniture, handmade crafts, novelties, baked goods and ceramics, opened on E Washington Avenue in November 2020. Recently, the mercantile added ice cream from Homestead Creamery to its menu.
“It’s been wonderful to be in Vinton. It’s growing in the right direction in the right way,” Kristie Wirt, the owner of KB Mercantile, says. “We have a really good group of people in the area who want to see Vinton grow, but they’re still trying to keep it personable enough to where it has a hometown feel.”
Big Lots relocated to a new and larger 26,774-foot space on Bypass Road in March 2021.
A new Tractor Supply is slated to set up shop in the old Big Lots location on Hardy Road in the near future.
“We have a wide variety of retail locations, many of which are locally owned,” Peters says. “We’re expanding our greenways so that the community is more walkable. We want folks to be able to go out and take a stroll when they come to town to shop or eat.”
