Wolford Development Vice President Clint WolfordDrivers on Battlefield Parkway may notice the newly open RAK Outfitters and the soon-to-open Firehouse Subs near Alamar Street in Fort Oglethorpe. And more is in store.
Wolford Development is ready to rent the few remaining spaces in its new 2-acre development at 898 Battlefield Parkway.
Of the three tenants slated thus far, which includes a Cook Out restaurant, none have had locations in Fort Oglethorpe before, according to Wolford Development Vice President Clint Wolford.
“Northwest Georgia Bank was there and we purchased that building when they closed it,” he said. “We closed on that property a little over a year ago. It’s been 18 months from the time we bought the property till now. RAK Outfitters, based out of Calhoun, opened June 8. Firehouse Subs is under construction still.”
Chattanooga-area Firehouse Subs franchisee owner Tom Davidson said the Fort Oglethorpe location should open around Aug. 15. The store plans to hire 30-35 employees.
Fort Oglethorpe will be the seventh location of 11 planned for his franchise, and the first in his Georgia territory. He also operates a location in Red Bank, two in Cleveland and one in Athens, Tenn., as well as one on Lee Highway and one on Gunbarrel Road.
“We are a lot more than a sub shop,” said Davidson, who co-owns the local franchise area with his brother-in-law, Dr. David Pifer. “We are entrenched with first responders. We have been able to donate over $175,000 in life-saving equipment to our first responders in the Chattanooga area and over $19 million across the country. Lives have been saved locally through donations.”
Davidson said the Fort Oglethorpe store’s dining area will have a mural dedicated to the Fort Oglethorpe Fire Department.
“Firehouse Subs speaks for itself,” said Wolford. “It is an excellent product. They are very involved with first responders and they don’t always get the recognition they need. RAK Outfitters sells a lot of the same things Rock/Creek Outfitters do. RAK is an outdoor lifestyle fashion store. They carry men’s, women’s and children’s apparel. They also have some camping and hiking supplies. They carry shoes. They have Patagonia, North Face and Arc’teryx.”
He said he didn’t know when Cook Out would open, but expects it to be in place sometime this fall.
“It should be open by the first of the year at the latest,” said Wolford. “Cook Out will go next to the strip center. [It will be] freestanding with a drive-thru.”
That leaves two spaces totaling 3,000 square feet in the overall 13,640-square-foot development, he said.
“We have two spaces left, but it can be one or broke up into two,” said Wolford. “We are looking for service oriented type retail tenants.
“Catoosa County, and Fort Oglethorpe in general, are nice bedroom communities to Chattanooga that have made a comeback since the recession. There’s a lot of traffic on Battlefield Parkway. I chose that location because of the opportunity that existed from the bank closing and knowing there were tenants that might want to be in the market.”