Rexburg Businesses Expand
The eastern Idaho economy is still making a slow recovery out of the recession, but Rexburg is seeing a lot of expansion not in just university students, but local businesses as well.
Rexburg has seen huge growth over the last few years as BYU-Idaho continues to expand, and the university growth is also paving the way for more small business opportunities.
To accommodate the growing number of customers, Broulim’s is expanding its Rexburg supermarket by 14,000 square feet.
“We built this store back in 1997 and we have seen a good steady growth,? said Broulim’s vice president Mark Oswald. ?It got crowded and if you’re here on a Monday with all the college students it gets very busy and it’s hard to move, so we need to accommodate the business that is here.”
Broulim’s isn’t the only business expanding. The Medicine Shoppe is moving, building a larger store where Me’N Stan’s once stood, and the Hemming Corp. continues to revitalize an entire city block.
Manager of Kiwi Loco, Mel Dewnsup, said that’s why he chose to move into Hemming Village, because he sees great future growth in the area.
“We feel that Hemming Village’s vision of what they plan to do here and have planned to do and are doing, that where is a future in this vicinity close to campus and downtown,? Dewsnup said.
Locals said the growing businesses provide great opportunities for students.
“It’s fun to grow up here and see how much it’s grown,? said Daniel Hansen. ?I wonder what it will be like in the future. It’s fun to watch.”
?I think any expansion is going to be good, especially for the students with jobs and creating a better economy,” said BYU-Idaho student Megan Hall.
All the shops are open for business, but developers are not finished. They plan to revitalize the entire block.
Over the summer, developers will tear down six homes to build a new housing complex, providing housing for 360 students.
Although Pickett’s Bambinos left Rexburg, Nielsen’s Custard will take its place and many other businesses plan to move in the Hemming development as it continues to expand.
While the housing development at Hemming Village won’t be finished until 2012, Oswald said Broulim’s plans to finish its remodel by the end of the year.
