Ross, Ulta, Five Below coming to Sumter’s Gateway Plaza

Joining recently opened Great Clips in renovation, expansion surrounding TJ Maxx

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Sumter's TJ Maxx is getting three new neighbors.

Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty and Five Below are coming to Gateway Plaza at the intersection of Broad Street at Alice Drive.

Jay Davis, broker-in-charge of Coldwell Banker Commercial Cornerstone of Sumter, confirmed Thursday that the three national chains have signed leases and will open in the plaza by early summer 2020.

Gateway Plaza is across the street from Walmart and is the center of town for commercial development, according to Davis and many others.

The three retailers will join Great Clips, which opened last week, as new tenants in the plaza that is going through a renovation and expansion process on the TJ Maxx side. Great Clips is in the wing opposite TJ Maxx that extends up toward Broad Street.

The new stores join 10 existing already in Gateway, including national brands TJ Maxx, Hibbett Sporting Goods and It's Fashion and locally owned Yucatan Mexican Restaurant, Legacies Grill and About the Body Day Spa, among others.

More national tenants, to include outparcel restaurants for the plaza, will be announced in a month or two, Davis said.

The demolition and renovation of some existing space in the TJ Maxx wing of the plaza will add 17,800 square feet of retail space. The additional retail space will be most noticeable with an extension farther out toward Alice Drive, he said.

The renovations will include a change of the front fa ade that will reposition the entire shopping center, Davis said. General contractor Builtech Services is doing those upgrades.

All stores will remain open during the demolition and renovation, and traffic entry pattern changes should be minimal for the coming months.

"I think this is a great addition," Davis said. "I think a lot of people will be excited about these stores."

The intersection of Broad Street at Alice Drive has become the center of Sumter for commercial development during the last 20 years, according to Davis, who is one of the top commercial Realtors in the Sumter area. Growth in Sumter continues on the west side toward Shaw Air Force Base, and Walmart has also been successful there, he said.

The mega discount retailer at 1283 Broad St. is one of Walmart's top-performing franchises in the region, Davis said.

"That intersection for Sumter is 'Main and Main' and where everybody wants to be," Davis said.

Ross is a discount department store that specializes in clothing and other living and fashion products. Ulta Beauty, formerly known as Ulta Salon, Cosmetics and Fragrance, is a beauty salon store chain. Five Below is a chain of discount stores that sells products costing up to $5.

The new Great Clips is the hair salon's second franchise in Sumter. The other location is at 2085 Wedgefield Road in Second Mill Plaza.