Fred's Discount Store, Silver Dollar among new tenants to open Elk Crossing stores   

By Greg Miller
star staff
gmiller@starhq.com

  Fred's Discount Store and Silver Dollar are among the tenants that will be moving into the Elk Crossing shopping center, according to Mike Nidiffer, co-owner of Interstate Realty & Development.
  The two stores, Nidiffer said, will benefit the local economy. "They are very bargain oriented and will create a lot of foot traffic to the center and bring in new customers," he said.
  "We're seeking to get new people there, and White's is a well managed grocery store that has something to offer in itself, and we're hoping to create new customers for everybody in the center, not just White's."
  Silver Dollar and Fred's will provide additional jobs for area residents. "I would think a safe estimate would be probably 40-50 new jobs," Nidiffer said.
  Fred's Discount Store will hopefully open before Christmas, Nidiffer said. He said "other prospects" are also looking at the possibility of locating in Elk Crossing.
  Interstate is waiting to hear from the state on a proposal to install a new stop light. "We've agreed to put it in at our expense," Nidiffer said. "The city has been very cooperative in our efforts. We feel like Elizabethton is part of the Tri-Cities. In fact we would call it the Quad cities, and sometimes in the past it has been overlooked.
  "But with the commitment of Lowe's and Wal-Mart Super Center and the leadership of the city itself, I see it as a very viable market for people to come into. With the new development, I think more people will shop in Elizabethton instead of going to Johnson City."
  Interstate still has three or four spaces available at Elk Crossing for new businesses.
  A lot of hard work is going into the renovation of the property at Elk Crossing. "Hopefully, we showed our commitment to the town and the tenants in the center by the new pylon sign that we put up," commented Nidiffer, who noted that the sign cost approximately $40,000. "We're completely redoing the whole center, (including) a new roof."
  Interstate Realty & Development owns approximately 1 million feet of retail space. "We manage, lease and sign acquisition tenants in the Southeastern U.S.," Nidiffer said.