The southwest corner of Dickson Street and College Avenue could soon be home to a Starbucks coffee shop.
For years, the southwest corner of Dickson Street and College Avenue served as a gathering place and coffee spot for Fayetteville residents as the home of the iconic Jerry’s Restaurant.
Now, a little more than a decade after Jerry’s closed, that corner is being coveted by one of the largest coffee chain in the world.
Starbucks is currently evaluating the property for a potential location, and has approached current owners St. Paul’s Episcopal Church about the possibility of a commercial lease, Rector Lowell Grisham confirmed Wednesday.
Grisham said no official offer has been made, but he did inform his current tenant about the prospect, and that business is already looking for a new home.
For the past 12 years, that corner has been home to local hair salon, Dead Swanky. Salon coordinator Haley Tarkington told us on Wednesday that they’re currently looking for a new location.
“The church, who we have been leasing from, has not renewed our lease because they are in negotiations with Starbucks,” she said.
Grisham said the salon is currently leasing the property on a month-to-month basis, pending Starbucks’ evaluation of the area. He said Starbucks is currently looking into things like traffic counts, and whether or not what they want to do with the property will be allowed by the city.
We sent a request for comment to Starbucks, and we’ll add their response here if they respond.
Should the coffee giant decide to lease the property, Grisham said the increase in rent the church would receive would go a long way toward St. Pauls’ ministry and community involvement initiatives in Fayetteville.
“We’re always looking for ways to expand our ministry and what we offer in the community,” he said. “I think this could provide a good opportunity to do that.”
Starbucks currently operates five locations in Fayetteville, including one coffee shop on the University of Arkansas campus. The chain is also currently planning a location near the corner of College Avenue and Township Street in the lot formerly home to Sud’s Car Wash. Construction on that location is already underway.
Grisham said the final decision on what to do with the property won’t come until he receives a formal offer from Starbucks, and he doesn’t know when that will happen.
“We will just have to evaluate that when it comes,” he said.
