Owners Reveal Plans for Former Waldron Walmart

On Tuesday, February 19, Matt Scantling announced the proposed business plans for the former Waldron Walmart store. Scantling, along with owners Aimee and Albert Littleton, have released their plans to incorporate four businesses under one roof at that location.

“We hated to see what happened in Waldron with the Walmart,” said Scantling. “You’re forced to drive to Mena, Greenwood and Fort Smith to get your basic needs met.”

Scantling said they intend to pattern the store similarly to what they currently operate in Magazine. The proposed Waldron location will be a combination of businesses including a True Value, Lumber Warehouse, Tire and Service Center and a Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts.

“I can do everything I want to do under one roof, and right now our business model is to get those four businesses established and once we recover we may do some other things,” added Scantling. “We were asked previously if we would be offering clothing. I couldn’t answer that question previously, but, I can answer that now. We will be doing clothing and possibly some type of footwear.”The 37 year-old building is currently undergoing some renovations, which include work to the heating/air and plumbing. Scantling noted that they anticipate the remodel to take up to 120 days to complete.

Following that, the owners will begin planning for the layout of the store and set up. Scantling said they will employ an outside company to come in and set up the shelving. This process, he anticipates, will take up to two months to complete.

After the set up is complete, they plan to hire people to begin stocking the store. “The people we get to help stock the store, naturally are going to be the ones we employ.”  

According to Scantling, a soft opening is slated for December of this year, with a grand opening sometime in January of 2020.