The “old” downtown Albertville is humming again, as yet another renovation project is re-claiming a building left vacant by a rash of business closings that hit the area in 2011-2012.
Travel Leaders, locally operated by Bonnie Lee, is taking over the former Highland Bank location in Albertville, next to the Albertville Car Wash, the STMA United Soccer indoor facility and offices and LaBamba restaurant.
Renovation has begun on the former Highland Bank building, located just south of County Road 37 along Barthel Industrial Drive in Albertville. Travel Leaders will take over the location once work is complete on the structure, which was closed in 2012.
Two of those three – LaBamba’s and STMA United, are recent renovations to old buildings that opened in 2013. Travel Leaders joins that progression, along with Super America, which has been named the flag for the new convenience store/gas station that will open along with Taco John’s at the former Sunoco location.
“We’re excited to join this area,” Lee said of the downtown sector. “A lot of things are happening here, and we’re glad to be a part of it.”
Lee has been in two separate locations in Towne Lakes, first opening in the small, strip mall that now houses Andy’s Hometowne Pizza and InSparation Salon.
She’s currently next to a nail salon and Fantastic Sam’s a few hundred yards away, just to the north of InFit/Anytime Fitness in Albertville.
“We’ve got some promising things we’re working on, as a city, for some of the open spaces that we’ve had spring up since the economy went down here. Things are looking up, and we’re really working with people to try to find things that fit for them,” said Albertville City Administrator Adam Nafstad.
NWCToday will have more information on the new Travel Leaders location once it opens, later this summer (according to Lee). The award-winning branch books vacations, honeymoons and business trips, among other packages.
Tanks are removed from the lot at Sunoco, which will become Super America/Taco John’s later this year. Plans are to expand the pumps and utilize existing space in the building, with SA running a store much like the McDonald’s/SA combination in downtown St. Michael.