Tupelo expansion due for Aug.
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, March 7, 2004
TUPELO, Miss. — Despite a wave of rainy weather and a legal challenge to its construction, the latest expansion of the Tupelo Furniture Market should be open for the August show, market officials said last week.
Work on the 300,000-square-foot expansion, officially known as Building VI of the Tupelo Complex, began last spring, but repeated delays eliminated any chance the new building would be ready for last month's market.
"We're committed to having it open by August," said furniture market President Bill Cleveland. "But with all the rain we've had, that makes it a much tougher challenge for us."
Tupelo's next market is Aug. 19-22.
Earth-moving and other site preparation work is proceeding slowly, but once the foundation is poured and the building's frame is erected, rainy weather won't present as much of a problem, he said.
Cleveland also said it appears the city of Tupelo has prevailed in a lawsuit that challenged the zoning permit the city granted for the project. In late February, Lee County Circuit Judge Thomas Gardner ruled the City Council and Planning Committee acted properly in approving the permit.
The Oak Meadows Homeowners Assn., whose members live in a subdivision behind the Tupelo Complex, contended the location of the new building violates a 1993 agreement between the furniture market and the association.
Gardner's ruling could be appealed to a higher court, but by last week that had not happened.
The new building will boost total exhibit space to about 1.8 million square feet and solidify Tupelo's position as the nation's second-largest furniture market.
Standard Furniture, which is now marketed as Kathy Ireland Home by Standard, will be the anchor tenant in Building VI with a 27,000-square-foot showroom. That's nearly 60% larger than its existing showroom in Building I.
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