This story by Jason Starr was first published in The Williston Observer on Dec. 5
Three national chains with thousands of stores in dozens of states will open their first Vermont locations at Williston’s Maple Tree Place in 2025.
The closure of the Christmas Tree Shops store in the summer of 2023 left a large vacancy for Maple Tree Place’s new owner, Acadia Realty Trust, which purchased the 64-acre property this past January to try and fill. It’s taken nearly 12 months, but the spot will be full by the first half of next year, according to property manager Justin Kelley.
The space will be divided in two, Kelley said, with Boot Barn taking a smaller footprint and Bob’s Discount Furniture opening a location in the larger section of the building. Founded in Connecticut in 1991, Bob’s has 189 locations in 24 states. Boot Barn, a Western-themed footwear and clothing outfitter founded in 1978 and headquartered in Kansas, has 420 locations in 46 states.
“Both companies have been looking to emerge into this market,” said Kelley, adding that Acadia hosts both as tenants in other shopping centers it owns. “We’re happy to be able to get that space repurposed, and we’re very excited to be able to have them here. We feel like it’s going to be a big lift, not just for the other tenants, but for Williston as a whole.”
Boot Barn is set to open by the end of winter, Kelley said. Bob’s Discount Furniture is aiming for late spring.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Maple Tree Place, the owner of the shuttered I Heart Mac and Cheese restaurant plans to pivot to Firehouse Subs, a Florida-based chain with a firefighter theme and nearly 1,500 locations nationwide, but none yet in Vermont.
The sub shop is planning to be open in January, Kelley said.
Kelley declined to comment on the number of current vacancies in the plaza, but the ground floor around the central green has several “for lease” signs. A portion of the second floor office space is occupied by the federal Department of Homeland Security.
