As Calera grows, businesses flock to city

Published 2:19 pm Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The city of Calera continues to grow, and that’s been especially evident with the recent grand opening celebrations for two Calera businesses. From a pizza joint to the nation’s largest supplier of RV supplies, Calera residents now have two more businesses to visit that they didn’t have a month ago. A third grand opening for another business is scheduled for July 29.

First up, Pizza Hut.

Located at 136 Marketplace Circle Suite C, just off Alabama 70 next to the Publix, the Pizza Hut location offers delivery and carryout services. Jeff Plain, an area manager for NPC International, operators of several Pizza Hut locations, recently praised Calera for the way its welcomed his business.

“The good folks of Calera have opened their arms to us,” Plain said. “It has so far exceeded our expectations.”

Good news for Calera.

Next up, Camping World.

Camping World opened its fourth store in Alabama on July 14. The store is located in the showroom of Suncoast RV at 730 George Roy Parkway and has more than 8,000 items for sale.

Greg Skinner, the general manager for the Calera Camping World, said both Camping World and Suncoast RV would benefit from the arrangement, driving customers to each other.

Any repeat Camping World customer is considered a President’s Club member, Skinner said. There are 13,000 President’s Club members within a 100-mile radius of Calera.

Good news for Calera.

Next up, Mutual Savings Credit Union, which recently opened a new branch in the Calera Marketplace shopping center. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for July 29, to be held in conjunction with the credit union’s 75th anniversary.

The new office will be staffed by the same employees that operated the branch’s previous location in the nearby Calera Walmart.

“Our members will enjoy the new facility and its accessibility,” said Lynne Loftin, MSCU’s senior vice president of operations. “The biggest improvement has been the addition of a drive-through window. Our members can now conduct their transactions from their vehicle in bad weather or if they are in a hurry.”

Calera residents should embrace these new businesses, as well as all existing Calera businesses. New businesses moving into the area are a positive sign for Calera.

Good news, indeed.

Brad Gaskins is a staff writer for the Shelby County Reporter. He can be reached at 669-3131 ext. 14 or by email at brad.gaskins@shelbycountyreporter.com.