As bulldozers began demolition of the once popular Louie’s Bar building at Napier Avenue and M-139 in Benton Charter Township passersby looked on with a mixture of surprise, sadness, anticipation and nostalgia. The small sports bar had been a staple on the local scene for many years before closing up shop last year and sitting vacant for a while. Now, it is coming down to make way for a new auto parts store.
Contractors with Pearson Construction Company of Benton Harbor are taking the building down to clear the way for Advance Auto Parts to make a return to the marketplace. Advance had a presence in the market for a couple of years before departing the scene several years ago. The irony of it all is that Louie’s Bar sits directly in front of the long time home to Ridge & Kramer Auto Parts which ended up moving to the former Advance Auto Parts store when Ridge & Kramer merged with Fisher Auto Parts and became a Federated Auto Parts distributor. In the long run, the two will have essentially flipped sites with one another.
Aaron Dickenson is with Schaad Brown Real Estate in Knoxville, Tennessee. They purchased the Louie’s Bar property and the lot behind it and are acting as developers of the new Advance Auto Parts store and will lease it to the company this fall.
Dickenson said today he’s not privy to the specific hiring plans of Advance Auto Parts, however they plan to have the property ready and the building built in time for an early- to mid-November opening of the new store. Developers will hand over the keys ahead of that time to allow for interior build-out and inventory load in for the new shop.
Benton Township Trustees approved the original site plans for the new building at 1740 M-139 back in March, following the township’s Planning Commission nod in mid-March. The just over 2-acre site will feature an 8,000 square foot store and 30 parking spaces. The property is zoned D1 Commercial and has met all township requirements for their approval.
In March Township Clerk Carolyn Phillips verified that the existing shared access easement will allow customers to arrive at the new auto parts store from either Napier Avenue or from M-139.
Pearson Construction will build the new facility for the developers who will in turn lease the building to Advance Auto Parts. Other nearby Advance Auto Parts stores are located in Niles, Paw Paw and Granger.
