Third Retailer Leaves Landers Road in Sherwood

More than $1 million in taxes could be marching out of Sherwood and down the street into North Little Rock. That`s because several businesses along Landers Road in Sherwood continue to pack up and head south. Wal-Mart left near the beginning of the year, and Best Buy is in the process of moving out. Most recently, Furniture Row has announced plans to move. That not only empties out the shopping center, but could dig deep into the city`s wallet. "Because Wal-Mart itself is a destination entity and thousands and thousands of people come to Wal-Mart," explained Tom Brooks, president of the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce. Sherwood has a one-cent sales tax for its general fund. That one-cent generates about $3.5 million a year. Wal-Mart`s exit alone cost Sherwood approximatley $500,000. Leaders say losing Best Buy and Furniture Row could create an even bigger hole. "They sell comptures, t.v.`s, refrigerators, all those things are big ticket," said Mayor Bill Harmon. "They don`t have to sell a lot of sofas to collect money for us," he said of Furniture Row. A company spokesman says Furniture Row is moving to a bigger space, to offer a bigger selection to customers. "We love the proximity to the mall, location and it`s more visible from the street, more accessible and convenient to our customers," said Danielle Leigh, by phone from Furniture Row headquarters in Denver. The Chamber and the Mayor say other businesses in town are generating sales tax dollars. They`re also optimistic that it will be easy to replace these retailers especially once the freeway construction in front of it is completed. Harmon adds that he is asking the council to approve an industrial recruiter to help them fill the void.