CANNONSBURG, Ky. — Inside three weeks of taking possession of the previous KYOVA Tri-State Mall property alongside U.S. 60 in Cannonsburg close to Ashland in japanese Kentucky, Camp Touchdown Leisure District opened a newly transformed cinema.
“We wished to be very aggressive and wished to make a press release with this $200,000 rework for the cinema,” stated Jason Camp, president and CEO of Camp Touchdown Leisure District. “We wished to point out that we’re doing precisely what we stated we had been going to do.”
Camp and fellow co-owners, together with Boyd County Fiscal Court docket, are reworking 500,000 sq. toes of indoor area that was house to a mall into an leisure advanced that may also have a brand new lodge and conference middle. It’s situated about an hour and half from Williamson.
Camp is utilizing his sports activities background to create one thing you normally see in bigger cities.
“I used to be in sports activities for 17 years,” he stated. “I labored in Main League Baseball, the NFL and the NHL. I’ve additionally run tournaments and concert events.”
Camp stated after he retired from the sports activities aspect of his enterprise profession, he opened his personal restaurant and an occasion agency.
“I began producing group occasions in Southwest Florida,” he stated. “I’m initially from Miami, Florida, and was dwelling in Naples for 13 years earlier than I moved to the Ashland space with my household.”
Camp stated he received a name to come back to take a look at opening an institution to feed building staff for the Braidy Industries’ proposed mill challenge on the EastPark Industrial Middle in Ashland.
“My spouse, children and I simply fell in love with the group,” he stated. “We made the transfer, however the Braidy challenge by no means occurred, so we opened our Smokin’ J’s restaurant and began on the lookout for different alternatives.”
Camp stated he received the concept to construct a sports activities advanced about two years in the past.
“I believed there was actually a scarcity of sports activities services right here for the group, and even now it’s laborious to get basketball or volleyball area and locations for our youngsters to observe and play,” he stated. “Since that was my preliminary background I wished to do one thing like I’ve seen in bigger cities proper right here within the Ashland space. I regarded for 2 years to seek out the precise place.”
Camp stated Boyd County officers stored citing the outdated KYOVA Mall web site.
“I informed them I didn’t wish to purchase a lifeless mall,” he stated. “However, one morning I awakened and thought perhaps it is a good match. It’s situated close to Interstate 64 and in a excessive visitors space and has loads of area.”
Camp Touchdown Leisure District is repurposing an outdated mall into one thing households from throughout the area can get pleasure from, in addition to attracting plenty of out of city guests to the world, Camp stated.
“We’re repurposing it into one thing completely totally different,” he stated. “Will probably be a real leisure district with a movie show, bars and eating places, dwell leisure and music, a sports activities advanced and different household enjoyable locations and actions.”
The newly renovated cinema is open, in addition to an artwork stroll showcasing native expertise. Additionally, Malibu Jack’s lately opened in what was Elder-Beerman and is continuous to construct out extra within the mall space with a brand new bowling alley, interactive go-cart observe, mini golf course, carnival type rides, arcade video games, laser tag, cabaña areas for events and extra.
“Individuals are so excited to have one thing like this domestically,” stated Mark Ogden, who’s on the growth staff with Malibu Jack’s. “Malibu Jack’s is geared towards household leisure and household enjoyable collectively. Should you go searching you see children of all ages having enjoyable with their mothers and dads. We’ve created an setting for households to really feel secure and have a good time.”
Ogden stated a bounce space just isn’t full and there are nonetheless different enjoyable issues coming inside the subsequent few weeks.
“The bowling alley may also be accomplished quickly,” he stated.
Missy Bowen of Wayne, W.Va., introduced her husband and two younger sons take a look at the brand new Malibu Jack’s final Tuesday.
“This place is wonderful,” Bowen stated. “There’s actually nothing like this wherever round this area. We went to the one in Lexington (Kentucky), however this one seems even greater. We’re excited to have this so near house.”
Camp stated Smokin J’s Rib & Brewhouse is a barbecue and ribeye restaurant that may relocate contained in the restaurant area that was beforehand Callihan’s. He hopes it is going to be open by February.
“We’ve skilled such development at our location in Boyd County that it simply is smart to maneuver right into a a lot bigger area to accommodate that development,” Camp stated. “We can be bringing the identical nice style that our clients anticipate however including some new flavors as nicely. We imagine that is going to be an amazing marriage right here at Camp Touchdown, giving our patrons the choice of seeing a film earlier than or after dinner and all the opposite points of interest right here on the leisure district. We couldn’t be happier to have Malibu Jack’s as our new neighbor.”
Camp stated the present Smokin’ J’s location can be open each day till the week of relocation.
Additionally, Yard Pizza & Uncooked Bar, which has a location in downtown Huntington, introduced it can construct a second location at Camp Touchdown within the former RJ Kahunas’ area. Homeowners Drew and Megan Hetzer stated they’re thrilled concerning the growth.
“The area is an ideal spot for Yard,” Drew Hetzer stated. “We’ve a big buyer base from this space that involves eat at our Huntington location.”
“It will deliver us nearer to them and provides us patio area for outdoor eating,” Megan Hetzer stated.
Drew Hetzer stated they are going to give the area a significant overhaul and rework that he says lives up the usual set by his different institutions.
“You’ll be able to anticipate the wood-fired connoisseur pizzas to be hitting tables someday within the early spring,” he stated.
Guests to Camp Touchdown may also discover a newly paved car parking zone and different enhancements.
In the meantime, Boyd County is shifting ahead with plans of a conference middle and farmers market. Will probably be housed in what was beforehand a division retailer.
“It’ll be round 80,000 sq. toes. We’re presently engaged on finalizing the ground plan for the ability itself. We’re gonna begin work right here within the subsequent couple weeks portray, after which the bid can be out and building will begin inside the first quarter of 2022,” stated Eric Chaney, Boyd County choose govt, “There’ll be a lodge that’s on the property hooked up to the conference middle and a 120,000-square foot sports activities advanced hooked up to the bottom. So that is actually going to create a completely new setting for Boyd County.”
Officers say the Camp Touchdown Leisure District just isn’t solely offering a whole lot of jobs, however it can even have a huge impact on the area’s economic system.
“Each customer goes to be between $100 and $200 affect that involves Camp Touchdown,” Camp stated. “This place goes to have an enormous financial affect on this area.”
Camp added that his staff has had present conversations with round 20 new potential tenants in simply the final month and can be making one other main announcement quickly.
“I can’t announce it but, however I can promise it’s going to be large and thrilling,” he stated.
Camp confused that Camp Touchdown Leisure District just isn’t a mall.
“We aren’t within the mall enterprise,” Camp stated. “We aren’t in competitors with the Ashland mall or the Huntington Mall. You’ll by no means discover a Hole right here. The one retail you’ll discover right here can be sure area of interest companies or native specialty companies which are totally different and slot in our leisure district idea. Individuals are coming right here for date evening or spending good household time. We’re pleased with our first steps right here within the first 5 months and are excited to see what occurs within the subsequent couple of years.”
For now, Smokin J’s and Yard Pizza be part of Malibu Jack’s, The Cinema at Camp Touchdown, Boyd County Conference Middle, Sports activities Plex, Farmer’s Market and several other different points of interest coming to the Camp Touchdown Leisure District, Camp added.
For extra details about Camp Touchdown Leisure District, go to camplanding.com. For extra details about Malibu Jack’s go to malibujacks.web.
