One suitor has been found to locate inside a building on West Elk Avenue.
Elizabethton Planning and Development Director Jon Hartman confirmed to the STAR Tuesday morning that Big Lots recently received a building permit and is in the process of setting up shop at  791 West Elk Ave. – the former Magic Mart building.
Big Lots is going through Simmons Construction, based out of New Tazewell, to renovate the portion of the building it will enter.
News broke in September that the building was being sold in a memorandum issued by the Planning and Development office. The structure officially sold for $1,175,000, according to records obtained by the STAR from the Carter County Register of Deed’s office. The owner of the property changed hands from Elizabethton Kenosha, LLC, a Delaware limited–liability company to Bemberg Center Partner, LLC – an affiliate of Anchor Investments, based out of Nashville.
“We are very excited to begin construction on the new Big Lots, which will open late spring,” Anchor Investments President Micah Lacher said.  After sitting vacant and being an eyesore for years, it is so exciting to bring this center back to life. Big Lots will be taking close to 40,000 square feet and we are currently in discussions with other regional and national retailers. They all recognize what a great location we have within a great city. We look forward to bringing more businesses to the Elizabethton market.”
The addition of Big Lots on West Elk Avenue potentially means the current store location on US 19E may be relocated. A call to the Big Lots corporate office was not returned prior to the STAR’s press deadline to confirm the move.
The property, which previously housed Magic Mart and Wal-Mart, was built in 1988 and features 10.41 acres of land. The building itself offers 100,348 square feet. With the estimated 40,000 square feet, the remaining portion offers opportunities for other businesses be part of the shopping center.