The Wofford College Bookstore will soon have a new home in a shopping plaza that will include restaurants, retail and gathering spaces.
The college participated in a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 10, for The Hub, a 16,699-square-foot shopping center that will be located at 578 N. Church St.
“The Hub is an exciting development that will complement revitalization efforts for the city’s Northside and Wofford’s continued integration across Church Street into the Northside community,” said Dr. Tim Schmitz, Wofford’s interim provost, who has overseen a 2015 grant from the Romill Foundation for the Milliken Sustainability Initiative to support the college’s involvement in the neighborhood.
The Hub is expected to be complete by summer 2022.
The college’s bookstore will relocate from 501 N. Church St. to The Hub. The bookstore will have 5,758 square-feet of flexible space for the display and sale of merchandise and books with the capacity to serve as the site of college and community events. The college also will share outdoor space for gatherings with others in the plaza.
Moe’s Original BBQ will occupy a 3,271 square-foot space in the plaza. More restaurants, retail and commercial users are being recruited for the shopping center.
The Hub will be on the site of the former Sunshine Inn. Fletcher Development is leading the project. Harper General Contractors is the contractor; SeamonWhiteside is the civil engineering firm, McMillan Pazdan Smith is the architecture firm, and the redevelopment of the site was initiated by the Northside Development Group, a nonprofit focused on managing and redeveloping Spartanburg’s Northside community in partnership with residents.