June 22,2018-
Toys R Us last days. The Visalia toy store will close their doors June 28 says a clerk at the Mooney Blvd location. No word yet what happens to the real estate.
Brandman University will build a new campus on Plaza Drive in Visalia joining Fresno Pacific who has their college nearby. Brandman will join a growing list of new developments in this area including a new Jack In The Box eatery at the SE corner of Plaza and Crowley. Brandman left their leased County Center building in recent days after VUSD set their sights on the building next to Kmart for their Charter Home school headquarters.Meanwhile Brandman will hold forth at their Hanford location until their new building is ready.Ground breaking is set for the new Plaza Drive school July 11.
New barber college planned Downtown. Visalia could get a new barber college called East to West Barber Academy at 320 So Bridge.The location was the former Clines Business Machines who has moved to 712 N Ben Maddox. East West has a hair cutting parlor at 225 E Main St.
RTO Systems is buying a Downtown Visalia building as their new headquarters on Church at School, the former carpenter’s union office. RTO is a Corporate Wellness & The Weight and Health Clinic owned by Nicholas Gambini. Gambini says they “are excited to be coming to Downtown” to a building they will own. The historic building will be remodeled under the guidance of architect Eric McConnaughey with hopes they can take occupancy around the first of the year. About 12 to 15 employees will be located here.
Two industrial park companies,Golden State Overnight and Perfection Foods have or will soon be moving into their new facilities. Perfection Foods’ new 150,000 manufacturing plant will open in July says owner Kevin Kruse. Kruse says they will give up a leased 100,000sf warehouse now.Sources say a new company will move into that space. Golden State Overnight a trucking company has moved to their new state of the art 63,000sf distribution hub in the Visalia Industrial Park complex on American and their former 40,000sf leased building is again for lease.
Tulare Company Expanding.Hydraulic Controls, who has an 8,500sf warehouse /office in Tulare will be building a new 26,000sf warehouse on its K Street property over the next year. Manager Eric Kinsel says ”We just outgrew this facility.” The company will be relocating some warehousing of products from its LA area warehouse to Tulare. The firm sells all kinds of hydraulic equipment and parts including valves and pumps used on Central Valley farms.