By Rupert Howell
Sardis Mayor Billy Russell said Wednesday that although he doesn’t expect Walmart to reopen their closed Sardis store, he feels good about a meeting he had Tuesday with Walmart higher-ups and hopes that someone will be in the building in a short period.

 Russell went to Bentonville, Ark, home of Walmart’s corporate headquarters, Tuesday armed with a petition signed by approximately 2,500 residents. He met with a corporate vice-president and a Walmart real estate official who assured him Walmart was taking action on all the 102 smaller stores that closed recently.

 Although Russell could not reveal all the details of the meeting, he said he learned that another chain is looking to buy several of the buildings in locations that fit their criteria. The locations not purchased by that entity would be marketed through a real estate agency. The Sardis Mayor said he should know more after March 15.

 “I feel pretty good about it if they do what they said they will do,” Russell said adding that the building in Sardis should be a good fit for anybody in a similar business with no grocery stores nearby and being close to I-55.
Russell also said again the Walmart store in Sardis was not closed because it wasn’t doing well but because other smaller stores in the concept had not done as well. He said he knew the Sardis store had “hit their goals,” while opened.

 On a positive note Russell reported that Walmart officials appeared to want to work “together with us to get someone in the store as soon as possible.

 “I knew I wasn’t going to change their mind,” Russell said again of his trip to see the wizard, “They acted like they wanted to work with us.”

 Meanwhile Russell is keeping his copy of the petition with 2.500 names nearby in case something falls through and he feels the need to go out and help market the 20,000 square foot building now closed.