Jungle Jim's will have a second store

UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio - A nearly empty facility off of Eastgate Boulevard in Union Township should be filled with customers as early as January 2012.

While the building was once home to the Eastgate bigg's, future plans will make it home to a second Jungle Jim's.

Phill Adams is the Director of Development at Jungle Jim's and says finding a new location was a 10-year effort and could bring an estimated 400 new jobs.

"As we started looking at the building and evaluating everything, it was a good fit all around, good fit, good people," Adams said.

Adams says the Union Township location offers an abundance of space, it's close to a major highway and a somewhat quick drive from the original Fairfield store.

So how are those on the eastside taking the news?

"There's just so much stuff you can buy up there. And it would be nice to have one closer where we didn't have to go that far," said Marilyn Seibert from Milford.

"I saw the businesses just one at a time empty out and these buildings are you know, just beautiful to be empty. And I'm hoping that Jungle Jim's comes in and businesses come in and fill this back up," said Chris Todd from Union Township.

Thom Tran owns of one of the few businesses in the complex and says if she doesn't have to move, she looks forward to what Jungle Jim's will offer.

"Stay here because if Jungle Jim's come here, that's the best. Bring a lot of business around," Tran said.

Adams says just because it's store number two doesn't mean it will be any less appealing than the original. "It's actually a larger footprint than this store. So, we're going to have fun with this one. Some of the designs that we have worked up are really cool."

Management at Jungle Jim's credits officials in Union Township who pushed for the move for many years.