There’s always a lot of excitement in Carlsbad when a new business is arriving in Carlsbad. Right now, we have many people asking us every day when both Big Lots and Wing Stop are going to open, among other stores.
Big Lots, located at the Carlsbad Mall, has been issued its Certificate of Occupancy, meaning it can open at any time. Social media posts indicate that the store should be opening within the next few weeks, but that the store is still striving to hire more employees.
Big Lots offers a little bit of everything, including food, furniture, toys and electronics.
The new Wing Stop will be located in south Carlsbad, near Tractor Supply, and is slated to open in early October. Construction of a number of other new businesses, including a large U-Haul facility and an HTeaO, are ongoing, and numerous retail projects are on the horizon.
The challenge for these, and all current businesses, is, of course, labor. Carlsbad is blessed to have a very healthy economy and continues to see significant population growth, but that does mean that the biggest hurdle is often obtaining and retaining a workforce.
In many ways, it’s a good problem to have – businesses come to Carlsbad because they know there’s lots of opportunity here. Based on our conversations with Albertsons and Dominos corporate offices, who often report record-setting sales here- this community is well worth the investment. However, we all need to work to address the challenges.
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce has helped sponsor a variety of job fairs, including ones specifically aimed at teenagers and at seniors. The Carlsbad Department of Development continues to work on attracting housing and apartment development. The City, County and School District all need to do their part as well- by constantly working to improve on roads, infrastructure, recreation facilities and educational opportunities. We also have excellent resources such as the state’s workforce development program.
We’re very happy to see all of these new businesses building in Carlsbad and look forward to working with them.
From the office of Mayor Dale Janway
