Shopping center to open in Rexburg.

A new shopping center on Second South is scheduled to open in the summer of 2010 as part of a development project by the Hemming Corporation. Representatives from the company said the project is designed to revitalize the Rexburg community.

The shopping center is part of the development project called Hemming Village and will include seven new retailers. There will be two to three eating establishments, and new clothing stores will also open in Hemming Village.

The Hemming Corporation has deep roots in the Rexburg community. The shopping center is located across from the home property that owners Lane and Val Hemming grew up in, and they see the development as a way to preserve their family history.

“I’m the last of the Hemmings that will actually live in Rexburg. We wanted to figure out a way to hold onto our name in this community,” said Lane Hemming, owner of Hemming Village.

The property stretches over nearly 14 acres just west of campus.
“[The shopping center] is right downtown. It’s so close to student housing it’s almost continuous to the campus. It will be somewhere that students can hang out, with eateries and clothing,” Hemming said.

The project began in 2008 but was delayed due to the economic recession.
“We did have a delay for a period because of financing, but the project is now moving forward because we got the financing we need,” said Richie Webb, president of the Hemming Corporation.

The financial struggle delayed the plans for a hotel and convention center.
The hotel and convention center are expected to begin construction in four to five years.

“We’ve shifted our focus and moved our money in a different direction,” Hemming said.
While the current economic climate is still a concern, Hemming said that developing the community is now important enough to keep the projects on track.

“I just feel like Rexburg, Idaho, is going to grow, especially because of the university,” Hemming said. “If we’re not proactive, it’s not going to go in the direction we want it to. Look at downtown Idaho Falls ... the old downtown area is dying. I don’t want that to happen to Rexburg.”

BYU–I students are excited about the potential new shopping center and look forward to more retail options being available in Rexburg.

Sophomore Taylor Phillips said he will probably shop at Hemming Village when it opens.
“There are not that many stores in Rexburg and it would be cool to have more options,” Phillips said.