Foley’s ongoing retail expansion added another name to its list this weekend, as Moe’s Original Bar B Que celebrated its grand opening along the city’s booming Highway 59 corridor.
The barbecue restaurant’s arrival follows closely behind a new Shoe Station location that opened last month, with an Academy Sports + Outdoors store expected to open in the coming weeks. Foley’s economic development director says the pace of new openings has been building steadily over the past several years as retailers and developers return to the area following the broader economic recovery.
The Academy Sports project, going up next to an existing Walmart, represents a roughly $15 million investment on 13 acres near Pride Drive, supported by a multimillion-dollar incentive package approved by the Foley City Council. The 62,000-square-foot store is expected to bring around 125 jobs to the area once it opens.
City officials say conversations are underway with additional grocery and retail chains interested in joining the surrounding shopping center, though no formal announcements have been made. Foley’s mayor said talks are also progressing with a mid-box clothing retailer, though details remain unofficial.
Moe’s new Foley location marks the barbecue chain’s fifth spot in coastal Alabama, joining existing restaurants in Mobile, west Mobile, Daphne and Orange Beach. The new restaurant sits near the Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermens Market on County Road 20, in a renovated warehouse building that will also soon house a custom outdoor kitchen and fire pit business.
City leaders point to the string of recent openings, which also includes fast food and retail additions over the past year, as evidence that Foley’s commercial corridor continues to draw new investment even as national retail trends shift. Officials say they expect the momentum to continue as more of the surrounding development is completed later this year.