Wetumpka to welcome new business downtown
The owner of Grove Station has announced the bakery, market and restaurant will be moving from Tallassee to downtown Wetumpka.
The announcement came at a news conference this morning.
It will be located in a long-vacant building at 105 Company Street. The bakery will be open in the next six months with the hopes of having the entire building ready in 8 to 10 months.
“What I’m bringing here is a marketplace. Inside of the building it has a deli, a bakery, a fine dining experience, a wine and beer store and some delicious food for you,” Grove Station owner Corrie Sid said.
City leaders say Jamie and Cathy Thornton, long-time Wetumpka residents, had purchased the building with a vision of reinvesting in their community.  After months of planning and collaboration, the Thornton family, the City of Wetumpka’s Economic Development Department, the Wetumpka Downtown Redevelopment Authority (WDRA) and Main Street Wetumpka worked together to make the property ready for Grove Station.
“Jamie and Kathy Thornton have been passionate supporters of this community for many years,” Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said. “Their decision to purchase and re-develop the building downtown is a testament to their belief and Wetumpka’s future. Their investment ensures that this building which sat vacant for decades will now be a driving part of our downtown once again.”
City leaders say since 2016, private investment in downtown Wetumpka has surpassed $5 million dollars, with an occupancy rate at nearly 99%. The building that Grove Station will be moving into was the last vacant property on Company Street.
