Jackson Jambalaya

Only the start of a stampede by the Jackson nameplate dealers to the new I55 frontage in Ridgeland and Madison. You ain't seen nothing yet.

How does that old expression go about "leaving a sinking ship"? Smart move, safe move, better location, more sales.

It's about time. There's no telling how many fender benders occurred in that parking lot. You could barely pull in to the place.

Watson Ford, the Chevy and Toyota dealers won't be moving any time soon. All three have just finished major renovations and have a great client base. Haters gonna hate.

@ 8:10 - That side of the interstate is less crime ridden. Not safe by any means - anyone see the story on Cracker Barrel truck theft.

Harreld in Canton was bought out by Mac Haik. Haik is going to build a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealership in Gluckstadt, and also a Chevrolet dealership (moving Harreld chevrolet from Canton). Both will be near the Germantown High School.

Sad, I ate at the Peking Chinese restaurant every Sunday as a kid, Shopped at Kmart, had birthday's at chuck-e-cheese, dates at Steak and Ale, got eggamuffins at McDonalds, went to conferences at the Holiday inn, and so on. It has degenerated into a war zone on I-55 between County Line and St. Dominic's. very sad indeed. I think Mercedes is doing only what makes sense, maybe the site will turn into a Kia dealership.

A number of cars have been stolen from that location. Management tried to buy the defunct Dodge dealership next door to improve space and security. After that fell through, they started looking at I55 locations in Ridgeland/Madison. I'll commend them for trying to stay in Jackson. For pure amusement, what will become of the dealership once they move?

Why do you people want to see Jackson fail so badly?

Don't you realize that (1) more retail in Madison County is not necessarily a good thing, and (2) the fate of the tri-county area is inextricably linked to Jackson?

"Haters gonna hate."

Nice grammar.

There aren't too many Mercedes buyers in South Jackson.

Not a lot of reasons for a business to stay in Jackson. Many reasons for one to move to a place where their customers feel safer.

Hate is the most prostituted word in our culture today. Anytime someone uses the word, you can bank it that they have nothing of relevance to add to the subject at hand.

Just more proof that Jackson's suburbs are leeches.

thank you for moving north, the hood rats will follow.

This is terrible news. Anything that brings more Jackson residents to Madison/Ridgeland/Gluckstadt is not good.

Whenever the City of Jackson decides to take "Crime and Punishment" "Public Safety" "Public Education" "City Infrastructure" seriously, businesses and residents will give serious thought to staying. The city leaders have spoken with their inaction on serious matters, and the totality of their worth is a big GO TO HELL! Why would anyone stay where they are not wanted, not valued, and given the middle finger? A welcoming suburb with leadership beckons to anyone with a brain, so don't give me this White Flight/Badmouth Jackson bullshit.

In all fairness, it is pretty cramped in that space.

The existing site was way too small for a dealership of that size an potential growth. MDOT's improvements to I55 in Madison and Ridgeland by adding a frontage road opened up a lot of developable land suited to a car dealership. Its as simple as that. It will be interesting to see if Higginbotham will sell or lease the property to the highest bidder or still use or maintain control of the site, which is still a damned good location, imho.Higginbotham has been a good corporate citizen and an excellent dealer, in both sales and services.

So I guess the Porsche dealer is moving too since they have the same ownership?

Just the cost of insurance is enough reason for any business to move out of Jackson. The terrible roads and streets is another. The mounting number of people who will not go with the city limits of Jackson is another. The crime rate is terrible and so is the law enforcement. Elected officials have stated many times they do not want whitey in their city. Just look at the shrinking numbers of people in Jackson, especially working people.
Can anyone give a good reason a business would stay in Jackson?

How long is it going to take for the feds to force Ridgeland and Madison to allow Section 8 apartments that will destroy the area they are moving to?

You really can't blame Mercedes for moving. I just don't know the answer for bringing Jackson up to the level of other southeastern cities. I got an email this morning from a commercial broker in Nashville and there are 181 large commercial projects being built in the city limits. The projects consist of hotels, office buildings, hospital additions and retail. WOW, what happened to us---I guess it's just a colored thing !!!!!!!

How long is it going to take for the feds to force Ridgeland and Madison to allow Section 8 apartments that will destroy the area they are moving to?

So, by all means, because there is contagion on the horizon everyone should remain in the Jackson cesspool and share the misery of living in shit.

Anyone who thinks like @ 8:10 AM that recent building renovations will stop a business from following the rooftops and moving is smoking some really good weed. Especially when it comes to nameplate auto dealerships.

Extra sales tax impact decision? There's no greed like government's greed to destroy business

I wonder how many state capitol cities don't have a movie theater, bowling alley and eventually probably will not have car Dealerships?

When you compare Mercedes dealership to Lexus, BMW, and Land Rover, you can see that Mercedes was going to have to expand somewhere to keep up with the competition. Businesses moving to suburbs in the South is nothing new. It has happened in Memphis and Birmingham.

That's a small cramped lot. There's no 'good' location left on the I55 Frontage road in Jackson--so they build a new location.

It's not a reflection of Jackson--its the reality of sprawl. Welcome to 1985 in Birmingham, and 1975 in Atlanta...

Watch Rome (Jackson) burn while Nero (Mayor) fiddled. We are so on fire and no one can feel the flames !

Please Mr. Governor help us by taking over the city and that includes the public schools. Call out the National Guard to patrol our streets. I know you are worried about the negative publicity but it could not be any worse that the publicity we are receiving now. Please help by doing the right thing to help our once great city start the turnaround process.

County Line Road will soon become the new Hwy 80. The Bold New City is becoming more and more shitty!

To: 2:10

You are exactly right---I'll give it 5 years---any bets ?????

For you that don't know - This dealership is one of the top 10 in the Nation - I guess they are doing some things right

The high-end establishments may want to think twice about leaving Jackson, which has more disposable income than Ridgeland. Juniker Jewelry is sinking since they left Highland Village.

Unfortunately, the MB dealership didn't move further north or eastward (Rankin)...but in fairness they will at least have about 10 years to excel in that location before moving as I noted.

I just hope Krisp-e-Kreme will hurry up and leave County Line so I can get some donuts !

3:41 what criteria for this top 10 ranking? better yet a link. I am in market for new E class, hadn't really considered this dealership.

Thanks for the info....

@11:47 You have not paid attention to the District at Eastover. It will have a movie theater. All the car dealerships aren't leaving Jackson. Take a deep breath.

It will have a movie theater.

And it will be a trouble magnet.

Haik has just gotten approval from Planning/Zoning to go ahead with three separate used car lots adjoined to three dealerships in Madison County (not inside any municipality).

If Watson could sell and move, he would. He has too damned much invested to recover if he were to pull out. Plus it's in a relatively low-crime zone, considering the alternatives in North Jackistan.

Criteria for #10+ ranking is for sales in the US if memory serves they were #8

10:59, the new section 8 housing are the hotels that rent by the week. After Katrina hit all of the displaced remnants of N. O. Had to have a place to live. The govt lets the Indians run the hotels and there is no need to build anymore section 8 at least in Jackson . Now, it's up to the city leaders in the surrounding areas to limit the transfer of major chain hotels to Indians but I don't think that's going to happen. Weekly hotels bring property values to their lowest

Just relocate the Capital, say... To Oxford.

Porsche required a separate building from MB.

Not sure it will follow.

They'll be a Ford dealership up there. No doubt about it.

Mayor Gene will only approve signage: "Mercedes of Ridgeland." Fine with me. Do all the salesmen speak Hispanic?

There is more than a little new construction going on in Jackson as well. But, since most of you admit that you avoid coming to Jackson and have for a long time, you wouldn't know.
It doesn't seem to make the news when stores are empty or fail in Madison.
The bad streets in some of the older Madison neighborhoods go unnoticed.

6:28

I had no idea there was major construction going on in Jackson, as it's been years since I've been there, other than on the interstate. That's fantastic news! I hope the stores and everything else in Jackson thrives. When they don't, and the Jackson residents come north, it really ruins our nice little community. The more stores to keep Jackson residents in Jackson the better for all of us.

"One of the top ten dealerships...". You forgot to say "top ten Mercedes Benz dealerships". Taken in total context, Mercedes now populates the lowest sales ranks of all brands.

African Americans moved on from Ford to Volvo to Mercedes to Cadillac, leaving sales in the dust. And there are not enough Indians in the area to keep the brand afloat. And the kids going to Ole Miss still prefer BMW, so there's that.

I drove down hwy 80 yesterday. Boarded up buildings, buildings falling down, people with all their belongings in a cart pushing them down the road, prostitutes setting around looking for customers. Sure there are some construction going on in Jackson. Homeless people bringing building items to a local bridge to build a home under it.

"The high-end establishments may want to think twice about leaving Jackson, which has more disposable income than Ridgeland. Juniker Jewelry is sinking since they left Highland Village." July 12, 2016 at 4:42 PM

I think it's the strange Sixties-Retro-Mansard building. How did that even HAPPEN in Madison? Who let them build that old plain-Jane thing? It looks like something you'd have seen across from the old Primos "Northgate".

This is terrible news. Anything that brings more Jackson residents to Madison/Ridgeland/Gluckstadt is not good.

So I am a Jackson resident that has a gross income in the top.5% of the country and its not okay for me to come spend money in Madison county? Maybe you meant that to mean you don't want black people coming to your Oasis?

Would wanting you to stay out of their city be any different than the elected officials of Jackson wanting any white person to stay out of Jackson?

9:58, I believe you meant, "...Jackson resident WHO has a gross income in the..." (not "...THAT has a gross income in...")

9:58

I assure you, we will get by just fine without it. Sounds like you'd be better off spending that money on a security system anyway. Or self defense training for your family that you chose to endanger.

July 12, 2016 at 4:42 PM "The high-end establishments may want to think twice about leaving Jackson, which has more disposable income than Ridgeland. Juniker Jewelry is sinking since they left Highland Village."

Darn! All those folks are gonna have to start buying Fords or Chrysler 300's now. (apparently folds with disp $$$ wouldn't...)

The disposable income the residents of Jackson has is the jingling kind, not the folding kind. Pawn shops do not pay that much for stolen items.

A new or certified previously-owned Mercedes will move.

When I last saw her, my '83 Oldsmobuick did not move.

I am sick, just sick that this is happening. I love my car and don't want to have to sell it but just can't support the suburbs.

Next I reckon Fowler Buick will move from South State Street.

7:27

If you really can't stand spending $200/300 on an oil change for your Mercedes just a few miles up the road - simply to spite others, you should get you a Smart car. They'll be staying here. And, by doing so you'll be "showing" those suburbs how a "sick, just sick", car-loving Jacksonian can really show them.

"I am sick, just sick that this is happening. I love my car and don't want to have to sell it but just can't support the suburbs." July 13, 2016 at 7:27 PM

I have NEWS, Angel Precious. Mercedes of Jackson's CURRENT location is in a 'suburb'. Jackson is mostly a collection of suburbs. Some are new suburbs. Some are suburbs predating the Civil War. There are inner suburbs and outer suburbs. But pretty-much the whole town is made up of suburbs. Maybe you should look-up the word, and then update your vocabulary.

Also, while googling, you might want to look up,'Whiteopia'(also 'Whitopia), and 'Exurb'.