Louisville, KY (WDRB News) -- Are they corporate bullies trying to throw their weight around, or will they bring more people to the Bardstown retail area, benefiting not only themselves but other businesses as well?
Urban Outfitters is getting ready to open its first Louisville store. And the popular, yet controversial retail giant is already making its presence felt here.
Kevin Burris is optimistic about the impact Urban Outfitters will have on the Bardstown Road area. "Now we have new neighbors and hopefully it will do everybody good," he says.
Burris owns Louisville Multi-Media across the street from the new Urban Outfitters Store. He sells his own locally produced T-shirts and other merchandise.
Urban Outfitters has already generated some controversy after it took over the sign that used to belong to the Highland Coffee Company located in the same retail complex.
The locally owned coffee shop has been forced to use a smaller portable sign.
On Friday its owners did not want to talk on camera about the controversy. Neither did the local Urban Outfitters manager. But Burris has signs in his store window promoting his business as your local outfitter.
Still, he believes the big corporate giant across the street and his business can co-exist.
"They sell T-shirts, I sell T-shirts," says Burris, just like Wendy's and McDonalds they are going to be right across the street from each other, I hope we can live off them and live together with them."
Inside Urban Outfitters on Friday, workers were busy preparing for the opening of their store on Thursday.
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