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The Roanoke Valley appears to be landing a new sandwich chain, Jimmy John's.

Driving down U.S. 460 recently, I saw a sign stating "Jimmy John's gourmet sandwiches coming soon." It's posted near the intersection of Blue Hills Drive and at the same parcel of land that is marketed for Blue Hills Village.

Blue Hills Village is supposed to have restaurants, a retail center, a hotel and a day care center, according to a sign at this Roanoke County site. Various land parcels there are for sale.

I do not have additional details about this planned business center and Jimmy John's. New Century Development Co. is listed as the developer of Blue Hills Village, but I could not reach the company by phone.

A spokeswoman for Jimmy John's also has not returned a call for comment for more details about a new Roanoke location. This sandwich chain is based in Illinois, and it has two New River Valley locations in Christiansburg and Blacksburg. 

According to its Web site, Jimmy John's restaurants bake bread fresh each day. Its menu features a wide variety of sandwich fare, from 8-inch subs to giant subs and a low carb lettuce wrap.

If you're eaten at Jimmy John's, let me know what you think of it.

The new Food Lion store in Daleville will open on Aug. 19. That's according to Cathy Benson at The Botetourt View blog. This is the day after an Aug. 18 After Hours event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce at the store that fronts U.S. 220.

Click here for more details about this new Food Lion and its retail center, the Orchard Marketplace.

The fate of the former Krystal fast food restaurant on Wildwood Road in Salem apparently has been sealed.

Last week, Rick Witt, a franchisee for Dairy Queen, purchased this vacant building for $509,250 at an auction.

Boyd Temple, an auctioneer who handled the sale for Woltz & Associates, told me that Witt plans to open a Dairy Queen restaurant inside this 1,600 square foot structure.

Witt owns other Dairy Queens, including one in Christiansburg. I've been trying to reach him this week to discuss his new Salem location, but I haven't received a call back.

About $40,000 worth of equipment and furnishings inside this Krystal restaurant also were sold during the auction. Several Krystal franchisees with restaurants in Atlanta, Tennessee and Alabama bought these items, Temple said.

These franchise owners certainly can re-use the Krystal signs and other furnishings that are specific to this fast food chain.

A Krystal franchisee opened the Salem location in 2007. It shut down abruptly in April 2008. Krystal Co. is a long-running chain that is known for its square hamburgers.

 Click here to read a past blog post about the closing.

Attention Wi-Fi users. You no longer have to pay to surf the Internet at Barnes & Noble stores.

AT&T and Barnes & Noble recently decided to offer these services complimentary. Read this story from Macworld for more details.

Wal-Mart says it will absorb the sales tax on all electronics, photography and wireless products, with no price limit, during Virginia's sales tax holiday on Aug. 7-9. That means that you won't have to pay the 5 percent sales tax on computers, cameras and other related products at Wal-Mart stores during this upcoming weekend.

For these three days, certain school supplies and clothing purchases will be exempt of the state's 5 percent sales tax. But retailers can decide to make additional store items tax free during the weekend and absorb the sales tax themselves. Look out for more retailers that may choose to slash the 5 percent tax on select purchases.

Here are more details about this upcoming tax holiday, timed to the back-to-school season.

Wal-Mart also says that it will recognize teachers on Aug. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon, with a special "teacher appreciation" checkout lane in its stores. In a news release, Wal-Mart says that teachers spend an average of $659 of their own money each year on school supplies, citing www.CharityGuide.org.

Finally, if you're a Roanoke or New River Valley resident who is planning to shop for school supplies during the Aug. 7-9 tax holiday, send me an e-mail. I'm seeking people to interview for a story about the tax-free savings.

Vacant retail spaces are growing at shopping centers across the country where many national chains have shuttered stores.

At Valley View Mall in Roanoke, one of these vacant retail spaces soon will be filled with a new store for this market. 

Bolton's, a discount women's apparel store selling designer and brand name clothing, is planning to open in the former spot of BMoss on the mall's upper level. BMoss is a women's clothing chain that filed for bankruptcy last year and closed all of its stores.

Most of Bolton's stores are in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania. But the retailer is making a push to expand its brand into Virginia, according to spokeswoman Susan Leventhal, for A&E Stores.

A&E Stores, based in New Jersey, owns Bolton's and other retail concepts, including Strawberry and Pay Half.

Leventhal told me that Bolton's has been seeking former BMoss locations for new store openings.

The retailer is aiming for an Aug. 27 opening at Valley View, which will be its first Virginia store, she said.

Hi, blog readers. I'm back in the office after a week-long vacation and playing catch up.

I've learned some updated restaurant news today. Pitt Boss opened its doors today at a new and much larger location at 431 Brambleton Ave. in Roanoke County. This barbecue joint first opened two years ago in a small space on Brambleton Avenue, not too far from its new digs. At lunchtime today, the parking lot of Pitt Boss' new restaurant location was nearly full.

Meanwhile, at Pitt Boss' former location at 3904 Brambleton Ave., the owners of Burger in the Square are making the final preparations to open their well-known hamburger restaurant. Burger in the Square also has a location at the Market Building in downtown Roanoke.

Anita Wilson, co-owner of Burger in the Square, told me today that she's hoping to open the doors at this new Roanoke County space in about two weeks.

Here's my May blog entry with details about Burger in the Square's second restaurant.

Here's the latest news on store moves, openings and closings at Valley View Mall.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on the mall's upper level has closed. I don't know the specific reason for the Roanoke store's closing, but this Colorado-based candy retailer reported in its first quarter earnings that many of its franchises are struggling. Sales at Rocky Mountain's stores open for a year or longer declined 6.7 percent in the first quarter ended May 31.

According to a company news release, this drop in same store sales is related to the national recession that is impacting all retailers and mall traffic in particular.

I tried to reach a spokesman for Rocky Mountain to comment on franchise closings, but I did not receive a call back.

Elsewhere at Valley View, Body Central, a trendy women's clothing store, has opened beside Express on the mall's lower level.

Also, it appears that Bella Beauty, a new store planned for the mall, will be moving to a retail space beside Puppy Love and near Macy's on Valley View's upper level. There's a sign at this space announcing that Bella Beauty is coming soon.

Finally, LensCrafters has made its move from inside Valley View to the District at Valley View, which is adjacent to the mall. This eye glasses retailer now is located beside Panera Bread.

Call it the thrill of a perceived deal. How many of you have walked into Sam's Club, Costco or some other large warehouse club and ended up at the check-out line with more than you ever expected to buy? We're all guilty of overspending when we shop for what we believe are very discounted items, especially sold in bulk.

But will you really eat all of those granola bars or the mega bags of frozen chicken tenders?

Check out this story about a study of consumer behavior and warehouse club shopping. It was conducted by Michael Norton, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, and Leonard Lee, assistant professor at Columbia Business School.

They found that consumers purchased more at warehouse clubs, because they perceived that they were getting better deals.

It's easy to think that buying in bulk ultimately saves you money. But does it? What are your experiences with trying to spend smartly at a warehouse club (if you actually can stick to your list!)?

Also, here are some tips from Consumer Reports for shopping smart at a warehouse club:

1. Make a list and buy only what's on it.

2. Compare unit prices with your local grocery store's prices.

3. Split a large purchase with a friend.

4. Pay with cash. It's a reality check that may keep you from overspending.

5. Try unfamiliar products judiciously.

6. Learn how to spot super bargains, such as slow-moving merchandise that's been discounted.

The back-to-school season is creeping up, and everyone's looking for some kind of discount this year.

The average family with children in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade will spend less on school supplies this year, compared with last year. A family is expected to spend $548.72, which is down from $594.24 in 2008, according to the National Retail Federation.

The economy is impacting families in a major way when it comes to school-related expenditures. From cutting back on extracurricular activities or sports to buying new clothes and deciding whether to attend a public or a private school, the impacts of a poor economy on school spending are widespread, reports the NRF.

"The economy has clearly changed the spending habits of American families, which will likely create a difficult back-to-school season for retailers," said Tracy Mullin, who is president and CEO of the NRF, in a news release.

Those of you on the hunt for some back-to-school related discounts should mark your calendars for Virginia's tax-free holiday, coming up Aug. 7-9. For these three days, clothing, shoes and certain school supplies are excempt of the state's 5 percent sales tax.

The school supplies must be priced at $20 or less to be tax free. Clothing, shoes and other select items must be $100 or less to qualify.

Click here for a list of all purchases that will be tax free.

Also, some retailers often decide to make other items tax-free during this weekend and absorb the sales tax themselves. Keep your eyes on advertisements for additional tax-exempt merchandise.