Cheddar's Casual Café announced Wednesday it will be the next in a recent string of new businesses setting up in Hall County.

The restaurant, owned by Macon-based C&P Restaurant Co., will break ground next week for its new location on Dawsonville Highway in the Beechwood Crossing Shopping Center.

Retailers moving to Hall County in the past year have taken up more than 140,000 square feet of retail space, according to Tim Knight, co-owner of Trivest Real Estate, the development company working on Beechwood Crossing.

That includes the Olive Garden, which began construction on Dawsonville Highway in January; ALDI grocery store, which opened last week; Goodwill and Tractor Supply in Oakwood; and Ulta and Michaels in McEver's Corner, among others.

Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores also will be opening a location on Dawsonville Highway next to the ALDI.

Jo-Ann Fabric's corporate office said it could not provide details regarding an opening date.

Knight said the current retail growth in Hall County hasn't been seen since 2006 and is not being experienced in other parts of the country.

"When I go to shopping center conventions and I read trade magazines, I don't see anything like this anywhere," he said. "It's very unique. ... There's very little construction going on anywhere in the country in terms of retail."

Knight attributed the recent growth to the fact that Hall County has been under-retailed and also has maintained relative stability in its housing market.

"It's a market that actually has held its own and grown somewhat during this recession where other areas have
really been hit hard," he said. "There have been some pockets that have been devastated."

According to Tim Evans, vice president of economic development for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, the addition of ALDI and Jo-Ann Fabric have nearly eliminated the county's vacancies in existing large storefronts.

And fewer vacancies ultimately means more tax revenue, Evans said. Stores in Hall draw shoppers from up to 14 surrounding counties, he said.

"That just means that people from outside Hall County are helping pay for our education and infrastructure," he said.

Cheddar's plans to open late this summer and hire 150 employees. Cheddar's has 80 locations in 19 states and this will be its seventh in Georgia.