Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – More than six years after a tornado destroyed its original location at Turtle Creek Mall, Best Buy officially opened its doors in Jonesboro on Thursday morning.
The electronics giant welcomed shoppers to its new home at 2010 Caraway Road in the Highland Shopping Center, anchored alongside stores like Michaels and Ross. Early morning crowds gathered outside the doors ahead of the ribbon-cutting to check out the new showroom and take advantage of grand opening festivities.
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To celebrate the return, the store launched its multi-day “Best Buy’s Back Block Party,” complete with local food trucks, a live DJ, and giveaways. The first 100 customers through the doors Thursday received complimentary gift cards.
Customers traveled from across the region for the grand opening, including Jose, Michaela, and Marla Lopez, who drove from Trumann to be among the first in line. “We’ve been waiting since 6 a.m.,” Michaela said. Jose added that they came for the grand opening giveaways – especially the 98-inch television.
“Phenomenal is an understatement,” said Spencer Vaughn, general manager for the store. “It may be the understatement of the year. Jonesboro was ready for it, we were ready for it. I knew the Jonesboro community wanted and was going to show out and be here for this, and man, they even blew me away.”
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Addressing the crowd before the ribbon cutting, incoming Best Buy CEO Jason Bonfig highlighted the community’s warm welcome.
“Your welcome has been overwhelming,” said Bonfig. “This is a party, it is amazing. This store is very, very special because it replaces something where a tornado hit and we had to close. It took us a short while, but we are so excited to be back in the community.”
Corporate leadership emphasized that returning to Northeast Arkansas has been a priority since the March 2020 storm.
“I still vividly remember when it happened here,” said Luke Motschenbacher, chief retail and services officer for Best Buy. “There’s the picture of the front facade falling down … That picture went through the entire organization.”
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Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver noted during his opening remarks that the store’s return marks a resilient new chapter for the city.
“Even though we had devastation and uncertainty because of that day, this is providing us strength, determination, and resilience—and that defines Jonesboro,” he said. “Today’s ribbon cutting represents more than the opening of a store. It represents recovery, renewed investment, and another important step forward in our city.”
The new Highland Shopping Center store offers a full-service experience comparable in size to the former mall location. Store features include an interactive electronics showroom, a dedicated Geek Squad tech support counter, and order pickup services.
“This actually has a slightly smaller square footage than the former store,” explained Motschenbacher. “In all of our formats now, we make it feel like these vendor shops exist whether the store is really big or really small. It makes every store feel a little bigger and a little more exciting.”
The store also represents a new strategy for Best Buy. “This store not only creates the experience that you’re seeing here for in-store shoppers, it can fulfill faster for customers in the community who choose to shop online, or store pickup,” Motschenbacher said.
He added, “You can walk into any department in the store and find something in there where you either didn’t know it existed, or the experience is going to show you that you didn’t know a thing could do what it’s demonstrating. It’s such a personal experience.”
The “Best Buy’s Back Block Party” festivities and food trucks will continue at the site throughout the weekend.
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