STATESBORO, Ga. () — Statesboro and Bulloch County continue to see growth, as furniture store Home Goods was confirmed to be coming soon.

In May 2025, the city hinted at the arrival of a “major home furnishings retailer” at the former Kmart location in the Southern Square Shopping Center on Northside Drive, but it wasn’t until recently that Home Goods was officially confirmed as the retailer.

The growth is deliberate, according to Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCallor.

“Everything you see today has been strategically planned,” McCallor stated. “This planning spanned my administration over the past eight years, as well as previous administrations. We recognized the need for jobs within our community, and we knew that only growth could bring those jobs.”

In the May 2025 release, the city commended the efforts of the Georgia Southern Business Innovation Group.

“(Home Goods) embodies the success of a visionary partnership that began in January 2023, when the city of Statesboro partnered with Georgia Southern University’s Business Innovation Group to contract a small business recruitment service,” the release noted. “This collaboration brought aboard a dedicated small business recruiter, Alan Gross, who has been actively attending trade shows and aiming to draw small to medium-sized businesses to the region.”

McCallor and city leaders said it is exciting that Home Goods chose Statesboro as a new location.

McCallor remarked, “This presents a significant opportunity for our community to achieve more retail diversification, and with our rapid growth, the arrival of Home Goods is particularly well-suited.”

The growth doesn’t just mean more couch options for residents.

“In Statesboro, we’ve observed a resurgence of manufacturing within our community,” McCallor explained. “We’ve welcomed three suppliers to the area and have two other manufacturing organizations here, collectively contributing nearly 2,000 new manufacturing jobs.”

The same city release included multiple statistics showing the growth.

The release further stated, “In 2024 alone, more than 190 new business licenses were issued, and by February 2025, commercial development projects in Statesboro represented over $128 million in investments—a number that continues to increase with new developments breaking ground each month.”

McCallor said the city has invested infrastructure necessary to prepare for the growth and hopes the growth will continue to “bring jobs and be a positive influence” for the community.