Which storefront on Battleground Drive looks different this fall? Almost none of them do, even though Iuka's regular errand route changed a lot between mid-September and early October. One store got a new owner. Another reopened after a remodel. Two new local businesses opened that are easy to drive past. Away from the main road, a downtown corner that used to be an eyesore now has a mural on it.
Most of the change is in ownership and interiors, which you can't see from the road. The truly new pieces are small, and their owners are local.
A New Owner at 600 Battleground Drive
The biggest change is the one you would notice least. Brooks Grocery, the family-founded store at 600 Battleground Drive, has been bought by Houchens Food Group of Bowling Green, Kentucky, according to Alcorn County News. The price was not disclosed.
The Brooks family said in a statement that the name, the employees, the leadership and the product lineup are all staying. They said they chose Houchens partly for its long history in the grocery business and partly because the company is 100% employee-owned. Alcorn County News also noted that the Tishomingo County News announced the sale by saying Brooks Grocery "begins a new chapter with familiar faces."
Iuka is where the business started. Brooks Davis opened the first store here in 2010. A Chapel Hill, Tennessee, store followed in September 2020, and a 24,000-square-foot store opened in Tupelo's Market Center II on Coley Road in July 2021. The Iuka store is still the company's home base. Business went on as usual through the sale. On October 12, the store posted about its "Freaky Fruit" Halloween display of dragon fruit, rambutan, starfruit, kiwano and other unusual produce.
And a new neighbor at 601
Just across the street, Karen Gross opened J-MAC Flowers, Gifts, and Merchandise at 601 Battleground Drive with a ribbon cutting on Friday, Oct. 2. Alcorn County News reported that the shop sells artificial flowers, floral arrangements, gifts, seasonal items and college-football décor.
Check the hours before you plan a weekend stop. J-MAC is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the phone number is 662-593-3511. If you shop for groceries on Saturday morning, you'll find it closed. A weekday lunch break is the better time to pick up flowers or game-day décor.
Walmart Finished on Schedule
On the same Friday J-MAC opened, Walmart Store #274 a little farther up the road at 1110 Battleground Drive held its grand reopening after a remodel. The work was announced back in April, when SuperTalk Mississippi listed the Iuka store among 19 Mississippi Walmarts set for remodels.
The schedule held. In June, the Tishomingo County News said the project should be done in October 2026 and that the store would stay open during construction. That preview listed the planned work:
- Reorganized departments
- An expanded pharmacy
- New flooring
- Renovated restrooms
Take that list as the plan. When the store reopened, Alcorn County News reported that Walmart had not released details about what changed inside the Iuka store. If an aisle you knew by heart has moved, the department reorganization is the likely reason.
A Local Pharmacy Opened on West Quitman Street
The fourth change sits just off the Battleground corridor. Dawson Drugs held its ribbon cutting on Sept. 18 at 1519 West Quitman Street, and the Tishomingo County News identified Nick Dawson as the owner. Its federal provider record lists it as a community/retail pharmacy, with Nicholas Dawson as the authorized owner and pharmacist. The record dates to May 2026, and the listed number is 662-423-3629.
The store hasn't published its hours, so call before you transfer a prescription or stop by after work. Put Dawson Drugs next to the planned pharmacy expansion at Walmart, and pharmacy is the part of Iuka's errand route that got the most attention this fall.
Downtown Got Paint
All of that happened along the main road. Downtown, the change is something you can see.
In May, the Tishomingo County News reported that artist Brian Casabella was painting a mural at the corner of Eastport Street and Fulton Street that depicts the community's history and landmarks. The paper noted that weather could slow the work. On Oct. 15, the same paper followed up. It reported that a local business owner commissioned the piece and that the mural turned an eyesore into a welcoming gathering space, with help from local committees and volunteers.
The mural follows the same local pattern as J-MAC and Dawson Drugs. A local business owner paid for it, and volunteers helped make it happen. It's one of the few things in town this fall that looks new from the street.
The Fall at a Glance
| Where | What changed | When | What stayed the same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks Grocery, 600 Battleground Dr. | Sold to Houchens Food Group | Reported October 2026 | Name, staff, leadership, products |
| J-MAC Flowers, Gifts, and Merchandise, 601 Battleground Dr. | New shop opened | Oct. 2 | Not applicable; open Tue.–Fri., 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Walmart Store #274, 1110 Battleground Dr. | Remodel finished; planned work included departments, pharmacy, flooring, restrooms | Reopened Oct. 2 | Same address; store was planned to stay open during construction |
| Dawson Drugs, 1519 W. Quitman St. | Pharmacy ribbon cutting | Ribbon cutting Sept. 18 | Not applicable; hours not yet published |
| Eastport St. and Fulton St. | Brian Casabella history mural | Underway by May, covered Oct. 15 | A downtown corner, now a gathering spot |
Two Saturdays Downtown, and a Market Still to Be Scheduled
A gathering space only matters if people gather there, and downtown has two dates coming up.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 6 to 8 p.m. The Iuka Pilot Club hosts its Trunk-or-Treat on Front Street in downtown Iuka, according to the Explore Tishomingo County event listing. That's this Saturday, so plan Halloween night now.
Saturday, Nov. 14. The Iuka Development & Economic Association, known as IDEA, holds its 10th annual Veterans Day Parade to honor veterans. When IDEA announced it in August, it said registration details would follow. The 2026 Tishomingo County visitor guide lists 662-212-3702 for the parade. Call that number for the start time, lineup spot and entry details, and ignore older listings that show past years' times.
Sometime in November. The same visitor guide lists the JayBird Holiday Market at JayBird Park in downtown Iuka for November, with no date announced yet.
Here's one way to plan the parade Saturday. Do the Brooks run early on Battleground Drive, then head downtown, where the parade crowd will be gathering near the new mural at Eastport and Fulton. J-MAC's college-football décor will have to wait until Tuesday.
If you want to know how this fall's changes along Battleground Drive and downtown affect a particular street or property near Iuka, the owner-brokers at Crye-Leike Pickwick follow this corner of Tishomingo County closely. Contact Us, and we'll share what we're seeing.
