NORTHPORT, Ala. (WIAT) — The city of Northport is experiencing an uptick in retail growth with new businesses and restaurants opening and several more will opening in the near future.

Bella Batista says it’s wonderful and exciting to be a part of the new growth. Batista is the general manager at Teriyaki Madness, the restaurant opened last Friday after a ribbon cutting.

“It is super exciting, and we’ve had so much support, and we appreciate it, and we’ve had lines out the door and we’ve been trying our best to get the food out in a timely manner. And this community is huge and I feel a lot of love from everyone,” said Batista.

Some other businesses that will soon open in the near future include Buffalo Wild Wings, Lost Pizza Co., Diamond Jims Car Wash, Urgent Care and a new UPS store. Northport City Council President Jeff Hogg says the retail growth is great for the local economy.

“We’ve seen lots of recent growth in retail development in Northport and all these things go hand in hand with what people want to see but also what the city needs to see as well. Having new businesses helps us providing clean water, paving our streets, maintaining our infrastructure and our police and fire departments. These things cannot happen without sales tax that is generated by new businesses,” Hogg said.

Hogg says according to the latest census, Northport is now the 17th largest city in Alabama.