Hobbs Jewelers recently opened a new store in Huntsville, Ala. Owner Steve Hobbs, whose original store is in Athens, Ala., notes that Fortune Small Business recently named Huntsville a high-technology hub and the No. 1 medium-size city in which to launch a business. In addition, 17,000 troops are being reassigned there. “These are all good things happening for Huntsville,” Hobbs says.

He’s proceeding cautiously and sees the new location, in the Parkway Place Mall, as a temporary spot in which to gain traction in the Huntsville market. “We’d like to make a strong presence in the Huntsville market in a mall store before investing in our own freestanding store.” he says. “We found that many people were driving 25 to 30 miles from Huntsville to our first store in Athens, so we thought we’d bring the store closer to them.”

The store will be positioned as a bridal destination with high-end jewelry from Tacori and Hearts On Fire.