With a cut of a red ribbon, the opening of the Shopko Hometown store was official.
The grand opening and ribbon cutting event was held there on Oct. 4.
The 35,000-square-foot store, located on West Fulton Street, opened on Sept. 24.
“We’ve been part of small towns for over 50 years. We appreciate the values of small towns. We’re happy to be part of your community,” Greg Stanford, Shopko’s regional vice president, said during the Oct. 4 event.
By 8:30 a.m. that morning, the first customers of the day were outside of the store, waiting to head inside.
As part of the event, each of the first 100 customers in line received a $10 Shopko gift card.
Through the years, Stanford has attended a number of grand opening and ribbon cutting events, and he said he has not seen a bigger welcome than the one he saw here.
He also said it was the best representation of city officials he has seen at a store opening.
Mayor Brian Smith was among them.
“We welcome Shopko to our fine community,” he said. “It’s a nice addition to our community.”
Each day, as Smith drove past the Waupaca Wood Malls on his way to his office in downtown Waupaca, he watched the construction of the store progress.
“We are proud of your building and proud to welcome you here,” he said.
Stanford said Shopko likes to make a difference in communities.
On behalf of the Shopko Foundation, he presented a $2,500 scholarship to Waupaca High School principals Rob Becker and Carl Eggebrecht.
Becker thanked Stanford for the scholarship and said a number of WHS students are among the store’s recently hired employees.
“We look forward to Shopko employing our students for many years to come,” he said.
Sean Day is the manager of the store.
“This is your town – your hometown store,” he said. “We’re excited to show you our new store.”