Crowds Flock To New Fred Meyer
A brass band played toe-tapping tunes; Freddy Bear danced with giggling children, and the vast parking lot overflowed with cars.
The Wandermere Fred Meyer grand opening was scheduled to start at 7 a.m. Feb. 12. But sensing the anticipation of hundreds of people crowded outside, store director Steve Valentine unlocked the doors 15 minutes early.
In less than an hour, 1,000 coupon books were given to shoppers.
“I have no idea how many people came through the store,” said Valentine. “We met all of our sales expectations for the day.”
Store clerks, balancing plates of cake, cheese, salami, bread and other treats, circulated through the crowd.
Twinkie the Kid and Miss Chiquita mingled with shoppers.
The sushi sales broke all records set by other Fred Meyer sushi bars, said Valentine.
Most of the revelers came to the grand opening out of curiosity.
The 165,000-square-foot store rose seemingly overnight, replacing 20 acres of pine trees. It cost more than $19 million to build.
“We watched it being built from the ground up. It’s nice to see the finished product,” said North Sider Jennene Chamberlain.
“We came by for fun, something to do,” she said.
Dixie McMullin of Clayton, Wash., had also watched the construction. “It’s nice to have something out here, so you don’t have to drive into town,” she said.
Rick Hamp’s roommate is working at the new store and convinced his pals to come take a look.
“It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be,” said Hamp. “They have a lot of stuff here.”
In other business news:
Tech One Services, an espresso machine repair and sales business, recently opened at 1207 N. Washington.
Jerry Kuniholm and James Kamura service commercial and restaurant machines throughout Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. They also sell Italian-made machines, including LaMarzocco and Astoria.
Fitzbillies North, which opened about a year ago on North Nevada behind North Pointe Plaza, has closed.
The franchise was owned by Brent and Mark Oty, and Tom Kingen.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo