Shopko opened its doors to the public Sunday during its “soft” opening and officially on Friday.
Store foundation donates to BCPS at Friday’s grand opening
[Updated March 27 after Shopko’s grand opening; with video.]
By Bryce Martin | Pioneer Editor | [email protected]
Shopko opened its doors to the public March 22 during its “soft” opening and made it official during its grand opening on Friday. So far, the community seems to appreciate the new retailer, according to its store manager and several satisfied customers.
Scott Sola, Shopko store manager and former manager of ALCO in Bowman, said Tuesday that the soft opening went very well. Sola said he’s heard many positive comments, including how patrons like the brighter, cleaner store layout and the expanded range of merchandise.
The new business then hosted a special grand opening March 27 and invited the community to celebrate as the Green Bay, Wisc.-based company begins a new chapter with Bowman.
“I think it’s really beautiful,” said Cecilia Dworshak of Bowman as she walked out of the store on Friday. Dworshak, carrying bags of merchandise she purchased, said she plans to shop a lot at the new location.
Fellow happy shopper Agnes Kitzan agreed. Kitzan said her experience at Shopko was wonderful, so much so that she has already been to the store three times since its soft opening on Sunday.
“I’ll probably be back tomorrow and the next day, too,” Kitzan, of Bowman, said. “I can get everything I need here. I don’t have to run to Walmart in Dickinson all the time.”
The grand opening for Shopko was eagerly anticipated, which was made obvious by the long line of people standing outside the store’s doors in the early spring cold morning weather.
Tracy Lecoe, principal of Roosevelt Elementary in Bowman, graciously accepted a $2,500 check from the Shopko Foundation at the grand opening ceremony, held shortly before 9 a.m. in front of the store. After Sola cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the store, Shopko handed its first 100 customers a $10 gift card and a chance to enter a drawing for $1,000.
“We’re very excited to … have another store that can serve all of our area,” said Emily Bostyan, president of the Bowman Area Chamber of Commerce. “I think it’s going to be very busy for our area. It was popular when it was ALCO; it will be popular as Shopko.”
The soft opening on March 22 provided patrons an opportunity to experience what Shopko has to offer and lent an extra bit of hands-on training for the employees.
“We had a feeling it was going to be a busy day,” Sola told the Pioneer. “I think we were a little busier than I thought we were going to be.”
Vehicles filled the Shopko parking lot, beginning at noon Sunday. That happened again on Friday. People began lining up outside of its front entrance, eagerly waiting to step inside.
Sola said the store’s inventory isn’t complete, due to shipping issues and delays, so patrons will see added selections over the next few weeks. Though, he said for the most part the departments are set in their present locations.
Sola said he believes Shopko’s array of products to be a larger selection than its predecessor, ALCO, which closed its doors earlier this year after the company declared bankruptcy and subsequently folded.
With the new store also comes the ability to hire additional employees. Presently Shopko has 16 employees, which may change in the future according to Sola, but the store will retain more employees than ALCO.
One of the chief criticisms when ALCO occupied the building were the frequent long wait times for customers.
Sola said Shopko is working to address that and its added number of employees could help the situation.
Long waits were seen at the soft opening of Shopko, and the company had actually removed one of the store’s registers, but Sola said he doesn’t expect that problem to persist.
“Once things get down and get into a routine, I think it will run a lot better,” he said.
Sola said a large difference from ALCO is the better quality clothing that Shopko carries, among many other things. Mostly the two stores carry the same types of products.
“It was great to see the support that the community had for us in these first days and look forward to it in the future,” Sola said.