Wal-mart grand reopening goes off with a bang
Uniontown Wal-Mart got its $2.5 million grand reopening off to a bang Tuesday morning – literally when two cars collided in the store’s parking lot less than 100 feet from where the festivities were about to begin. The fender bender caused no serious injuries and held up only briefly the program marking the end of 12 and a half weeks of work to reconfigure the decade-old store.
Significant remodeling work began in July at the store in the Cherry Tree Plaza shopping center off Matthew Drive.
The store, which opened Feb. 2, 1993, remained open to customers while the work was going on.
“We lifted every piece of tile. We moved every counter. It was a long and tedious job,’ Jack Yard, store manager said. He thanked the store associates and customers for their work and patience.
The new Wal-Mart offers a frozen foods section, expansion of its dry groceries line, a 2,500-square-foot greenhouse and a line of dairy products.
That addition will serve as a “seasonal box,’ Yard said, explaining “it is where we do seasonal merchandise when it’s in, Christmas when it’s in, outdoor products when it’s in.’ There is a new heated greenhouse that will allow the store to offer products all year long. Soft-lines areas now have new wood-grained flooring.
New cash registers were installed, including several self-serve registers.
Yard said the addition brings the total square footage in the store to about 119,000.
Yard explained the remodeling was a compromise to earlier plans.
“We had been in the process of trying to get some land to build a Wal-Mart super center, but that did not happen.’ The remodel, he added, brings the store more up to date.
“It’s a total store remodel and it’s a plan to update everything to bring it up to the newest standard,’ Yard said.
“We have also hired about 60 additional employees,’ Yard said, to help with the remodeling. Yard said those workers will likely be retained through the holiday season. The store has about 400 regular employees.
Wal-Mart also presented checks totaling more than $7,000 to several community organizations. Jane Croftcheck, in charge of community relations for the store, gave a check for $3,000 to the Pennsylvania State Police Gifts for Kids program; $1,000 each to Fayette County Search and Rescue and Family Abuse Council; $750 to the American Red Cross; and $1,600, raised through Wal-Mart’s Volunteers Always program, to the American Cancer Society.
Frank Moravcik and his All-Star Band performed following the program.