Come Monday morning, Queensborough will be home to the first B.C. location of home renovation retailer giant Lowe's.
The doors will open at 7 a.m. Monday for the "soft opening," and the public is invited to the grand opening celebration at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
"We have a very big day. We're very excited," said Ramona Paul, store manager. "We had a lot of interest today with customers at the front door just wanting to take a peek. There's a lot of hype."
Not one to indulge the clichd ribbon-cutting ceremony, Paul said the store will open with a board-cutting using wood and tools available in the store. Several New Westminster dignitaries will also be on hand including Mayor Wayne Wright, who was a big proponent of Lowe's choosing the Queensborough location.
"He's excited to come. We have councillors coming. There's a lot of people from the community, developers, anyone involved in the building," Paul said. "It's one of the largest grand opening events that I've ever know. I was amazed by the response by members of downtown New West asking, 'When is it? Can we come?' Of course, everyone's welcome, and we're proud to show it off."
Paul said the store will have 117,000 square feet of retail space as well as a 30,000-square foot gardening centre, but she expects helpful and knowledgeable employees will be what attracts customers to the store.
"We live it. We hire people who are passionate. We hire experienced people without question - electrical pros and licensed plumbers and carpenters who have that experience. But it's their passion that we look for when we hire people," she said.
Paul said Lowe's has hired 180 such people, many from New Westminster in advance of Monday's launch.
"You just feel that energy when you walk through the building, and I know we'll be received well," she said.
The new store is located at 1085 Tanaka Crt. but don't try to find it on a map or your GPS because it is a new street. Most people would know it as the location of the old Western Forest Products mill, next to what is now Starlight Casino.
www.twitter.com/BrentRichter
