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| Ronald is adding a store next to the Supercenter. |
Walmart opened the largest Supercenter in Arkansas a short distance from our home, on the way to Ecclesia College, where I teach. They bought a family farm located on an interstate exit.
A woman who grew up on that farm graduated from Ecclesia. The family sold part of the farm and retained the rest for future development.
Mrs. Ichabod and I went to the grand opening, the first grand opening of anything we have ever attended. We were not about to miss this one. I set the alarm for 5 AM and woke up at 6. I fixed coffee and we were at the store at 6:30.
The lot was almost empty and there was only a tiny group of people at each door. We parked near the platform where the opening ceremonies took place. Sassy walked around me me, letting loose her happy barks. Everyone loved her - except for the frowning Walmart suits, who probably imagined the ceremony like this:
"Welcome to the bark bark mony of bark bark bark. We are so bark bark bark bark you here."
Sassy greeted the two groups of people at the doors. Sassy and I then waited in the limo, which is a second home for Sassy.
Mrs. I watched the ceremony from the door and I stood by the car. Sassy was completely silent until the opening was done and I got back in the car. She cheered as only Sassy can: "Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, bark."
Empty lot? At 7:15 AM it was full. At 7:25 a man answered his cell and said, "Where do you think you will park when you get here? There is no room left."
Sam's Club left Springdale for Fayetteville a few year's ago, depriving the city of millions in tax revenue. Everyone is happy to have the Supercenter at our exit of I-49 (Elm Springs), with a new Sam's Club planned in 2016 for the next exit south (Rt. 412 - Sunset) in Springdale. Naturally, businesses like McDonald's surround new retail and even more business is generated.
We are hoping for a Greek restaurant and other amenities. As we tell our friends, Springdale was a sleepy town until we moved here two years ago.
We love our neighborhood. Sassy is a star wherever she goes. Yesterday she walked across the road to greet a van full of grandchildren. It seems the grandfather brought one set to meet with another set. Sassy met each new child and enjoyed the petting and talking about her. Her pals took their turns loving her, too.
This home is where all the kids ran screaming into their home when Sassy came by and barked. Then one of them said, "That's Sassy," and they all came out again to play with her.
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| The configuration is a bit difference for this store. Everyone is happy to have hundreds of new jobs here, plus many opportunities for advancement. --- .jpg) Kindred spirits - Glende and Ski From WELS Pastor Joel Lillo, revlillo@gmail.com - perpetual adolescent: Greggy, The grand opening of a Walmart... Yep, that's about as close to a cultural event as Arkansaw gets (except for maybe a Baldknobbers Jamboree). Oh, it did make me smile to see that picture of the clown in your reporting of the event. The fact that he was sitting next to Ronald McDonald made it that much better. Cheers, Joel *** Alice Walton bought Kindred Spirits for the art museum, which offers free admission to everyone. GJ - Joel swore to stop reading this blog but he cannot keep his own promises to hisself. How delicious it must be, to look down on another state, oblivious to geography and his own colossal ignorance. The entertainers he mentions are in Missouri, two hours away. The highly regarded Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is about 15 minutes away, just off the same Interstate I mentioned above. My wife and I enjoy volunteering there and seeing Alice Walton.   This part of the museum is called Walker's Landing, named after an employee who began early with Walmart and has since given many millions of dollars to charities. |