Walmart opens Louisa location

ZION CROSSROADS — The holidays came early Wednesday as customers waited en masse for the official opening of the area’s newest Walmart.

Hundreds of people were on hand to watch Louisa County officials cut the ribbon and open the 154,490-square-foot Walmart Supercenter across from Lowe’s near Interstate 64.

An hour later, some customers waited in the toy department and others in grocery aisles to get the opening day deals.

“Louisa has now become a destination shopping place,” county Supervisor Fitzgerald Barnes said. “This is where people are going to come shop.”

The store, which will employ 250 people, showcases some of the company’s latest energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features such as skylights and concrete flooring.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” store manager Tommy Gordon said. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase, including health and beauty and pet supplies, we are making one-stop shopping even easier.”

Bob Gibson, director of economic development for Louisa County, said the store is part of a long-term plan to bring more business to the area. He said there are now plans to build 12,000 square feet of additional retail space near the new store.

“This store is a sign of prosperity, jobs and a new tax base coming to Louisa County,” Gibson said.

While other nearby counties such as Albemarle have seen a decrease in sales tax revenue because of the economic slump, Louisa County has seen a 50 percent increase in the last year, Gibson said. He expects that to increase now that Walmart has opened its doors, as the store is expected to pull customers from the surrounding area.

“This is absolutely the beginning of the growth Louisa and Fluvanna counties are going to experience in the years to come,” Gibson said.

Dora Estes, who lives in Fluvanna, arrived at the store at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday and waited in her car until the doors were opened for the ribbon cutting.

Estes, who is used to buying her groceries in Charlottesville and doing her Walmart shopping in Richmond, plans to make many late-night visits to the new Zion Crossroads store. The store will be open 24 hours a day.

“We just wanted to be part of the excitement today,” Estes said. “I’ve been excited since I knew the store was coming. When I retire, I’m going to come down here and get a job as a door-greeter.”

Walmart is Louisa County’s largest retail employer. The company already has a distribution center, where 800 people work, near the new Supercenter.

The world’s largest retailer is building two more stores in the area. Construction on a Walmart Supercenter at the Gateway Center in Ruckersville is set to begin by the end of the year, with an opening date by the third quarter of 2010, store officials said Wednesday. And plans are under way for a Walmart in Orange County, near the Wilderness Battlefield.

Walmart also has plans to expand its old-model store on U.S. 29 in northern Albemarle County into a Supercenter.