Published: February 02, 2007 11:53 pm      

Lowe’s to open Greenville store Sunday

GREENVILLE — Needing some lumber, nails or plaster before the big game Sunday?

The Greenville Lowe’s Home Improvement Center is opening its doors for local shoppers at 8 a.m. Sunday, four days before the store’s official grand opening.

“We’ll be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Sunday,” said store manager Jeff Shrum. “We’ll be open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. the rest of the week.”

Shrum said a grand opening is being planned for next Thursday morning. Instead of a ribbon-cutting, the store will host a board-cutting event, featuring Mayor Tom Oliver and officials from the Lowe’s corporate offices.

“We’ll have the Greenville High School band, the Flaming Flashes and the cheerleaders,” Shrum said of the celebration, scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Thursday.

The Greenville chapter of Habitat For Humanity Greenville will also be participating. Lowe's will match, dollar for dollar, gift card purchases up to $5,000 the day of the grand opening. From 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., Habitat for Humanity Greenville members will host a booth at the entrance of the store, offering the purchase of a gift card. The final donation total from Lowe's to Habitat For Humanity Greenville will be announced at 7 p.m. that day.

The company officially announced in June that it would spend about $18.5 million on the 117,000 square foot store, built on the site of the former Powell-Esco Building in the 3200 block of west Interstate 30. The store also includes a 31,000 square foot garden center.

About 130 people were hired in December to work at the local Lowe’s, which is the anchor tenant of the Kari-Beth shopping center. Starbucks and Chick-fil-A are also part of the development.