North Central Co-op officially opened up its St. Albert location earlier this week.
On Thursday morning, crowds formed at the store's Riverside location for a celebration that included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, pancake breakfast, and even a BBQ.
"The support from the community is overwhelming," said Kris Larsen, the director of food and pharmacy for North Central Co-op. "People are at the doors lined up, ready to go and excited for us to be in the market."
"We couldn't be more thrilled to be here serving this community."
Everything about this location is focused on harvesting a local feel that customers and residents can resonate with.
"Even from the development, Johnson Builders are from St. Albert and built this location," said Larsen. "We have numerous local vendors from the Edmonton area onsite demoing."
"We try to stay to those community roots and support local and we're seeing that return back from our customers by the energy we have in the store."
Following that spirit, the location is offering up fresh and local tastes in its produce, bakery, and meat departments.
"A lot of the items are sourced locally right here in the province of Alberta," said Larsen. "We have true butchers in our store, it is not pre-packed and shipped in."
It's not only the products that North Central is focused on but also their impact on the local economy and creating more jobs.
"Between the liquor, fuel, and the food store we are probably close to 100 new jobs in this community."
It's early days, but it's looking like the community of St. Albert is already embracing North Central Co-op.
"Our employees are very engaged in this community. We have got a lot of new generations coming to work for us and they are excited to get out there and serve the community."