Home Depot opens doors

The highly anticipated opening of The Home Depot in Gallup is finally here, starting with a neighborhood event today from 6-9 p.m. that is open to the public. The official opening on Thursday, Jan. 13. (Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent)

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — With one day until the official grand opening of Home Depot, employees and management are working overtime to perfect final details to ensure a smooth start at the Gallup location.

With more than 100,000 square feet to organize and 90 employees to train, assistant manager Chris Cook said the hours before an opening are far from seamless.

The official grand opening isn't scheduled to occur until Thursday, but the store is hosting a "Community Night" from 6-9 p.m tonight.

Local leaders, including Mayor Bob Rosebrough, and politicians will also be in attendance to celebrate the new business. Cook said a Home Depot hot air balloon will be on display and catered food will also be available.

Shoppers will also have the opportunity to sign one of five Home Depot aprons that will be presented to local officials for keeping.

The home improvement chain came into existence in 1979 and has produced about 1,850 stores in the United States and countries such as Canada and Mexico. Cook said China is the chain's most recently developed market.

Despite its size, Cook said the business remains family-oriented.

"We really do provide a good service to the community," he said. "We give people what they need to maintain their single biggest investment-their homes. It's also probably the investment that means the most to people."

The store features seven registers and three that allow customers to help themselves. Cook said about one-third of the store's transactions are conducted through self-checkout.

He said the most popular departments tend to be the Paint and Garden. John Deere products are some of the store's best-selling products.

Cook described the Gallup location as an average size store. He said the company used to construct the stores larger, but have down-sized in recent years.

"I think we'll do very well in Gallup," he said. "It's a small town, but it comes with a loyal community and customer base."

He said anxious customers regularly walk into the warehouse ready to shop, despite signs that read the store is closed.

"People seem to really be excited," he said.

He said local leaders routinely stop by the store to offer assistance. Cook said the Gallup Police Department also routinely patrols the store's parking lot.