Meijer opens in Wauwatosa, draws overnight campers in parking lot

If the smiling faces of employees at every corner and at the free food samples near the store's entrance were any indication, Meijer was prepared for its much-anticipated grand opening in Wauwatosa Aug. 4.

"I can't say enough good things about my team," said Store Director Tom Livernois, who stood underneath an arch of red and blue balloons and near a row of peaches as he delivered remarks at the store's ribbon-cutting.

A large group of store employees clad in name tags and blue shirts stood to his right and chanted in unison, "Team Tosa! Team Tosa! Team Tosa!"

Employing about 360 people, the family-owned 24-hour supercenter officially opened its doors at 7 a.m. Tuesday, and a handful of customers camped in the store's parking lot the night before, Livernois said.

"It's like Black Friday in August," Livernois said, adding that the Wauwatosa location, 11111 W. Burleigh St., brought in out-of-state employees to help with the opening.

Once inside the store, customers could find anything from fresh apples to fishing rods to shampoo to electronic tablets.

"Some of our customers are surprised to find out we're a little more than a grocery store," said co-chairman Hank Meijer during the opening ceremony.

More than a grocery store, indeed. Customers milled about the store, pushing shopping carts past a pharmacy, optical center, a U.S. bank branch, a bakery and more, all while carrying cups of coffee purchased from the Starbucks near the front entrance of the store.

"I want to make sure that the corporations that come to our community become part of community," said Wauwatosa Mayor Kathy Ehley during the opening ceremony. Wauwatosa has evolved into a "second downtown" for residents of the Milwaukee area in recent years, she said.

Meijer's president, J.K. Symancyk, also gave remarks that morning.

The store offers features like price check machines and a computer in the produce section where customers can place their deli order before time, print out a ticket and pick up the ready order once they make it to the counter.

Meijer has ingrained itself into the community since announcing in January it would open a location in Wauwatosa.

The company recently announced a $25,000 donation to the Wauwatosa Public Library to fund an Internet cafe for young adults.

Meijer was scheduled to open a location in Oak Creek Tuesday afternoon, which anchors the Drexel Town Square development, the fourth to open in Wisconsin. Grafton and Kenosha stores opened June 23.

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company operates 222 stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The retailer plans to open two or three new Wisconsin supercenters per year through 2019.