Lowe's opens doors in Abbeville

Vermilion Parish has a new retail store that is open for business. Lowe’s Home Center has recently opened its doors to the residents of Abbeville and beyond, offering the City and the parish one of the country’s best places to shop for home improvements.

Lowe’s Operations Manager Steven Bundscho said the new store has 94,000 square feet of space, and has the capacity to hire 120 local employees. “We always take applications,” he said.

The store opened last Friday, but Bundscho said the Grand Opening officially starts Thursday at 10 a.m., when a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place. The public is invited to attend. He added Lowe’s Home Center will announce the recipient of a $1,000 grant to go towards a community non-profit organization, one of the ways Lowe’s supports the local communities.

One of several ongoing, nationwide community projects is the Lowe’s Heroes volunteer program, which helps to improve the communities where Lowe’s employees work and live. The Heroes program, Bundscho said, allows Lowe’s employees to vote for and choose a program they wish to volunteer and serve in their communities each year, such as Habitat for Humanity or a local public school.

“At Lowe’s, we believe community involvement extends beyond the boundaries of the traditional retail setting,” states the Lowe’s Web site at www.Lowes.com.

In addition to the ribbon cutting, Lowe’s Home Center, located on Charity Street in Abbeville, just off of the La. Hwy 14 bypass, will be hosting a number of incentives during its Grand Opening week, which lasts Thursday through Wednesday. Check our newspaper’s inserts for special promotions and deals or stop by Lowe’s for more information.

Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza said the City is excited to welcome the opening of the new Lowe’s store as it will bring in sales tax funds for the City, which are used to support local fire and police departments, as well as hospitals, Sheriff’s office, and to pay school teachers’ salaries. The new business also helps provide jobs for residents of Abbeville.

“Our number one goal is job creation and retention,” Piazza said. “We feel we have to provide citizens with opportunities in the workplace if we want to keep them in Abbeville. It’s really about the jobs,” he added.

Mayor Piazza said businesses such as Lowe’s are essential in promoting the local economy, which is crucial in today’s world.

“With the downturn in the economy, it’s more important than ever for citizens to buy locally,” he said.

“To encourage people to shop locally, you have to have the products and services, as well as competitive pricing; if you don’t, they’ll go elsewhere,” Piazza added.

Piazza said the new Lowe’s Home Center is expected to raise over $1.5 million in City sales tax funds over the next 10 years. Lowe’s is the biggest retailer to open its doors in Abbeville since Wal-Mart, which opened more than 25 years ago.