COLTON>> A crowd of nearly 100 gathered on Wednesday, May 10, to celebrate the grand opening of the new Smart & Final Extra! store, located at 1023 N. Mt. Vernon Ave.
The grand opening was eagerly anticipated by many, as the project originally broke ground back in November of last year. The original groundbreaking ceremony marked a special day for Colton, as it was merely the first in a series of projects coming to the city.
With the project now complete, and the doors opening for the first time, numerous city officials and local business owners showed up to celebrate the joyous two-day event.
Just one day prior to the opening, representatives from the Colton civic, business and non-profit communities held a ribbon cutting ceremony during a preview of the store.
The Smart & Final Extra! store is 27,000 square feet and will offer warehouse prices, without the membership fee. The Colton Smart & Final location is also unique in that it will offer perishables and expanded frozen foods, deli and meat sections, as well as cut fruit, floral arrangements and more.
The Smart & Final Charitable Foundation also donated several checks to local organizations, The Ken Hubbs memorial Little League and the Seeds of Hope Foundation, each in the amount of $2,500.
Smart & Final is a well-known supporter of the businesses who inhabit the locations where its stores operates. Their donation was a way of giving back to the community who welcomed them with open arms.
The grand opening brought with it a sense of excitement and a spirit of comradery amongst the locals who were in attendance. Officials who attended the event included Dan Flores, Chief of Staff for SB Supervisor Gonzales, David Toro, Colton Mayor Pro Tem, Richard DeLaRosa, Colton Mayor, Josie Gonzales, SB County Supervisor 5th district, Tony Myrell, President of the Colton Chamber of Commerce; Willam Pena, Smart & Final Regional Growth Rep., Chris Bergren, Principal Evergreen Developer, Colton Economic Development Manager; Frank Navarro, District 3 Colton Couniclmen; and Isaac Suchil, District 6 Colton Councilmen..
“We’re excited to bring Smart & Final’s high-quality products at warehouse prices to the Colton community,” said James Christie, Store Manager at the new Colton store. “I’ve had the opportunity to work in a few Smart & Final stores before joining to open Colton, and to see our new Colton store built from the ground up has been incredible.”
According to Smart&Final.com, the “&” in their title represents the close ties the company carries with both the customers and the surrounding communities.
Originally founded over 140 years ago by J.S. Smart and H.D. Final, the company has never wavered from that promise.
Smart & Final and Smart & Final Extra! provide food and non-food products for catering events, business service providers and more.
They are often credited as being the go-to place for the shopping needs of families and local businesses.
“Whether they’re shopping for their family, an event or a business, they’ll discover we offer club-sized products, the quality of a grocery store, and prices that are 25% lower than supermarket,” said Christie. “And we look forward to welcoming our new friends and neighbors of Colton.