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On the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 23, Wal-Mart opened its doors to local residents and celebrated the grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new store, located at 2465 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow, was welcomed into the neighborhood by local residents, dignitaries, organization representatives and a special cheer from the Division Avenue High School cheerleaders.

According to Store Manager Steve Halliburton, the 117,360 square foot Wal-Mart opened its doors to approximately 6,500 shoppers on opening day and on opening weekend, approximately 7,500 shoppers visited the store on both Saturday and Sunday.

After the ribbon cutting, Wal-Mart officials presented contributions to several local organizations, churches, and schools. Distributing approximately $15,000, the corporation granted checks to the Children's Miracle Network and United Way, as well as the Yours, Ours, Mine Community Center, who provided a hiring site for Wal-Mart late last fall.

Still hiring, Halliburton said that once the store is fully staffed they will have employed over 300 people.

In addition to the sections shoppers would expect to find in the store, including groceries, bed and bath departments, automotive, and pet supplies; Wal-Mart also houses a number of specialty shops, including a one hour photo-processing, a pharmacy and a Radio Grill, where shoppers can sit down and have a meal.

"We had a really good opening, sales were great," Halliburton said. "We had a real successful week and we're just trying to keep it maintained and get some more freight in here." The store manager added that he, along with other store employees, was pleased to see so many residents rush to the store in the past couple of weeks and that they look forward to providing residents with the best possible service in the future.