LINCOLN -- The new Harps Food Store on Pridemore Drive in Lincoln will open June 7, according to store manager R.C. Capper.
The new store is located on four acres, west of the Lincoln Post Office, and will have 22,500 square feet, compared to 13,000 square feet at the current store at 718 W. Pridemore Drive.
Other amenities will include more sections for ice cream and frozen food and a meat case that has three levels and is 28 feet long. For example, Capper said, doors for ice cream will increase from seven to 19. The current store has 24 doors for frozen food. The new store will have 66 doors of frozen food.
The new store also will have a deli, bakery and gas station.
Capper gave an update on construction at the annual banquet for Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce and said his wife asked him one time if he could go to any Harps store, where would he want to go.
His reply was to have a new store in Lincoln and be able to stay in Lincoln.
Not long afterward, news came that Harps had bought property and planned to build a new grocery store in Lincoln.
Capper said the vision for a new store belongs to Mayor Rob Hulse and Richard Cooper, manager of Farmers Co-Op True Value in Lincoln. The two community leaders met with representatives of Harps and encouraged them to either remodel the Harps in Lincoln or build a new one.
The new Harps will employ about 30 more people, Capper said. Hours will most likely remain the same, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Sunday.
Another upgrade, Capper said, will be state-of-the-art high definition cameras for security and safety.
Capper, who has worked for Harps for 10 years and been in Lincoln for three years, said he and his associates are looking forward to moving to the new store.
"Lincoln needs something new," Capper said. "This will have better selection and we'll hire more people, which is good for Lincoln. It will allow us to serve the community in a better way."
General News on 03/22/2017