Marketplace magic
Thursday, October 28, 2004 1:27 PM PDT
Tami Hart Argus Observer
ONTARIO
"Location, location, location" is what Radio Shack owner/manager Jim Griffith said helped him make the decision to situate a new store in the Ontario Marketplace.
The store will celebrate its grand opening Friday and Saturday.
Griffith, though, said the Radio Shack store downtown will also remain open.
"We are definitely staying downtown," Griffith said. "The new store is a complement to this location. We can be full-service here in the downtown store, we can't be out in the Marketplace."
At 2,100 square feet of space, 1,800 of which is the sales floor, the marketplace location will carry predominantly Radio Shack merchandise. The downtown store has third party vendors and shares space with a JC Penney Catalog outlet.
It is the Radio Shack quality that people are looking for when they see the big red circle R, Griffith said.
"They know they can trust what they buy there and that they can find parts for what they buy in other Radio Shack locations," Griffith said.
The Home Depot opening in January will also help business, he said.
"With Home Depot going in I'm all the more confident I made a good decision," Griffith said of his expansion to the Marketplace.
Two other businesses have joined the new Radio Shack at the marketplace - Primo's Pizza and Maurices.
Primo's, which opened Oct. 19, is situated in the former Klondike Pizza space and offers an all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta buffet for $4.99, Gail Perry, who owns Primo's with her husband Dave, said.
Perry said the response has been great to the buffet which features fresh, hot pizza made to order.
"The word in the community is that you can get in and out quick for lunch, which is good," Perry said.
Perry, who has a degree in business and has experience in the restaurant business, said the Ontario Primo's is the first Primo's franchise in the area.
"The opportunity came up in here in Ontario and we grabbed it. We love the atmosphere in the Marketplace and the merchants have all been great," Perry said. "It has a nice community feel to it. With Home Depot coming in, it's only going to get better."
Maurices will celebrate its grand opening Saturday by giving away two $50 gift cards, store manager Maurnee Thomas said.
"We're very excited about how our new project turned out," Thomas said. "The new decor is warm and friendly and the layout makes it so easy for customers to shop."
Thomas said while the new store actually has about 500 square feet less retail space, the new store's design actually makes the Marketplace store appear larger.
