BROOKINGS For folks who love grocery shopping, be sure to mark Nov. 20 on your calendar. Why? Thats when Aldi will open its doors in Brookings, giving area residents another option to keep their families fed.
The revelation came near the start of Tuesday nights Brookings City Council meeting, when Deputy Mayor Nick Wendell broke the news.
We are excited to announce that Aldi has an opening date, he said. Our Aldi will open in the Marketplace on Nov. 20, with a ribbon-cutting at 8:30 a.m. We are thrilled with that development well be able to celebrate Aldi and come together.
His words drew a round of applause from the audience. That is the sound of a community very excited about Aldi opening, Wendell said.
Aldi will be the first business to open in the new Brookings Marketplace development, a decades-long effort that is finally paying dividends. National retailer Target is also building a new, 127,000-square-foot store there, and the development will also be home to a Kwik Star fuel and convenience store, the second one in Brookings. Target and Kwik Star are both expected to open no later than next summer.
It would be an understatement to say that anticipation in and around Brookings has been high for Aldi the Brookings Registers announcement of the news on Facebook alone generated more than 146,000 views and nearly 1,300 reactions as of Wednesday at noon.
The enthusiasm was palpable on Tuesday night, too.
Were really excited about it. We were told that they wouldnt open until July of next year to have them open up in advance is so great for this community,” City Manager Paul Briseno said. “Its something that (the City Council) has been working very diligently on for many years, to get the Marketplace to go, but then also to bring another grocer to the (city). Its fantastic for the community.
Wendell heaped praise on the work that has gone into Aldi and the rest of the 18.53-acre Brookings Marketplace, whose development is being overseen by Minneaplis-based Ryan Companies.
Were thrilled. I think it speaks to the quality of the development out at the Marketplace. It speaks to favorable conditions in the summer and the fall that they were able to make some great progress, Wendell said. We got some phenomenal contractors and subcontractors that have kept the project rolling. Were just thrilled that the doors can open even earlier than we anticipated.
He added that the timing of Aldis Nov. 20 opening was wonderful.
Its still ahead of the thrust of the holiday season before Thanksgiving and before we get into the busy month of December, folks will have another grocery shopping option in Brookings. Were thrilled with that.
Wendell took the bigger picture into account as well.
We want to thank the community for their support and their excitement around the Marketplace development, he said. Our goal at the Marketplace is just to provide more options in Brookings and ensure more folks think of Brookings as a place to stay home and shop, or the surrounding communities can think of Brookings as a shopping destination. Aldi having their doors open before the end of the year just helps with that.
Councilor Brianna Doran shared similar sentiments, admiring how a once-empty chunk of land is now bursting with growth.
I am really excited that this project that has been decades in the making is finally coming to physical fruition, she said. Its been really exciting to see the ground being turned to the building to the sign going up to then actually going to see it light up and us be able to walk through the doors. Weve all been eagerly waiting, and Im excited for the community to enjoy this.
Doran added that, I would just thank the community for their support of the different city councils working through these agreements and having trust in their leadership beyond just city government to finally bring these deals to fruition.
In closing, perhaps Councilor Bonny Specker best summed up a lot of peoples thoughts.
Im excited I love Aldi! she said.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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