Even as the various corporate leaders and local politicians waited in the June heat for the ceremony to begin, customers were already coming and going with various bargains and finds.

Marvin’s is now open for business and not even

Thursday’s grand opening ceremony is going to get in the way of that.

“We’re proud to be in Selma, Alabama,” said Darrin Gilliam, vice-president of merchandising and marketing. Gilliam went on to thank many of the local leaders who helped the building material and home center put the 19th store in the Marvin’s Chain in Selma.

Store officials and many of the politicians took turns sawing the ceremonial board in half.

“We’re in the building materials business. We don’t cut ribbons, we cut boards,” Gilliam said.

Claire Twardy, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, spoke at the event as well.

“I want to welcome Marvin’s,” she said. “We’re very happy to have their store here on this great corner.

It’s a beautiful store.”

The brand new 40,000 sq. ft. facility sits on the corner of Highway 80 East and the bypass.

It offers home improvement, garden and building supplies in a wide array.

“It’s a very attractive building and they’re going to hire 30 or 40 people so that’s always big for Selma,” said Wayne Vardaman, executive director of the Economic Development Authority, “We need all the employees we can get.”

Shoppers were impressed as well.

“I really like it, it should do good. We’ve been needing a store like this,” shopper Jeff Trantham said. “I like it where you can see stuff without having to go to the counter and ask for it.

I think they’re going to do good here.”

That’s a viewpoint Marvin’s officials share.

“(The response) has been wonderful.

It has exceeded our expectations,” Gilliam said. “The feedback we’ve gotten from the community is excellent. A lot of the customers indicated that they were leaving the City of Selma and going to Prattville and Montgomery and other areas and Selma was losing the tax base here. We were very pleased to find we will be able to keep the sales in Selma.”

Gilliam added that the Selma store’s prices are better than the out of town competition while the local tax rate is as good or better,

“There’s absolutely no reason for customers to have to go there if they want good quality, affordable solutions to their home improvement needs,” Gilliam said.

The store will also bring between 30 and 40 jobs to Selma as well.

As part of the ceremony Selma mayor James Perkins Jr. presented Marvin’s officials with a pair of keys to the city.

“Thank you for allowing Selma to become part of your corporate community,” Perkins said.