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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Residents Welcome Super Wal-Mart to Edgewood

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    In what he referred to as his "last hurrah," Edgewood Mayor Howard Calkins applauded the opening of Wal-Mart in Edgewood.
    "I think this is the best thing to happen to Edgewood since sliced bread," Calkins said to the crowd attending the opening, which may have been 1,000 people.
    Edgewood's new mayor, Robert Stearley, was also invited on stage to speak.
    Stearley was brief.

Click to enlarge

    He gave his congratulations and said, "I can't wait to go shopping."
    Also in attendance at the opening were the Moriarty High School band, JROTC, cheerleaders and the national anthem was sung by a group from the school.
    The store gave out $18,000 worth of oversized checks to local organizations, including the Moriarty-Edgewood School District, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office and Wildlife West Nature Park.
    Near the end of the festivities, store manager James Torres cut a red ribbon using over-sized scissors supplied by the Edgewood Chamber of Commerce.
    Torres had positive things to say about his roughly 450 employees, most of them from the East Mountains.
    Although Torres has worked for Wal-Mart for more than six years, he said the employees who set up the merchandise inside the 214,000 square-foot store were the best employees he'd ever worked with.

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders at Edgewood Click to play video

    The group shaved over a week off of the normal six weeks it takes to put together such a store and, minus a few bumps and bruises, were accident-free the entire time, according to Pedro Andrade, market manager for 13 Wal-Marts, including the one in Edgewood.
    In addition, sales at the store on the first day were above expectations, Torres said, but would not give specific numbers. He did say hot items were in electronics and items for the home, including vacuum cleaners.
    Edgewood resident Grace Scott was at the cash register soon after the ribbon was cut. She saved her receipt and said she wanted to have the first purchase, a claim that is hard to verify.
    Having served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War era, Scott works with the Moriarty American Legion.
    She said she places flags on the veterans' graves in Moriarty and Edgewood.
    That morning, Scott noted the time on the receipt for her purchase, 41 seconds after 8:30 a.m.
    She also had her cashier, Karen Pacheco, sign the receipt.
    She'd bought three magazines— All You, Woman's World and Family Circle.
    She said she would give one of the magazines to her daughter, a Moriarty High School student.
    "When I came in they said, 'Welcome to Wal-Mart,' and I said, 'No, welcome Wal-Mart to Edgewood,' '' she said.
    There has been some speculation about other new businesses moving into Edgewood, following the Wal-Mart. But there is also some apprehension coming from Edgewood's business community with regard to the new administration in Edgewood.
    According to Torres, Calkins' administration was easy to work with, and he doesn't expect that to change with the new mayor.
    "It seems like Stearley wants to pick up right where the Calkins administration left off," Torres said.
   
   
    Give me a 'D'
    Check out video of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders visit to Edgewood at www.mvtelegraph.com.