By the end of this year, New Braunfels residents shouldn’t have to make the 20-minute north or south to get a Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse.
Site work began a couple of weeks ago for a new store at the northeast corner of Interstate 35 and Farm-to-Market 1044 in New Braunfels. It is scheduled to open in December.
Lowe’s has invested about $18.5 million into one of their newest warehouse-style superstores for land, building and infrastructure costs, said Lowe’s spokeswoman Maureen Rich.
There are hundreds of factors examined when a new store location is considered, including the potential for growth in the area, which is huge in New Braunfels, Rich said. Stores are also brought into a community based on research that says customers are asking for Lowe’s, she said.
Another factor is competition. Rich said that 78 percent of their stores are within 10 miles of Home Depot, Lowe’s biggest competitor.
“Competition keeps us on our toes and is best for our customers. It provides more choices and better prices,” she said.
Paul Martinka, owner of Henne Hardware in downtown New Braunfels, said the large warehouse-style store is bound to get business, which may be taken away from Henne Hardware or The Home Depot.
“If customers want service they come here, if they want to buy cheap stuff they’ll go there,” Martinka said.
Representatives from the New Braunfels Home Depot declined to comment.
Jeff Parsons, a superintendent for McWhorter and Co. Inc., said store construction began May 15 and should be finished by October 19. Parsons said his company has been doing business with Lowe’s for 38 years.
“We started out making tin boxes and we’ve grown since then,” Parsons said.
Parsons has worked with McWhorter for 14 years and has overseen the construction of 36 Lowe’s stores.
The store’s opening will bring as many as 175 jobs, Rich said. For information on the hiring process, those interested can check openings posted on the Lowe’s Web site or look out for a hiring office that should open up in August, Parsons said.
The grand opening isn’t scheduled yet, but plans for a board-cutting ceremony — more appropriate for a home improvement store than a ribbon cutting — and building projects for kids are be expected later in the year, Rich said.
Upon opening, Lowe’s will also donate a “One Grand Grant” to an area non-profit organization chosen by the new store’s employees. Rich said that Lowe’s tries to get involved in the communities it joins through projects with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross and it encourages volunteers to help.
