By By Adam Prestridge
Hundreds gathered in front of the red ribbon that divided the entrance of Atmore's new Peebles store and the parking lot Thursday morning.
Shoppers stood patiently by as store manager Mark Booth and Atmore Mayor Howard Shell prepared to cut the ribbon. And with one snip, it was official, another national chain retailer had chosen Atmore as its home.
As soon as the ribbon hit the ground, shoppers were off to the races to cash in on grand opening discounted prices, free giveaways and in-store drawings.
"It went real well," Booth said. "We had a very good crowd, we were busy up until closing. I've never seen that many people come out for a grand opening. Everybody's been in checking out the new store. Everyone seems positive and upbeat about us being here."
Prior to the ribbon cutting, Peebles management team and associates played host to city and business leaders during a VIP reception. The Escambia County High School band was on hand in the parking lot prior to the store's opening entertaining customers with its upcoming halftime show tunes, pep songs and the school's fight song. Also on hand were representative of the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber Ambassadors.
"I appreciate all the support we've had during our transition from Moore's to Peebles," Booth, who was with Moore's for 24 years, said. "The associate and I are looking forward to the new things Peebles has to offer us. It's an exciting time for us."
Peebles' opening wasn't only exciting for residents of Atmore, but for city leaders as well.
"We feel that the City of Atmore is definitely on the move and we are certainly glad to see Peebles join the team of merchants in the town," Mayor Howard Shell said. "We hope to see more retail development soon. We certainly hope that all of our citizens will shop with them and make them feel at home."
Peebles prides its self on its tradition of exceptional customer service and community involvement. Peebles now operates more than 170 stores in 23 states, namely, Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
Stage Stores, Inc. purchased B.C. Moore's &Sons, a privately owned retail outlet, for approximately $37 million in late February following completion of work on the new Moore's location in part of the old K-Mart building on Lindberg Ave. Shortly after the stores March 2 Grand Opening, Stage began phasing out Moore's and closed the store for further renovations and to stock new merchandise during the transition to Peebles.