The nearly 25,000 square foot store opened with fanfare as community leaders gathered for the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Chamber CEO and President John Hall said Fareway made an approximate $6 million investment into the new store.

“They had a lot of options for where they could have chosen to build and the fact that they are reinvesting back into Marshalltown, back into the core of the community and the accessibility that this store has for residents throughout the community … this is incredible and we sincerely appreciate it,” Hall said.

Construction on the new building began just last year at 102 W. Anson St. as the former store stayed operational. Demolition of the former site is expected soon.

Shoppers enter the new Fareway store in Marshalltown for the first time.

“We look forward to continuing to serve the area residents of Marshalltown like we have since 1946,” said B.J. Van Der Linden, Fareway regional vice president.

He said the Marshallltown staff, many of whom were introduced along with their families at the ceremony, were integral to building and opening the new store.

The new store touts a more modern interior with enhanced technology and natural lighting.

“What a fun thing to have another big renovation in our rebuild Marshalltown effort that’s going on,” Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer said. “This Fareway store is just another example of people that are willing to make an investment, improve things, hire more people and get people to move to Marshalltown and live here.”

As the first customers trickled into the store, many pointed out the new lighting and more spacious building as the first features they noticed.

“There’s just generally a lot of excitement — staff has been highly anticipating this,” Fareway spokesperson Emily Toribio said. “We have such a long-term, tenured staff that have been in the storefront, so this new store look and feel is going to be really exciting for them and for our customers alike.”

The new facility will continue to be managed by store manager Brian Schmith and market manager Michael Hanna. The store is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753-6611 or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce CEO and President John Hall speaks at Monday morning’s ribbon cutting commemorating the opening of a new Fareway store in Marshalltown.