Within an hour of Marden’s new location in Bangor opening, waves of customers filled the store’s parking lot and aisles.
Just two people were in line minutes before the new location opened its doors at 9 a.m. Monday, while others shielded themselves from the rain in more than a dozen nearby parked cars.
The opening of the Bangor location at 229 Springer Drive marks the completion of Marden’s relocation from Brewer. The move to a former Burlington Coat Factory building was announced last fall, and the Bangor store is about the same size as the former Brewer location, General Manager Fox Keim previously said.
New stock and deals brought droves of customers to the store on opening day.
Jeremiah Hatch braved the cold rain to ensure he would be one of the first customers in the new store. Like many Marden’s customers, Hatch was looking to find a deal.
Hatch has been to other store openings and frequents Kiwanis auctions, both of which typically offer special deals or gifts for the first customers through the door, he said.
Marden’s didn’t offer any deals at the door, but did give away hats to the first 100 customers to checkout.
Hatch was there to shop regardless.
“They do have good deals on everything,” he said.
Customers started lining up behind Hatch moments before the doors opened.
“It feels like Christmas,” multiple people said while talking about what possible items the store would have.
Around 8:50 a.m., a Marden’s employee opened the door early, allowing customers to stream in and grab carts.
More than 30 customers walked into the store in the first five minutes. Nancy Morgan, who said she was a “real Marden’s shopper,” was one of the first to walk the aisles.
Morgan wasn’t looking for anything specific and came because she “likes the excitement” of searching through the store, she said.
Morgan’s home is full of clothing, boots and other things she’s bought at Marden’s, she said, including word art signs on her walls and 20 pairs of boots she bought for $5 each. She even bought one recent sign for less than $1 at the markdown sale at the Brewer location, she said.
Her children have asked her if she’s going to resell some of the things she’s bought or give it to them, she said, but she has no intentions of getting rid of any of it.
“It’s for me. I’m not putting in this work for someone else,” Morgan said.
The new store is nicer than the Brewer location, but a traffic light or change to nearby intersections will be needed because of how many customers will be at the new building, Morgan said.
The store has the same sections, including hardware, clothing and food, which was the busiest aisle during the opening morning.
Customers were still coming through the doors in waves half an hour after the store opened and the parking lot was nearly full.
Two of the first people to check out, Robert and Gloria Lunt, were returning to their car while donning their new Marden’s hats as others were filing in.
The couple bought tomato soup, trash bags and motor oil, all at good prices, they said. The new location was nicer than the Brewer store because of the new carts, lights and cleanliness, they said.
Although they had done their shopping for the day, Gloria Lunt said, they would be back this week.
“If it’s not raining, we’ll be back tomorrow to get a mattress,” she said.