Wednesday morning, a line of about 20 customers waited outside of Greenville’s new discount store, Roses.
Inside the building, the store’s district manager, Tommy Rush, was giving last minute instructions to the store employees.
His voice was filled with excitement as he thanked them for all the hard work they put in to make the day possible.
“Let’s have a great day,” he said It took just five week’s for Rush’s staff to get it ready for Wednesday’s opening.
Fifty-six employees were hired to work at the new store, which is located in the same building as the former K-Mart on Highway 82, which closed after four decades of business in 2016.
A few moments later, Rush opened the front door and welcomed in the store’s first customers.
Described by Rush as a discount department store, Roses offers all the home needs a family may require.The store sells clothing, furniture, bedding, plastic wear and perishable foods.
Before Wednesday, it had been more than 40 years since Greenville had a Roses store inside its city limits. Decades ago, the store chain went bankrupt, with the Greenville store closing in the 1970s.
The Roses chain was revitalized when it was bought by its current parent company, Variety Wholesalers, which is based out of Henderson, North Carolina. Variety Wholesalers also owns the Super 10, located on Washington Avenue in Greenville.
Despite the current economic climate, Rush said opening up a store in Greenville made logical sense. Greenville’s Roses is the fourth one to be opened in Mississippi.
“We are in an upswing with the company,” Rush said. “We are buying out a lot of Fred’s stores, and we were originally looking at opening up at the Fred’s location across the street. This location, however, had more square footage so we decided to come here.”
Wednesday was the store’s soft opening with the grand opening scheduled for sometime in September, Rush said.
The store is open from 9 a.m to 8 p.m. daily.
“We plan on being here for a long time,” Rush said. “We will be the center of your home needs. And, of course, we have the best prices.”
