Kroger Marketplace in Columbia opens with a Starbucks, sushi bar, clothing — and groceries

After a year of construction, Kroger opened its first South Carolina Marketplace superstore in Columbia on Wednesday and, sure enough, the people came.

Store officials cut the ribbon on the 124,000-square-foot shopping complex at mid-morning, but customers had descended on the store off Killian Road hours before, entering when the store opened its doors at 7:30 a.m. Parking spaces were wait-and-see throughout the day.

“I like it. I like it a lot,” said Angie Lewis, a LongCreek Plantation resident who shopped at the grand opening event with her husband. “It’s laid out great. They have plenty of workers and they have a huge selection to choose from.”

Indeed, with 21 manned checkout stations and self-check stations on either side of the front, the Kroger is stocked wall-to-wall in the food areas, featuring specialty amenity stops such as a Starbucks, sushi bar, olive bar, Boors Head delicatessen and a bistro for sandwiches, pizza and chicken.

Samples flowed freely during the day, and more than a few customers seemed torn between shopping for groceries and sampling the goodies. Workers handed out items such as Murray’s double cream brie on crackers with Murray’s wild blueberry preserves on top.

Lewis said they have lived in the area for 28 years, long before the Blythewood area of northeast Richland had a McDonald’s, let alone the booming restaurant, retail and residential development the area is experiencing. They had done most of their grocery shopping at the BiLo in the Village at Sandhill Shopping Center or the Kroger on Two Notch Road, she said.

“This side of town really needed something like this,” Lewis said. “It’s going to make a huge difference.”

The Kroger Marketplace stores feature signature upscale service departments, a drive-thru pharmacy, fuel center, and apparel departments designed to cater to a customer's shopping needs in one shopping trip, the company said.

Kroger introduced its first Marketplace in Carrollton, Ga., in 2013, and now features seven of the stores, including the one Blythewood.

“We are excited about Wednesday's opening and believe the new Columbia Marketplace store will be a huge benefit to customers,” said Glynn Jenkins, a company spokesman. “We look forward to providing our customers with customer service, variety and high quality products, ClickList online ordering, great prices, and much more.”

The store is open daily from 5 a.m. until midnight.

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Kroger Marketplace in Columbia opens with a Starbucks, sushi bar, clothing — and groceries."