Update: Downtown Ann Arbor's new CVS celebrates grand opening
The new CVS pharmacy on South State Street celebrated its grand opening Monday, eight days after its soft opening.
The celebration included a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4 p.m., followed by cake for the store’s new customers.
“Most people who come in say, 'I am so happy, this is what we needed,'” Worden says.
The store opened on schedule, set as the major construction effort to bulid a new store behind a historic facade was concluding early this year.
The $8 million project represents the largest private redevelopment on the South State commercial corridor next to the University of Michigan campus since Corner House Lofts was built in 2003.
The new CVS store’s biggest upset so far may have been a power outage that occurred during the store’s grand opening, Worden said. Power was out for four to five hours.
Angie Smith is a retail writer for AnnArbor.com. You can email her at angieannarbor@gmail.com
Comments
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 5:16 p.m.
Hey, that doesn't look too bad.
MB111
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 : 6:33 p.m.
@LiberalNIMBY re:awnings This is a "historic building" - so its probably not permitted
LiberalNIMBY
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 : 5:25 p.m.
It's interesting that the Ashley/Huron building has made its way into a discussion about this drug store, because the Ashley/Huron building architecture has been likened to 10 Walgreens stacked on top of each other. I agree about the facade—would it kill them to put a couple of tasteful awnings out there?
javajolt1
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 : 3:53 p.m.
True Marshall. Aesthetics is in the eye of the beholder! Amazed that you can log a blog post all the way from Hale Bopp! Not sure how many posters will remember you. Welcome back!
javajolt1
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 : 3:25 p.m.
Anything that keeps downtown vibrant is a plus. However the facade of this building is exceedingly unattractive. No doubt a lot of money was put into it. Why can't aesthetic beauty be a variable in the design process? The historic commission debates and deliberates the type of replacement windows and paint color a west side homeowner can use. On their OWN home. Then the city approves projects that are anything but in keeping with the surroundings. The CVS isn't awful, but look at the corner of Ashley and Huron. What on EARTH is that? The ugliest 10-story building in all of Ann Arbor looming over the West Side historic district. ....a little ironic.
Marshall Applewhite
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 : 3:37 p.m.
The new facade is much better than what was previously there. Not everything can be perfection.