CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drive down Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood and you can't miss the brand new Harris Teeter.
Harris Teeter has had a store here since 1949. The company tore down the old one and built a new one, bringing more jobs and a welcome change for people like Leslie Sykes who lives in the area.
"It helps, even within the microcosm of our little neighborhood, to have an employer whose hiring and is going to maintain a significant presence in the future," said Sykes. Sykes is with the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association.
Tuesday Eyewitness News was with employees as they went through final preps, stocking shelves and getting ready for Wednesday's grand opening.
The new store is a blend of old and new. Catherine Becker with Harris Teeter said, "We took some of the wood from that original location and introduced it into different areas of the (new) store."
The new building was constructed with energy efficiency in mind, from a "green roof" to motion sensors that turn on light inside coolers only when someone walks down the aisle.
The new store also has artwork designed by local artists, including mosaics, and bike racks outside the store.
Sykes hopes the new store will bring more people to Plaza Midwood.
She said, "Once people get out of their cars, there's so much to see down there."
WSOC
