Moses Lake fetes new Home Depot store

Mega chain opens doors with board cutting ceremony

MOSES LAKE — If crowd enthusiasm is any indication, the city didn't realize how much it wanted a Home Depot until it actually had one.

Looming clouds and impending darkness did not deter the general population from turning out to toast the opening of the mega chain's newest location Wednesday evening, as the new store's parking lot quickly filled to the brim and then some.

"You know sometimes, when the husband doesn't come home from work right after work, the wife gets on the phone and calls the local bar? My wife calls the local Home Depot," Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey joked before welcoming the store into the area, wishing its employees well, receiving his own honorary Home Depot orange apron and using a power tool for the board cutting ceremony.

"We've had some of the greatest people in Moses Lake and the surrounding areas apply that are now working for this store," store manager Ross Hardley told the gathered crowd, adding that 90 percent of the Home Depot staff hails from the city and surrounding communities. "This Home Depot belongs to all of you. It is staffed by many of your friends and neighbors."

Of those in attendance, many rang in with the opinion that the store in Moses Lake was a long time in coming.

"About bloody time," said Erica Marr, adding that she, her nephews and her mother were in attendance because they had received a card in the mail advertising the opening, and wanted to come see it. "We needed one a long time ago … It already helped. It brought in jobs."

Marr was not alone in her sentiment. Many of those in attendance welcomed the store to the neighborhood, with high hopes that it would provide a boost to the area's economy.

"I just wanted to see what we have here in Moses Lake, see if we've got a big store or a little store," said Bob Ruff, then announcing that, "We've got a good one. I think it's great. I'm a hundred percent for it — it's going to help the economy a lot."

Dennis and Helen Els said they turned out to see what all the new store had to offer and what it looked like inside.

"I hope it brings in more business," Dennis Els said. "You've got all of this land over here next to them, and maybe something else might decide, 'Hey, if they're here, maybe we ought to think about investing our business here in Moses Lake.' Bring our economy up."

Jesus and Anastacia Rocha said their son works in the store's garden department, which is the reason they were in attendance.

"He told us to come check it out, so here we are," Jesus Rocha said. "I think it's great … We need something like this here in Moses Lake."

When asked what brought them to the ceremony, James Rice indicated his shopping companion Patricia Rice, who said Home Depot is her favorite store.

"It's like candy to her," James Rice said. "Because what don't they have? I think it's the best thing that could have happened to Moses Lake. We're tired of going to Tri-Cities and Wenatchee."