Wal-Mart Supercenter opening in Aurora

City and corporate officials will gather Friday morning in north-central Aurora to unveil the newest addition to the Farnsworth Avenue retail corridor, a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Members of the East Aurora High School marching band will join a Wal-Mart employee about 7:30 a.m. to perform the national anthem. Members of Aurora Memorial VFW Post 9574 also will be on hand to raise the flag.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mia Masten said the new 204,000-square-foot store at 2900 Kirk Road will employ about 400 residents and feature all of the Supercenter "bells and whistles."

The store, she said, will feature a new layout "designed to produce a more open feeling."

In addition to a tire and lube express, photo lab, garden center and drive-through pharmacy, the store will feature a pet-care specialist and pet grooming.

The store also will include an expanded furniture department with a larger-than-usual supply of beds and desks,

"We really try to be the store of the community when we come in," Masten said. "We study the overall demographics and make sure we offer the products and services specific to the area."

Located just south of the Farnsworth Avenue exit on the Reagan Memorial Tollway, the store will be ideally located for shoppers heading to and from the Chicago Premium Outlets mall on the north side, Masten said.

"The infrastructure is there for the roads and stores already, and it makes it easier for folks to keep their money invested in the corridor," she said. "We really couldn't have asked for a better location."

First Ward Alderman Abby Shuler said residents have "long awaited the opening of those doors."

"It truly is going to be a one-stop shop," she said. "This area has been greatly lacking of a grocery store, and the department store side is just a bonus of having a Supercenter."

Shuler said she's pleased with the outcome and the store's appearance.

"This is one of the nicest-looking plazas we have in the city," she said. "And the company couldn't have been a better partner."

During a grand opening celebration Wednesday night, Masten said Wal-Mart donated more than $18,000 to Aurora's police and fire departments, Phillips Park Zoo, East and West Aurora high schools and the Quad County Urban League.